Donny Cummins on Driving #911—The World’s Fastest 1934 Ford Roadster at 300 mph

June 2020 • By Donny Cummins • Photos courtesy Donny Cummins & Tony Thacker

The 1932 Ford V-8 was revolutionary in that the block was cast in one piece. It was not without its problems however, and it produced only 65 bhp. Within two years Ford was sorting the problem and with new Bohnalite aluminum heads output rose to 90 bhp at 3,300 rpm. Top speed was said to be 65 mph.

Imagine then, swapping that asthmatic flathead for a 494 ci supercharged, injected Hemi on 70+ percent nitro and running over 300 mph in an open ’34 Ford.

The 911 Roadster was originally started by renowned engine builder Les Leggitt who assembled a lot of the car with the help of John Bradshaw and Brent Heathcote in the mid- to late-2000s. During that time the car was sold to Dave Davidson founder of Vintage Hot Rod Design and Fabrication, Chico, CA. I joined the team for the final phase of construction in 2008 and I can tell you that between Leggitt's crew and Davidson’s crew a lot of blood, sweat and tears were spilled to get it done. 

Left to right: Paul Bowman, John Beck, Brent Everitt, Donny Cummins, Tom Grant, Dave Davidson

The team of Davidson and Leggitt ran the car in 2009 under the #500 but for the 2010 season the car took a new number of 911 and became the Cummins-Beck-Davidson-Thornsberry roadster that currently runs today. We were fortune to set many records along the way with help of great friends and family including Fred Dannenfelzer and the late Tony Waters.

First time out at the 2010 Bonneville Speed Week we set the A/Blown Fuel Roadster (BFR) record at 281.451. We came back in October of that year for the Bonneville World Finals and bumped the A/BFR record 20 mph to 301.150 mph becoming the first (traditional) roadster to go 300 mph and set a record at over 300. That record still stands.

In 2015, we changed to a C engine and in November set a record at El Mirage Dry Lake at 277.657 mph. El Mo is very different from Bonneville as the course is only 1.3 miles compared to one-to-five miles at Bonneville and the surface is alkaline dust compared to Bonneville’s salt. El Mo is like driving in sand whereas Bonneville can be like driving on wet marbles.

Driving the 911 Roadster is like riding a bucking bronco while walking on egg shells. It gets your attention real fast and you need to drive it with finesse. You have to get on it hard off the line but at the same time you can’t mash the throttle. As you can see in the videos, the car moves all over the salt and you have to drive it. It’s not an easy ride.

In 2016, we were able to set the C/BFR at 284.988 mph and two years later we switched to a B engine and set the record at 297.222 mph. We currently hold seven records: Three at Bonneville in A,B and C classes and four at El Mirage in in A,B and C classes as well as C/BFMR.

As anybody who has been will tell you, Bonneville is a wonderful, otherworldly place but it can be inhospitable. In 2019, a storm blew through just as Speed Week was about to get underway. As a result, conditions were far from ideal. Nevertheless, Dave went out and tried to go fast. He managed 243 mph, which was pretty amazing given the conditions and the fact that he was going backwards at the time. In fact, the GPS read 250 mph. The GPS has also record a top speed of 310 mph but that’s GPS.

Team Name: Cummins-Beck-Davidson-Thornsberry
Owner/Primary Driver: Dave Davidson
Crew Chief/Engine Builder: John Beck (John Beck Racing Engines)
Co-Crew Chief: Donny Cummins
Crew: Paul Bowman (car chief / the work horse), Nathan Bowman, Dennis & Diane McNamara, Brent Everitt

Current Records Bonneville:
A / BFR: 301.150 mph
B / BFR: 297.222 mph
C / BFR: 284.988 mph

Current Records El Mirage:
A / BFR: 255.963 mph
B / BFR: 269.867 mph
C / BFR: 277.657 mph
C / BFMR (Blown Fuel Modified Roadster)–258.791 mph

Vehicle: 1934 Ford Roadster
Chassis: 2x6-inch mild steel and 1-3/4-inch mild steel round tubing

Wheelbase: 118 inches
Weight: 6,200 lbs (wet)

Engine Specs
A class: 494ci Supercharged Chrysler Hemi
B class: 430ci Supercharged Chrysler Hemi
C class: 360ci Supercharged Chrysler Hemi
Engine block: Brad Anderson Enterprises (BAE) billet block
Cylinder heads: Brad Anderson Enterprises (BAE) billet heads
Supercharger: SSI 14-71 Roots-type
Crankshaft: Bryant Racing
Rods/Pistons: Bill Miller Engineering (BME)
Valvetrain: Jesel Rockers / Manton Pushrods / Manley Valves
Ignition: Two MSD 44 AMP Magnetos
Fuel: Nitromethane / Methanol blend (70-75% Nitro)
Oil: Redline 70wt Nitro Racing Oil
Fuel pump: 58 gpm Nuke Pump by Dave Settles
Transmission: B&J Racing Transmission 3 speed (air-shifted)
Rear End: B&J Racing Quick Change
Data Logger: Racepak Data Systems
Safety equipment: Deist / DJ Safety
Clutch: 3-disk Hays / Leggitt

Accomplishments

First traditional roadster (non-modified class) to go 300 mph (304.650mph)
First traditional roadster to go 250 mph at El Mirage
The 911 roadster was inducted into the Dry Lakes Hall of Fame

Sponsors

Vintage Hot Rod Desgn & Fabrication - Chico, CA
MSD Performance - El Paso, TX
B&J Racing Transmissions, Lindon, UT
Jesel Valvetrain - Lakewood, NJ
Red Line Oil - Benicia, CA
Mechanix Wear - Santa Clarita, CA
Mothers Polishes/Waxes/Cleaners - Huntington Beach, CA