30 replies to this topic

[tampaguy]

I am interested in Photo's of the Simoniz Brand Car Wax logo used in early motor sports. If any one has anything regarding Simoniz in mortorsports please let me know I am working on a article about early sponsors of the sport....Thanks Tampaguy

[macoran]

Didn't it look like the logo on the can ?

http://images.google...ttp...sa=N&um=1

[B Squared]

Off the top of my head, I believe that they sponsored Chuck Parsons in the 1968 (?) Can-Am series. In fact I seem to remember Stirling Moss being their spokesman and the face of their J-Wax brand that was the Can-Am series title sponsor at some point. Apologies if I'm off base.

They also were co-sponsor with Sunoco of the 1969 Indy 500 effort of Mark Donohue and Roger Penske.

I'll look for Simoniz items in this regard and post, if you like, as I explore my archives of this era in my continuing search for all things Donohue. Brian

[macoran]

There's an ex Chuck Parsons car here

http://images.google...ttp...t=63&um=1
and here, scroll down
http://images.google...ttp...t=84&um=1

Edited by macoran, 10 January 2010 - 23:05.

[RA Historian]

Off the top of my head, I believe that they (Simoniz) sponsored Chuck Parsons in the 1968 (?) Can-Am series. In fact I seem to remember Stirling Moss being their spokesman and the face of their J-Wax brand that was the Can-Am series title sponsor at some point. Apologies if I'm off base.

Apology accepted, Brian, you are close but missed by a bit. J-Wax was a product of Johnson's Wax, while Simoniz was another company's product. Stirling Moss was the spokesman for J-Wax, as they were the Can Am series' sponsor from 1966 through 1971 or so.

Simoniz did sponsor the Carl Haas team 1967-69. Chuck Parsons drove for them all three years while Skip Scott drove a second Simoniz car for Haas in 1968.
Tom

Edited by RA Historian, 11 January 2010 - 01:04.

[RA Historian]

......mortorsports please let me know

Mortorsports? 3.5 inch or 4.2 inch mortars? I fired both way back when, but did not think it was much of a sport. Of course, close counted as a direct hit was not always necessary!
Tom

[B Squared]

Apology accepted, Brian, you are close but missed by a bit. J-Wax was a product of Johnson's Wax, while Simoniz was another company's product. Stirling Moss was the spokesman for J-Wax, as they were the Can Am series' sponsor from 1966 through 1971 or so.

Simoniz did sponsor the Carl Haas team 1967-69. Chuck Parsons drove for them all three years while Skip Scott drove a second Simoniz car for Haas in 1968.
Tom

Tom - thanks, though I'm a bit red faced in that, how the heck did I equate J-Wax with Simoniz?: duh. Brian

[taylov]

Apology accepted, Brian, you are close but missed by a bit. J-Wax was a product of Johnson's Wax, while Simoniz was another company's product. Stirling Moss was the spokesman for J-Wax, as they were the Can Am series' sponsor from 1966 through 1971 or so.
Tom

Here's yet another wax sponsor in the 1960's - Prestone Jet Wax, a very suitable name for Lee Taylor to put on his 285 mph "Hustler" World Water Speed Record jet boat.



Tony

[bradbury west]

J-Wax was a product of Johnson's Wax, while Simoniz was another company's product. Stirling Moss was the spokesman for J-Wax, as they were the Can Am series' sponsor from 1966 through 1971 or so. Tom

Over here Johnson Wax, of course, sponsored the European 1600 FFord series in 1971.
Roger Lund

[D-Type]

Jim Rathman was 2nd at Indianapolis in 1959 driving a Simoniz Special, or Watson-Offenhauser if you prefer. This is the only Simoniz-branded Indianapolis runner I found in the 1950-60 period, which is all my books run to.

Try asking the same question on Trackforum - their knowledge about Indy and the whole US racing scene is awesome

Edited by D-Type, 11 January 2010 - 22:03.

[Cam2InfoNeeded]

I'll look for Simoniz items in this regard and post, if you like, as I explore my archives of this era in my continuing search for all things Donohue. Brian

Brian,

Regarding the Donohue stuff, email me @ ebay917k@aol.com

doug

[tampaguy]

Does anyone have photo's of the Simoniz Logo on the Rathman car at Indy ?

[macoran]

Does anyone have photo's of the Simoniz Logo on the Rathman car at Indy ?

This supposedly is the 59 Rathman car.
http://www.roadcarvi.....z Special.jpg

[RA Historian]

Does anyone have photo's of the Simoniz Logo on the Rathman car at Indy ?

photo's?

segue to blood pressure thread

Edited by RA Historian, 28 January 2010 - 01:00.

[raceannouncer2003]

Does anyone have photo's of the Simoniz Logo on the Rathman car at Indy ?

Photo of the car here (don't know who is waving, don't think it is Rathmann):

http://www.indy500.c...s_500/50891/p/2

Vince H.

[Peter Darley]

Simoniz sponsored a Team of three Camaros' for the 1974 RAC TT.
Lead drivers were Richard Lloyd, Vince Woodman and Stuart Graham

[Greatest]

Why wouldn't you contact Simoniz directly?

