This Chevy powered Anglia was the replacement for Ralph’s first B/G Anglia that was destroyed in a crash. Merkel’s legendary skills as an engine builder and tuner found his customer cars at one time holding NHRA’s much-coveted A, B and C/Gas Supercharged class records! Coney Island Ralph was also a customer of Merkel’s engine building shop and displayed Merkel’s name on his cars.ĭrag Times featured Coney Island Ralph Landolfi’s famous chopped-top, ’48 Anglia B/Gasser on this October, 1968 issue’s cover. Ralph Landolfi was close friends with famed supercharged Gasser legend, Jack Merkel. That car was painted white and like its predecessor, also ran in NHRA’s B/Gas class, or in C/Altered, depending on which Eliminator Ralph chose to compete in that race day. Ralph built a successor to his Northwind Anglia, this time another ’48 Anglia, but with a chopped top. I was fortunate to have known Ralph and raced with him during those years. He did everything in a very neat and orderly fashion, and he had the hands of a surgeon working on a patient. He displayed this great character in his lifestyle, how he acted towards others and in particular, how he built his race cars. John Anzelmo, also a 2004 inductee into the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame, remembered Coney Island Ralph: “Ralph Landolfi was one of those rare individuals who was all about finesse. The injury ended his driving for a while but led to him helping fellow racer “Jersey John” Anzelmo get his F/Gas ’55 Chevy running below existing NHRA class records. He was fortunate to escape the scary crash with just a broken arm.
With no exit available, Ralph t-boned the car, flipping the Anglia and totaling it. An errant tow car cut in front of Landolfi in the shut-down area just as he was braking from a 130 mph run. Landolfi’s first ’48 Anglia, “Eastwind”, was destroyed in a spectacular accident at New York National Speedway. Luckily, Landolfi escaped with only a broken arm. This car was destroyed in a crash at New York National Speedway. Famed Long Island engine master Jack Merkel built the Hilborn-injected, small-block Chevy engines. “Coney Island Ralph” built this mid-10 second, B/Gas ’48 Anglia. A photo from long-ago hanging on Ralph’s office wall showed him proudly holding the traditional checkered flag after a circle track victory. Landolfi’s Harley was known to be both fast and quick, and on occasion, he found himself running for Top Eliminator at the New York tracks he frequented.īefore he became totally immersed in drag racing, Ralph tried his skills at area short tracks where he was a successful dirt circle track racer. His career as a car builder and racer was also predated by a stint of building and riding a nitro-fueled, Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He later built the ’40 Willys, running the Chevy powered car in B/Gas, followed by his famous, red 1948 Anglia B/Gas sedan. Like many NYC area guys, Landolfi began drag racing on the streets until graduating to a “real race car”, his ’55 Chevy C/Gasser.
Landolfi’s cars always ran extra-hard, and for a time in 1966 he held the NHRA B/Gas National Record.Ĭoney Island Ralph lived in New Jersey, but was a native of Brooklyn, New York. That was followed by a 1940 Willys coupe and finally, two different ’48 Anglia B/Gassers. His first notable Gasser success came with a 1955 Chevy sedan.
#Coney island racer driver#
Ralph Landolfi, owner of Landy’s Performance, first gained regional and then national prominence in the 1960’s as the builder and driver of several premier Gassers. At the time of his passing Ralph Landolfi was 81 years old. Landolfi died January 7, 2016, in Colts Neck, New Jersey, following a lengthy battle with complications from diabetes. 30 nostalgia event in 2004.Įast Coast drag racing fans and in particular, Gasser fans recently lost a legend with the passing of “Coney Island Ralph” Landolfi, a 2004 inductee in the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame. Ralph, seated behind the car, watches over the flawlessly recreated “Eastwind III” during the York U.S. Jack Merkel’s small-block Chevy with Hilborn fuel injection powers the perfectly replicated ’48 Anglia B/Gasser of “Coney Island Ralph” Landolfi.
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