The changing car / Visual research

Versions.

One wheelstander. A changing identity.

Compare Magnum Illusion’s artwork, paint schemes and surviving body. This is a growing photo record for documenting changes and researching the people, dates and work behind them.

These sections group visible appearances, rather than assign a final numbered sequence. Driver lettering alone does not establish a separate rebuild, and several photograph dates remain unresolved.

Driver & version log Concept Early artwork Air Force proposal Thunderbird II Restoration

Working chronology · Dates, drivers and changes

Driver & version log

A dated record for narrowing the gaps between appearances, driver lettering, wrecks and repaints. An advertised driver is documented as billed; a photograph of a name establishes lettering. Neither alone proves who drove a completed run.

Dated anchors, ordered by event or publication date
Date and meaning	Driver evidence	Paint / version	Evidence and limits
April 24, 1978 · publication	Driver not established by this entry	Original space-themed artwork; Golden describes revising the paint before the Lakeland debut.	Period article and photograph · Lakeland, Tennessee. Publication date is not an exact event date. S9
May 21, 1978 · advertised event	Not identified in the catalog entry	Paint version not established.	U.S. 30 Drag Strip, Indiana · flyer advertises Magnum Illusion against Little Red Wagon; completed appearance unconfirmed. S10
June 10, 1978 · advertised event	“Rocket” Rick Mehl	Star Wars-inspired paint described in the caption; front-view photograph accompanies the notice.	Cordova Drag Strip, Illinois · The Daily Gazette, June 8, 1978, page 19, bills Mehl’s 1978 Dodge Magnum against Bill Golden’s Little Red Wagon. Time trials 3:30 p.m.; race program 8 p.m. Scheduled appearance; completed exhibition unconfirmed. S25 · clipping
July 4, 1978 · advertised event	Rick Mehl	Paint version not identified in the newspaper. Do not assign Version A from the driver name alone.	Green Valley Dragway, Alabama · July 1 newspaper bills Mehl in Magnum Illusion at 8:30 p.m.; completed appearance unconfirmed. S18
July 21, 1978 · newspaper lead	Rick Mehl mentioned in index	Magnum Illusion identification and paint version unconfirmed.	Baileyton lead · full newspaper page still needed; not a confirmed Magnum appearance. S19
October 6, 1979 · advertised event	“Smokehouse” Curtis	Paint version not described in the newspaper.	Blaney Drag Strip, Elgin, South Carolina · same-evening NHRA Dixie Finals preview; completed appearance unconfirmed. S20
October 7, 1979 · dated photograph	Not assigned here	Compare the original photograph before assigning a version.	Ohio Valley Raceway, Kentucky · owner-identified date/location; photograph copyright Truman Williamson. S14
November 1979 · magazine issue	Team Maverick association; no driver assigned here	No repaint date established.	HOT ROD contemporary feature lists Magnum Illusion in Golden’s team. Issue date is not an exhibition date. S1
July–October 1980 · magazine issues	Rick Mehl associated with the later Super Wagon	Different vehicle; does not date a Magnum Illusion repaint or last run.	HOT ROD D-50 / Super Wagon coverage is context only; these pages do not explicitly establish a Magnum engine/frame transfer. S12–S13

Year-only and undated evidence

1979 · Great Lakes Dragaway: owner-identified photograph with Smokehouse Curtis lettering. Exact day unknown; its order relative to Blaney and Ohio Valley is unresolved. S16.
1979–80 · compiled driver records: Draglist associates Jim Curtis with Magnum Illusion in these seasons; this does not date a particular run or repaint. S3.
Rick Mehl · Version A: original burgundy/black space-themed car carries his name. The owner labels the reference 1978; exact photograph and wreck dates remain open. Compare Version A.
Smokehouse Curtis · Version B: red car carries his name. Owner label 1978 is not a verified photograph date; the 1979 Blaney notice does not date this photograph. Compare Version B.
Captain Ken Nelson · Version C: his name is visible; owner recalls red with tan/gold upper panels. The monochrome photograph cannot settle the colors. Existing 1978/1979 labels conflict, and neither is adopted as an exact date. Compare Version C.
Version D: missing center bumper section; date, driver and cause remain unresolved. It is not assigned to a particular wreck. Compare Version D.
1980s, approximate · Crumpton era: Air Force proposal and blue/silver Thunderbird II appearances; exact dates and operating driver remain unconfirmed. Ownership and display lettering are separate from driving evidence. Air Force · Thunderbird II.

Wreck and repaint sequence under review

Original Star Wars scheme → Rick Mehl wreck: Mike Burghart identifies Mehl as the driver and recalls Howdy describing extreme damage and questioning how the car returned to driving condition. Exact wording awaits recording review; event date, track and repair interval are unconfirmed.
Solid red → red/tan or red/gold: Burghart reports a second wreck prompted this repaint; Ken Nelson is associated with the two-tone appearance. The crash driver, date and location are not established. This does not identify Nelson as the crash driver.
Possible blue scheme / possible third wreck: a research lead awaiting Howdy’s album photographs. Neither the repaint sequence nor a third wreck is confirmed. Do not automatically equate this reported blue car with the later Thunderbird II scheme.

What can be narrowed now?

The newspapers document Mehl billed at Cordova on June 10, 1978, and in July 1978 and Curtis billed in October 1979. They do not establish uninterrupted tenures, the order of Nelson and Curtis, or a wreck interval. The April 1978 article describes an early paint revision before the Lakeland debut; it is not evidence of a crash repaint.

For each new original photo, record its date or date range, track, driver lettering, paint colors, hood/roof artwork, bumper shape and photographer. A securely dated photo on each side of a change can supply its earliest and latest possible dates. Until then, leave those bounds open.