Check this out:
http://www.simonizus...ntent/About.asp

[Tony Matthews]

Over here Johnson Wax, of course, sponsored the European 1600 FFord series in 1971.
Roger Lund

Innsbruck, Salzburg, Les Rangier, Tulln Langenlebahn, Imola, Osterreichring - seems like only yesterday...

Place-names may be misspelt.

[RA Historian]

Simoniz sponsored a Team of three Camaros'...

See post #14 above.

[Bewlib]

See post #14 above.

Don't people whose apostrophe usage is imperfect have as much right to contribute to a discussion forum as anyone else?

On a lighter note - remember Simoniz Special Saloon Championship in Britain in the mid-1970s?

[S&M Minis]

Tampaguy,

Jim Rathmann drove the "Simoniz Golden Anniversary Special" (car #4) in the 1961 Indy 500 and the "Simoniz Vista Special" (car #44 )in the 1962 race. The 1962 car was a Smokey Yunick entry that used an inverted aerofoil above the center of the car during practice but not in the race. I believe the 1961 car was also a Yunick entry. Both cars are illustrated in the book Indianapolis Racing Memories 1961-1969 by Dave Friedman. The Simoniz logo is on the right side of the car only and fortunately both cars are shown from the right in the Friedman book. The "Vista" logo uses the same shadow letter style (font?) as on the Simoniz can. Contact me via PM if you would like "details".



The Simoniz portion of the logo appears to have the same letter style from year to year, on through the Carl Haas Can Am entries at least. The Mid-Ohio 1969 Can Am photos are from my collection.




I noticed that the 1959 Rathmann car has the word "Polish" in the large block "S" logo. (There's another word in the "S" that I can't decipher.) A reminder that at that time polishing and waxing a car were two separate activities; Vista was one of the earlier combined cleaner and wax products. Dupont No 7 was my polish of preference.

Side Note: TNF is a terrific "peer review" forum through which technical and historical details are expanded and corrected by an informed body of reviewers, and now it has an editorial review feature! Anything I prepare for formal publication or for a client receives application of the style guide and appropriate editorial and peer reviews. And try as I might, freebies on a message board don't get that level of attention.

Edited by S&M Minis, 28 January 2010 - 21:27.

[Gerald Swan]

Ahem :

http://www.lolaherit...ook/068/068.htm
http://www.lolaherit...ook/065/065.htm

Gerald.

Lola Heritage

[S&M Minis]

Gerald (And others with Lola expertise),

In the picture I posted of the Can Am Lola on the transporter is there a third word in the Simoniz Special name on the box behind the cab of the transporter; i.e., Simoniz Something Special? This would be in line with the Simoniz Vista Special at Indy, and Simoniz Lola Special would be too obvious. The image was blown up and cropped and has lost some clarity.

[raceannouncer2003]

Gerald (And others with Lola expertise),

In the picture I posted of the Can Am Lola on the transporter is there a third word in the Simoniz Special name on the box behind the cab of the transporter; i.e., Simoniz Something Special? This would be in line with the Simoniz Vista Special at Indy, and Simoniz Lola Special would be too obvious. The image was blown up and cropped and has lost some clarity.

There are lots of photos of the Chuck Parsons Simoniz cars at the following link. It looks to me like the "Simoniz-Something-Special" logo changed somewhat between 1968 and 1969. Hopefully someone can tell us what they mean:

http://www.racingspo...arsons-USA.html

Vince H.

Edited by raceannouncer2003, 29 January 2010 - 06:46.

[S&M Minis]

For the Parsons Can Am cars it appears that in 1968 it was a two-word name with a crossed flags logo (no matter how hard I tried to make a word out of it) . . .



. . . that was translated for an event in Japan (or like the current trend for Asian tattoos may just say 'Chicken with snow peas').





In 1969 it became another product line specific name, but again it's somewhat difficult to decipher. 1+1? (Photo of restored car cropped for best image and to retain copyright.)



Bottom line, after some point in time Simoniz tended to put the name of a current product into the title of the "special".

[tampaguy]

Thank You to all who provided info & photo's of Simoniz's sponsorship in motorsports. In today's world of ugly over decaled race cars, it is nice to see how effective a simple understated sponsorship logo can be. A big blank canvas of background color, be it red or black sure makes that sponsor logo stick out like a sore thumb. Sponsorship on cars today is almost worthless the human eye can't pick out all the overlapping colors and logo's IE current Nascar !!! The Braun F1 cars did look good last year. Other examples. L&M, John Player Special, Cummins diesel on Penskes Al Unser 87 Indy entry............thanks again for the Simoniz help

[Gregor Marshall]

Have you got any Simoniz SuperSaloon photos?

[tampaguy]

No I don't ?

[Michael Ferner]

After more than six years, a little verbosity would not have been out of place...

 

 

. . . that was translated for an event in Japan (or like the current trend for Asian tattoos may just say 'Chicken with snow peas').
 

 

Nothing about chicken, but it actually reads "Simonize" - is that the way it is correctly pronounced?

[Tim Murray]

Yes indeed.

[Alan Cox]

I was interested to hear the Members' meeting commentators disagree on the pronunciation of 'Simoniz' - MAWP said Simonize (as I have always said it) while Bruce Jones preferred Simon-is