Re: Jim Kirby's 1968 Harrell Funny Car for Sale!
 

Why is this such a big deal ? Because of the wording in the E-Bay listing ? How many old race cars from very famous people...whether team cars or not have been dug up,thankfully and put back to their old glory in the best "livery" the car had....look at all the old Pontiacs and MoPars that went on to finish their useful lives as workhorses at local tracks.Only to be found later and brought back to glory....no one would want to restore one of these cars to say...the day it caught fire and make it looked burned up...or put the lettering of some obscure but hard working racer that used it for 10 years after it's famous racer sold it...I don't get it. Where is the insult here...

Re: Jim Kirby's 1968 Harrell Funny Car for Sale!
 

While I'm an outsider to the parties mentioned, I think one should look at the whole situation realistically. I'm sure the Harrell family are nice people but let's be honest. Dick Harrell was a drag racer in an era in which he had limited marketability. That is to say he raced, and became famous when the marketing of his name wasn't even thought of in the way we know it today. I would bet that if you asked 10000 people on a city street who he was, maybe 10%would recognize his name, even when he was alive and racing. Today I bet it would be close to .0001%. That being said, if we are saying that the family is trying to make sure others don't profit off of his name and legacy, then isn't it a catch 22? By that I mean, do you really think the family will sell t-shirts, plaques, or whatever if the product that made the guy, somewhat famous in the first place isn't allowed to be used by others? If the family wants his legacy to continue, how is it going to happen when a) the guy is not here any longer B) even when he was here, his "notoriety" was limited (again today ask 10,000 people anywhere who Michael Jordan is) C) the people that are best situated by owning the products that made the guy famous in the first place, can't even use his name to insure that future generations even have a clue..Sure the fact that the guys name is attached to some car, might increase the value of it, but if it weren't for the guy that owns and spends HIS money racing or displaying the car, do we really think people would care enough to want a t-shirt?? Doubtfull..

The bottom line is that every time Bill Porterfield raced car #1 or that '02 #1 was pictured,with "the name" applied, the family stood to make money through sales of merchandise, and more importantly the legacy of "Dick Harrell" would contine.

Re: Jim Kirby's 1968 Harrell Funny Car for Sale!
 

You make some very valid points, and I agree with them. BUT, shouldn't the decision of how/if, the name is marketed, be up to the family, not outsiders?

Re: Jim Kirby's 1968 Harrell Funny Car for Sale!
 

Well in the strictest sense..yes. However for the family it is a fine line. On one hand the family has to make sure that the name isn't being used in a way that degrades the "legacy" of the person. Also they have to decide how much money can/will be made if the name isn't protected and if it is protected. They then have to weigh them against each other. Look at it this way..let's say the family says "all items (cars,shirts,hats, web sites..) that have the name "Dick Harrell": must be licensed through us." What happens to any legacy? On one hand the family might run the risk of a tarnished legacy (through "outsiders' misuse) or not "reaping" the financial rewards of the name. However if they take complete control of the name and its' usage, they could be preceived as "greedy' and of "hyjacking" history, and any perceived "legacy" dies as a result.

Putting everything into perspective..Go to the drag strips today and ask teenagers, hell even 30 year olds (which are the future of car collecting and of keeping whatever "legacy" alive) who Dick Harrell is? How many will be able to say?? Go to a basketball court in BFE..ask a kid (even one 6 or 7) who MJ is? Get the point... I think too many people are loosing sight of the bigger picture here.

The correct answer to all of this is that both sides (the families and the owners/marketers) need each other...That is the family can't keep any legacy alive without someone using the products and getting them exposure to the masses (espcially since they don't even own the things by which the name is recognizable in the first place). Conversly without the families support through documenting and attending functions the owners of the cars loose out as well. Just my take on it.

Re: Jim Kirby's 1968 Harrell Funny Car for Sale!
 

Greg, both posts very well said IMO.

Tom, I also like Belair don't know where the insult was. I have even re read the posts.

I also have spent hours talking with Valerie and Dale via their website thru the chat room. I did take the time out and learn about her family, her memories of Dick, and all that she personally went through in Dicks years of racing. IMO they are very good people that just want to keep the legacy of Dick Harrell alive.