Main timeline and sightings map · Original evidence and source notes

Before the build · Design archive

Concept

Concept drawing artwork, sketches and promotional ideas for Magnum Illusion. The owner’s archive includes late-1977 pencil sketches of the proposed body and frame, alongside logo studies and promotional artwork whose exact dates remain unconfirmed.

**Body concept sketch**Pencil drawing on tracing paper showing the proposed Magnum Illusion body.
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**Frame concept sketch**Drawing of the proposed chassis, cockpit, engine, and rear wheels.
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Logo artworkMagnum Illusion lettering with a central starburst.
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Promotional artworkIllustrated Magnum Illusion wheelstander with logo and helmeted driver.
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Golden era · Paint-scheme comparisons

Early Magnum Illusion artwork

Versions A, B, C and D organize the owner’s research into paint schemes and body changes. The year labels below follow the supplied image names; exact repaint dates and the driver sequence remain open to documentation.

1978 · Owner label

Version A

Front view of Magnum Illusion showing space-themed hood artwork, Dodge lettering, bumper crosses and the roof intake — Version A · Front view. AI-edited image with background removed.
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Visible features

A maroon and black paint scheme with starfields and smoke patches with a sword on the hood. “Rocket” Rick Mehl is painted on the rear quarter panels as the driver.

Owner’s description: Dark burgundy on black paint colors with space nebula themed graphics on most of the body. Bold sword on the hood and notice Dodge and crosses painted on the front bumper. Car also has cross themed air intake on the rear portion of the roof (looks like a shark fin from side view).

Compared with Version C, this reference has smaller name lettering and a different arrangement of side graphics.

Research notes

The supplied display image was sharpened and isolated with AI. Use the original photograph when comparing lettering, artwork and mechanical details.

View the original race photograph

Magnum Illusion with Rocket Rick Mehl lettering on the rear quarter — Rocket Rick Mehl driver photo
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1978 · Owner label

Version B

Visible features

Red bodywork with light-colored window borders, large two-line Magnum Illusion lettering and bird artwork on the side. “Smokehouse Curtis” appears on the rear quarter.

Research notes

The owner labels this reference 1978. The photograph’s exact date and location remain unconfirmed. Use the original photograph when comparing lettering, artwork and mechanical details.

View the original photograph

1979 · Owner label

Version C

Visible features

Large, two-line Magnum Illusion lettering dominates the side panel, surrounded by illustrated birds and cloud-like shapes. Light-colored borders frame the windows and body panels. “Captain Ken Nelson” appears on the rear quarter. Owner’s color notes: “Body Color is red and I think a tan colored hood and roof. Notice birds on front bumper.”

The monochrome reference does not establish the original paint colors. The large block lettering and panel layout distinguish this image from the Version A reference.

Research notes

The owner labels this image 1979. The existing timeline places the associated Captain Ken Nelson photograph in 1978; the date remains unresolved pending period documentation.

View the source photograph with its background

Date unconfirmed · Owner-identified version

Version D

Visible features

The middle portion of the front bumper area is missing. It is uncertain whether this resulted from a wreck or was an intentional change.

Owner’s observation: This is the last known condition of the front end of the car. It still resembles this appearance in current photographs, down to the sag in the upper part of the fiberglass.

Research notes

The cause and timing of the missing bumper section remain unknown. The display photograph was cleaned up with AI; compare the original photograph for fine artwork, lettering and body details.

View the original photograph

Questions across the versions

Which photographs document a repaint rather than a lettering change? Who painted each scheme, and when? Dated originals, programs and repair records can help establish the sequence.

October 7, 1979 · Ohio Valley Raceway photo — copyright Truman Williamson · Compare the event timeline

Crumpton era · 1980s, approximate

Air Force proposal

Magnum Illusion with large Air Force lettering on the side — Owner-held copy. The original exposure date has not been established.
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Owner account + photograph

A new presentation

The owner’s timeline identifies this as the first paint scheme for Jim Crumpton’s proposed Air Force sponsorship. A proposal does not establish that sponsorship was granted.

Large “Air Force” lettering replaces the earlier Magnum Illusion presentation. Compare the body treatment and mechanical layout with the Golden-era photographs.

Research needed

A dated proposal, correspondence or display program.
The painter’s identity and repaint date.
The timing of engine relocation and other mechanical changes.

Compare the Topeka Capitol photograph — exact date remains open.

Crumpton era · 1980s, approximate

Thunderbird II

Owner account + surviving display material

Thunderbirds-themed paint

The current timeline describes this as Jim Crumpton’s second Thunderbirds-themed paint version. The body carries a blue and silver presentation and “Thunderbird II” lettering.

The surviving display board names James Crumpton, but its creation date is unknown.

Research needed

When this scheme replaced the Air Force proposal appearance.
Who designed and applied the paint.
Dated display photographs, programs or exhibition records.

View the James Crumpton display board

Current ownership · Restoration record

The surviving body

Surviving Magnum Illusion body with paint removed during restoration — Owner archive · Paint removed, 2013.
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Owner-held restoration record

Evidence beneath the paint

Removed paint and repair layers reveal the body’s construction and later work. These photographs can help connect visible changes in older pictures to physical evidence on the surviving car.

The owner reports substantial fiberglass, filler and conduit framing. Repair layers are evidence to document; they do not by themselves establish the date or cause of a particular incident.

Build the record

Match repair areas to dated period photographs.
Document surviving paint layers and lettering traces.
Record original features separately from later modifications.

Read the restoration notes · Explore the owner-held archive

Help identify a version.

Have a photograph, paint-shop record, program or first-hand memory? Send the date, track or location, driver, photographer credit and any detail that identifies the paint scheme. Please also say whether the image may be displayed publicly.

Share photos or version information

Research and citation guide · Return to the timeline