INDIANA BRANNAN and the LOST LIGHTWEIGHT : by Charlie Morris
Our story begins in 1963 when Ford’s drag racing coordinator Dick Brannan was on a tear with his factory backed lightweight Galaxie. Dick set numerous track and the NHRA Super/Stock class record with this car and along the way he became in such demand by track promoters it was decided that a second racecar would be added to the Romy-Hammes Ford stable in order to meet the numerous commitments for match races. To this end a second lightweight Galaxie was delivered to the dealership and prepared for competition. Dick’s friend Ron Stealey was to share driving duties of the second car, which carried the number 824, one digit higher than Dick’s original 63 S/S Galaxie, when the team had more than one booking on any given weekend. At the end of the 1963 racing season both cars were sold off to private owners and while the #823 Galaxie’s lineage could be easily traced forward after 1963 #824 was lost to history after a time.
Fast forward to 2002 and an event at National Trail Raceway in Ohio where I was in attendance with my own 1963 lightweight Galaxie, the former Norristown Ford car. I was approached by a man who informed me that he had a Galaxie like mine. Having heard this story many times before I fully expected the man to add “But mine is a four door and has a 352”. Imagine my surprise when he related that he did indeed have a lightweight car. I inquired as to the car’s history if known and the man explained that the car had been parked on someone’s front lawn with a for sale sign on it for some time before he decided to inquire about it. The owner indicated that he needed to make a mortgage payment and accepted $950.00 for the car. From that point that car had been stored in a garage for many years. I explained that a friend and I were planning to host a Lightweight Galaxie reunion at the Carlisle all Ford event in 2003 to celebrate the anniversary of these cars. His reply was that he had no interest in attending since his car was not finished. After I explained that we could be happy just to include his car in the gathering he cut me off saying that he would have to move too many cars to get the car out of his garage.
Approximately three weeks before the Lightweight Reunion in 2003 my friend and co-coordinator of the event, Joe Conlon received a call from a man who informed him “I told that other guy that I wasn’t interested in attending the reunion, but I changed my mind and will be bringing it”
On the first weekend of June the car arrived at Carlisle on dilapidated trailer at which point Joe Conlon, Dick Brannan and myself walked over to take a look at it. Looking inside the car Dick commented that the car looked untouched and was a “real time capsule”. Joe pointed out to Dick and I the Romy-Hammes dealership sticker on the rear bumper to which Dick replied “Everyone wanted one of them back in 63”. I personally speculated as to perhaps the car had been delivered through Romy-Hammes Ford and the discussion went no further.
The car was sold to collector Jacky Jones at the event and I heard no more of it for several years until one day I received a call from Dick Brannan requesting my assistance. It seems that along the way Jacky Jones had sold the car to Kayo Erwin of Chattanooga, TN and evidence had come to light indicating that the car might well be the missing Romy-Hammes #824 lightweight. Dick asked if I would meet he and Jerry Hammes at Mr. Erwin’s facility for the purpose of documenting and photographing the authentication of the car since, as Dick put it, “I don’t ever want anyone to say that Brannan took money to say a car was real when it wasn’t”.
I traveled to Chattanooga where I met with Kayo Erwin who related how his suspicions that the car in his possession might be the lost #824 came about. Kayo explained that normally when he purchased a car for restoration the first step in the process would be to remove the body from the chassis and send the body off to be stripped. As fate would have it Kayo’s wife Brenda, while looking at the body before stripping, remarked that the car appeared to have areas of original paint while other portions had been painted over. Mrs. Erwin remarked that she thought this car had “a story to tell” and subsequently Kayo instructed one of his employees to lightly sand one of the areas of the car that had been painted over to see what might appear. In very short order the outline of lettering reading S.Bend, Indiana appeared. Not being a Ford man per se Kayo contacted Jacky Jones asking what the significance of S. Bend Indiana in relation to the 1963 lightweight Galaxie he had purchased from him might be. Jacky Jones immediately contacted Brannan asking how many 63 Galaxie’s he had raced in 63 and after hearing there were two with one currently being accounted for and the other still missing he put Dick in touch with Kayo.
Prior to seeing the car in person Brannan indicated certain specific modifications that had been performed on the #824 Galaxie that could be used to authenticate it and each was subsequently confirmed. I met with Dick, Jerry Hammes and Kayo at his shop as requested and took photographs of the lettering uncovered when areas of the car’s body were sanded at Dick’s direction. I subsequently wrote my account as noted here for publication in Legendary Ford magazine.