Here is where I am confused. The above mentioned cars (Kirby Funny Car, and ZL1#1) had Dicks name on them back in the day. They are very significant pieces of history. I personally think that that ZL1#1 has to be the most historically significant supercar in existence. With that said, where is the crime so to speak with the Harrell name being on these cars? I am not talking about the opportunists that illegally used the Harrell name to benefit by selling merchandise, I mean the actual cars that carried his name that he either built or raced? I just don't understand. Like Motown wrote, what if the Yenko family said that no Yenko vehicle was to have stripes put back on it unless a royalty was paid? Sounds almost ludacrist if you ask me because the cars were originally built that way. Did you have to pay a royalty to have Dicks name put on the side of your funny car?

Re: Jim Kirby's 1968 Harrell Funny Car for Sale!
 

As a matter of fact, I did agree to pay a royalty to put DH on my funnycar. Valerie was very understanding and easy to work with in this regards. Did I have to? Not for sure if anyone knows, but I felt it was the right thing to do. And, I do not regret that decision. As much fun as it is to show just the car, can not compare to having Valerie and her family involved with the it. I would encourage any one who has a car once owned/driven by a well known figure to do the same.

Re: Jim Kirby's 1968 Harrell Funny Car for Sale!
 

OK, I'll toss in my thoughts on this. I know it probably has no meaning to anyone else, but this is what I'm thinking. These race cars obviously have multiple histories to them. When someone "restores" one of these cars, how do they determine what point in history they restore it to? For example, if the Kirby car was first raced with just his name on it at the very first event it went to, then Dick Harrell teamed up with him and they added his name later in the season, shouldn't the car be restored to just Kirby's name and have no reference to Dick Harrell? Or is it being restored with Harrell's name due to the notoriety? As for the the #2 ZL1, did it have Dick Harrell's name on it when it was first raced? If so, why should there be any royalty involved in restoring the car to the way it originally was raced? And lastly, I'll use Kevin's ZLX as another example. Do you restore it to the original condition as delivered from Motion to be raced or restore it to it's most famous condition while being raced? IMO, the cars should be restored to day 1 race condition. If the owner wants to restore it to day 233 race condition when Dick Harrell was a sponsor or teammate, then yes, a royalty probably should be paid in that situation. That's my thoughts on these race cars and I know it doesn't mean much. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/JeffSucksToo.gif[/img]

Re: Jim Kirby's 1968 Harrell Funny Car for Sale!
 

Here is a short letter about C. Shelby in the August issue of Mustang Monthly. 10 years ago this letter would have gotten the writer stoned to death and the magazine burned to the ground by Ford enthusiast. No more. There is a growing fervelent backlash/hatred against Carrol Shelby because of his heavy handed tactics against his perceived use of the Shelby Cobra name by others. Some are legitimate but some are the most stupid stances that ever came down the pike.
Go to any Mustang related website with a BB like this one and you will see what I mean.

I think the majority of the people on this site see no problem if an original Harrell car is found why they could not put the Harrell name back on the car. Better yet, if an original car is found with the original paint with the name on it, why should they have to pay someone royalties to display the car? Also if a car is sold by someone back then and they do not remove their name beforehand or put it in writing that their name shall never be used again on the car don't they give up some of their rights?

I think sometimes the people who control the rights to any name/product forget that it's us little smucks out here through being fans are the ones that allow them to obtain royalties through various zillions of products etc. If there was no fans their name / image would not mean anything.

HYCHEV
The day may come when Yenko cars owners will not only have to pay a royalty but also add a new emblem next to each Yenko logo on the car... a big circle with a R in the center of it. What better way to keep track of who is in compliance or not. Don't laugh. All of us can pick out morals/trends/culture changes/laws/bans etc that are happening today we could not fathom happening 15-20 years ago.

Re: Jim Kirby's 1968 Harrell Funny Car for Sale!
 

Carrol Shelby dreamed up, designed, built, marketed and sold the baddest musclecar of all time, the Cobra. Since being introduced, how many millions of dollars, just in kit cars, has been generated by this awesome car, of which he received nothing. IMO, Mr. Shelby is entitled to something.

Re: Jim Kirby's 1968 Harrell Funny Car for Sale!
 

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Also if a car is sold by someone back then and they do not remove their name beforehand or put it in writing that their name shall never be used again on the car don't they give up some of their rights?


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I think that is a very interesting thought!

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The car is still in the original paint that was run when Kirby was teamed up with Harrell with the only exception that Kirbys name on the rear quarter and a mouse on wheels and Super Rat painted over the Boemler logo. The story that I got from Kirby was he dropped the Harrell logo after Dick and him went there different ways. Later on in that same year Boemler drop there sponsorship with Kirby for reasons that he didn't want to talk about, so he painted the rat on the car.

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I think this answers that question!