This guy was one of the first to "grand stand" the wheelie ... saw him live back in the day ...
When ya think wheelstanders, you think Hemi Under Glass, Little Red Wagon, or even Chevado. Seemingly few remember Dick Harding's Back Up Pickup, a Ford Econoline cab-over truck mounted backwards on the frame. Based in Reseda, the truck was a staple of our SoCal youth (ousted in coolness only by Ed Jones' Jolly Rancher stagecoach). The Back Up Pickup would "back" to the starting line with the cab pointing down-track, then turn around and carry the bed-end wheels high ("back up") past the traps to 120-mph speeds. The driver was "Hollywood" George Tuers, now known for his Flashback Nomad wheelstander, and when this photo was taken at the 1971 Lions Gran Premiere, the pickup was sponsored by Galpin Ford, which remains the world's number-one seller of Fords to individuals.
