This is where she started. Born Circa April/May 1979.
- Chatsworth, CA Bill Carter's "Carter Pro Paint
Happy Birthday Mike Bell. Love and miss you brother.
The "ICE COLE", this Cole TR2 flat bottom came out of the mold in March 1979 and then sent off to Bill Carter's "Carter Pro Paint" in Chatsworth, CA around April-May 1979. This is the original first version of its paint evolution by Bill Carter over a three to four year period of time. When Mike dropped off the bare hull at Carter's, Mike biggest request with the paint according to Bill was "I don't want any red on my boat". Bill Carter's response "You don't know what you want and let me do my thing". Today is August 18th and would have been Mike Bell's 70th Birthday so I am posting this in remembrance of our friend Mike Bell. Mike Bell and Bill Carter were extremely close friends who Mike looked up to as his Top Fuel dragster driver and hero. Which is why Mike left boat racing for cars to follow in Bill Carter's footsteps after the boat safety capsule rule would change Mike's mind about boat racing. So many great stories about Carter and Bell that will come out as we discover more photos of their time together.
A 1981 Parker Arizona family boat trip would inspire Mike Bell to encourage Bill Carter's first experience driving a flat bottom in the ICE COLE. Bill Carter's experience driving boats was his personal jet boat and his family day cruiser. "Flat bottom race boats are too bumpy, I like Cadillac smooth Mike." So Bill agreed and was putting around nice and easy and Mike kept nudging him "C'mon Willy stab it" well he stabbed it with no down pedal and damn near flipped the boat over backwards in the Blue Water Marina and scarred the crap out of Mike Bell. According to Bill and Linda, as well as others standing on the shoreline Mike Bell's eyes were as big as the moon. Mikes eyes never calmed back down that whole weekend. Last time Bill Carter drove a blown gas flat.
In July 2019 Linda Carter handed me photo number 5 shown here (The other photos had not been discovered yet) and said "I think this one belongs to you Tim, this boat has been part of my life in different ways for as long as I can remember and it was meant to be with you. There's so much history with this boat, Bell, Carter, Stanford, Wambold, Dade, Cole and so many others, I cant believe I get to see it almost everyday now".