Kevin Klosterman and Vintage Miss Desoto - Celina 2011 !

We're in the hot pits at the APBA Summernationals event on Grand Lake St. Marys in Celina Ohio. As the video opens Kevin is starting the big block, Potvin supercharged, Chrysler hemi engine in this legendary craft. This famous old hydroplane was found by Butch Bailey somewhere in Illinois in 2003. It had been stored outside for years and was nearly rotted away when Butch negotiated with the owner and bought what was left of it. He then put it through an eight year restoration project and brought it back to life. The engine was a little stubborn about starting on this day. You can hear Butch hollering to Kevin about the starting sequence. The boat was built in the fifties by famous craftsman Henry Lauterbach and was originally owned by Columbus Ohio Chrysler auto dealer Buddy Byers who set records in this boat and is a living legend in the sport of hydroplane racing !

[@tymcfadden8496]

wow, very cool. so glad you guys were able to find and restore this awesome piece of machinery. I was lucky enough to have had one of these wonderful hulls, well my dad had it, lol. he was racing in the 225 class in region 9 (wa, ore, id) in the early 80's when he heard of a group of guys who had a brand new Lauterbach (built by Larry if I recall correctly specifically for the 225 class now 4 litre mod.) hull and were having a hell of a time getting it to plane with a ford 221ci engine. they were wanting out of the project so my dad bought it and put a much lighter 215ci buick in it. man was that thing fast in a straight line :) but it would not corner for anything. Jerry Tortorice drove it a couple of times to get used to it at a couple of the early season races and then for the first time in competition in Poulson Mt for the regionals, in'82 or '83 I think, and won it's first ever heat in competition. second heat he went into turn one with the lead and barrel rolled it and was hurt pretty badly. dad never put it the water again and eventually sold it to help him buy the unlimited hull he ran as the oh boy oberto for two seasons. have fun with that beast and maybe i'll get lucky enough to see it run some time.

[@natcheeproctor2978]

I saw this boat race on the kanawha river in the sixties many times along with the Chrysler queen

[@santatigerclaus]

i just learned of the DeSoto Hemi

[@santatigerclaus]

my dad was delivering fryers to the owner of Miss Such Crust on Gun lake , the owner liked to entertain with chicken barbecues - the Hydro mechanic said he heard dad had a little hydro, well, could he run Miss Such crust around so the mechanic could hear it from shore? yes i can - mid to late 40s-

[@jimsonbrown9768]

Push start it!

[@falcon4548]

Pull 😄

[@barrythacker7281]

1512 mph record is hard to beat

[@jamesgilbert9254]

151.2

[@znate6730]

Beautiful, I want one, what about price?

[@dwlopez57]

Where was this shot .?

[@wn6904k]

Nothing like the sound of a Hemi...............

[@joehunter6413]

151,2 mph, not 1512. But still pretty fast for an old Hemi power engine. Probably a 392.

[@santatigerclaus]

there is a period between 1 and 2

[@normanclature9819]

Where's the beef?

[@bobbysykesjr.354]

My dad built the Desoto in Z-Z-ZIP ... Joe Guess Hull.....

[@craigpennington1251]

Video way too short.

[@stevesievers1248]

2minutes of a 3 minute video trying to start it and then the last minute looking at the back sides of spectators. 👎

[@rnvrnv354]

GD remember when Sex was safe and Raceboats were Dangerous?

[@5440bubb]

that motor don't run right or start right=crap mechanic

[@budlanctot3060]

You can tell by the cranking sound it has one dead(or at least weak) cylinder.