Bill Horton’s ”Jezebelle”
A Chrysler Powered 1940 Ford Coupe
Looking for Information
My Dad, Bill Horton, was a racer in his youth and has been through a lot in his life. He has overcome many ailments common to others his age, including a heart transplant and the loss of a child. Now, just before he turns 83 he has rebuilt his car…. Lord help us all !
His “ JezeBelle” a Chrysler Powered 1940 Ford Coupe, won World Comp “B” Gas in 1956 and it is still a screamer today. The car has been restored to the same condition it was in the last time it went down the strip in 1959.
Our research has led us to believe that the original motor was exchanged within a few months of purchase with a Cadillac motor. Why someone would want to take out a perfectly good motor and replace it with one twice the horsepower in the bootlegging Carolina Hills is beyond our understanding…. Sort of…
In 1959 Dad garaged the car only to pull it out for one washing in 1970. “Kids needed to eat more than I needed a toy” was his reason. The car is a historical beauty and along with a track record of races comes a photo and mention in the November 1956 issue of Hot Rod Magazine. Herman L. Davis raced the car from Northern New York to Florida and back to Fort Worth, Texas never losing a race. Shortly after this trip Mr. Davis painted “JezeBelle” on the car and sold it to my Dad who raced it for a few more years.
My Dad stayed away from dazzling pint and modern conveniences in his restoration and opted to stay with the full 1957 race ready look, complete with the original paint. 90% of the rust that is on the car is a paint effect done to match the spots of natural rust here and there. If “Rad Rods” had a Queen with tattered elegance…. JezeBelle is it !
The photos were taken at a local car show in Arlington Texas. Bobby and Ruth Langley came by to say Hello as did several of the pioneers of the day. My Dad and Bobby are in one photo standing in front of JezeBelle. Many stories were swapped of long hours and short money. Most of these racers are in their 80’s now but still held dear the memories of late nights working on a friends car who would be a competitor the next day. Their stories of patchworked motors and “southern” engineering made me wonder just how they made it to 80. But I now know that these early antics are why they are still kicking at 80+.
You should see him impish grin and gleam in his eyes when he starts it up and, well does just a bit more than “Chirps” the tires. It’s good to see an 82 year old look 17 again.
Our search has led us on a few dead ends and now we are tryinjg to locate family members of Herman L. Davis, old trophies and even older stories. We would appreciate any information that would put us in touch with people who could add to our story of JezeBelle…
Kelly Horton