In January 2018 Kayo Erwin contacted me and requested that I attend the Mecum auto auction in Kissimmee, Fl where the restored #824 car was to be offered for sale so that I might answer any questions regarding the car’s authenticity. Imagine my delight when Mr. Erwin granted me the honor of driving the former mount of one of my racing heroes onto the auction block. After the event I contacted Dick Brannan to inform him that I had recently been in his former “office” in the form of the #824 Romy-Hammes Galaxie at which time I got yet another thrill when Dick informed me that he and his son Richard were watching the auction on television and had applauded when they saw me drive the car onto the block.
Fast forward to 2002 and an event at National Trail Raceway in Ohio where I was in attendance with my own 1963 lightweight Galaxie, the former Norristown Ford car. I was approached by a man who informed me that he had a Galaxie like mine. Having heard this story many times before I fully expected the man to add “But mine is a four door and has a 352”. Imagine my surprise when he related that he did indeed have a lightweight car. I inquired as to the car’s history if known and the man explained that the car had been parked on someone’s front lawn with a for sale sign on it for some time before he decided to inquire about it. The owner indicated that he needed to make a mortgage payment and accepted $950.00 for the car. From that point that car had been stored in a garage for many years. I explained that a friend and I were planning to host a Lightweight Galaxie reunion at the Carlisle all Ford event in 2003 to celebrate the anniversary of these cars. His reply was that he had no interest in attending since his car was not finished. After I explained that we could be happy just to include his car in the gathering he cut me off saying that he would have to move too many cars to get the car out of his garage.
Approximately three weeks before the Lightweight Reunion in 2003 my friend and co-coordinator of the event, Joe Conlon received a call from a man who informed him “I told that other guy that I wasn’t interested in attending the reunion, but I changed my mind and will be bringing it”
On the first weekend of June the car arrived at Carlisle on dilapidated trailer at which point Joe Conlon, Dick Brannan and myself walked over to take a look at it. Looking inside the car Dick commented that the car looked untouched and was a “real time capsule”. Joe pointed out to Dick and I the Romy-Hammes dealership sticker on the rear bumper to which Dick replied “Everyone wanted one of them back in 63”. I personally speculated as to perhaps the car had been delivered through Romy-Hammes Ford and the discussion went no further.
The car was sold to collector Jacky Jones at the event and I heard no more of it for several years until one day I received a call from Dick Brannan requesting my assistance. It seems that along the way Jacky Jones had sold the car to Kayo Erwin of Chattanooga, TN and evidence had come to light indicating that the car might well be the missing Romy-Hammes #824 lightweight. Dick asked if I would meet he and Jerry Hammes at Mr. Erwin’s facility for the purpose of documenting and photographing the authentication of the car since, as Dick put it, “I don’t ever want anyone to say that Brannan took money to say a car was real when it wasn’t”.
I traveled to Chattanooga where I met with Kayo Erwin who related how his suspicions that the car in his possession might be the lost #824 came about. Kayo explained that normally when he purchased a car for restoration the first step in the process would be to remove the body from the chassis and send the body off to be stripped. As fate would have it Kayo’s wife Brenda, while looking at the body before stripping, remarked that the car appeared to have areas of original paint while other portions had been painted over. Mrs. Erwin remarked that she thought this car had “a story to tell” and subsequently Kayo instructed one of his employees to lightly sand one of the areas of the car that had been painted over to see what might appear. In very short order the outline of lettering reading S.Bend, Indiana appeared. Not being a Ford man per se Kayo contacted Jacky Jones asking what the significance of S. Bend Indiana in relation to the 1963 lightweight Galaxie he had purchased from him might be. Jacky Jones immediately contacted Brannan asking how many 63 Galaxie’s he had raced in 63 and after hearing there were two with one currently being accounted for and the other still missing he put Dick in touch with Kayo.
Prior to seeing the car in person Brannan indicated certain specific modifications that had been performed on the #824 Galaxie that could be used to authenticate it and each was subsequently confirmed. I met with Dick, Jerry Hammes and Kayo at his shop as requested and took photographs of the lettering uncovered when areas of the car’s body were sanded at Dick’s direction. I subsequently wrote my account as noted here for publication in Legendary Ford magazine.
In January 2018 Kayo Erwin contacted me and requested that I attend the Mecum auto auction in Kissimmee, Fl where the restored #824 car was to be offered for sale so that I might answer any questions regarding the car’s authenticity. Imagine my delight when Mr. Erwin granted me the honor of driving the former mount of one of my racing heroes onto the auction block. After the event I contacted Dick Brannan to inform him that I had recently been in his former “office” in the form of the #824 Romy-Hammes Galaxie at which time I got yet another thrill when Dick informed me that he and his son Richard were watching the auction on television and had applauded when they saw me drive the car onto the block.
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Charles R, Morris
Charles R, Morris
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