Shit man, you woudn't happen to have a spare Hispano Suiza engine lying around? You've probably had the space shuttle in your garage at some point too, i bet.
I did strip all the fabric off the Bugatti Airplane and stuff it in the dumpster. DUMBEST THING I think I've ever done, but that is what the boss told me to do, still have a square inch of it I managed to swipe.
I am not sure...but I guess I'm wearing out my welcome with all of this "O/T" stuff. Oh well, I spend too much time here anyway. I'll be back to check in on things, this is an awesome thread, and the HAMB is a pretty cool place! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=381394
I just finished this pencil rendering (Today!) of the "Miller-Hartz Special" that Fred Frame drove and won in 1932 at Indy. I loved the Golden Sub that Dan Webb built. He turned me on to Miller's. I was at the Indy museum a month ago and those Miller cars are something else. Those guys were crazy!!! I love this thread!!! Ed
Ed, very nice pencil sketch. Reminiscent of Carlo Demand, especially his book "The Big Race". Besides Helck, Montaut and Gamy, Demand is pretty special. Would like to see more racing artwork-Jim
Pope: No more info. Found the photo in an antique store I think. Totally random. Poughkeepsie? Looks like some kind of parade? Kidnappings: More in Mexico now than then (1950s). Blame NAFTA? A guy named Jorge Rosado (who may have been a business partner or customer of Wacky's) ran at least two Arnolt MG coupés in La Carrera. Pictures and documentation of these cars is rare. I recall seeing a photo of one of the cars in the race back in a magazine 15 years or so ago. I have the Cimarosti Carrera Panamericana book which is held as being the best there is and it has virtually nothing on the cars in it. The cars have never turned up...they are probably still down in Mexico, to be honest. We have an Arnolt Coupé that has an oversized gas tank and an external fuel filler and we always kind of hoped that it might be one of the Carrera cars but thanks to a couple people who have factory records in hand I found out that our car isn't one of them (as I have seen the numbers and they don't match.) A couple guys in the VSCCA were building a clone of one of the Rosado cars a few years back but I don't know if they ever finished it. Crap. In my haste I didn't realize this thread ended at 1944, meaning the Arnolt MG thing is irrelevant. Guess I will have to break out some other stuff... Sorry. Cris
This is Rex Mays at Milwaulkee in 1937. I think the car is Paul Fromm's Hisso. Mays in Ed Winfields Model B engined car. This would be a Class B car at the Legion Ascot in East Los Angeles. The Class A cars had the cam(s) in the head. Rex Mays at Legion Ascot in Paul Fromms Model B engined car I believe this to be a recreation of the above Fromm car I think this is Mays' son in the recreated car
This is the pole sitter at Indy in 1937. Rex Mays in the Sparks-Weirick Miller. I can't remember, offhand, where it placed. I'm too lazy tonight to go to my reference library. Paul Weirick is the guy on the far right (Art Sparks is not in the photo)
And, here's my car. As many of you may already know, it's a car of unknown origins. It was found in a garage in Rosemead, California, about twenty years ago. The property owner knew nothing about the wreckage. There were no numbers, or name plates. In fact, the only thing that identified it as a race car was it's bent and rusted frame: a shorted and narrowed 1928/29 Essex. The suspension was, and still is Ford; as is the engine and running gear. We're not wont to make up a bunch of documentation and stories to impress collectors; so, it is what it is: a recreation of the typical "Champ Car" of it's day. And, IT IS VERY FAST! We will be running the car at Monterey (Laguna Seca) next month. We're in Group 1 in the "Pre-Historics", running both Saturday and Sunday, August 8th and 9th. That weekend's a great deal, as it's non-spectator event. It doesn't mean you can't watch the show, or come into the paddock area; it's just that you have to pay whatever the park rangers charge to get into the regional park. If you want to go into the paddock area, all you have do is go to registration to sign a waiver. The next weekend, "The Big Show" (The Rolex Historic Automobile Races), we'll be in Group 2A; practicing on Friday morning; and racing on Saturday only. Any HAMBr's are welcome to come into my pit area, and say hello. These are some of my competitors:
would be a helluva barn find to peek in an old grage or barn seen one just sittin in there forgotten by time
ELGIN NATIONAL CUP. ELGIN. ILLINOIS. The Cobe Cup was the first road race in the Midwest of America. It was staged at Crown Point, Indiana. but crowd control problems and poor road conditions forced the Chicago Auto Club to move the event to Elgin, Illinois. On August 26 1910, 125,000 spectators attended a two day event to watch America's biggest names in autoracing take to the 8.5 Mile course, reputedly poured with 50,000 gallons of oil to keep the dust down. Among the drivers was Ralph DePalma, a regular and a 3 time winner of the main event. Eventually crowd control problems and the miriad of oval tracks being built spelled the beginning of the end for roadracing.The last Elgin Natonal Cup was staged in 1920. Kurtis.
1909 ALCO SIX BETE NOIR. {BLACK BEAST} This car would not exist if it wasn't for Harry Grant, the company test driver who begged the owners to enter auto racing. First race entered was the '09 Vanderbuilt Cup where the ALCO would go on to win by 25 minutes and it repeated the same feat at the 1910 running of the same event. It also entered the first Elgin Roadrace and a year later it ran at the first running of the Indy500. Although not the fastest car of the day, it more or less relied on the misfortune of the faster cars. Done in typical 'hotrod' fashion, the body was removed as were a few springs and the engine set back in the frame. Engine was a 6 cyl. of 600cu/in & 100HP as per the rules.
Thanks Kurtis, never knew the ALCO ran Indy I'll add that to my list of INDY survivors. The restored car lived here in town and my Dad got a ride in it. I did get to sit in the 4th place finishing Mercedes of Spencer Wishard before it was shipped back to Germany for restoration. It had a Hisso V8 in it when it left, has a proper 4 now.
What do you want to know about it? We can go real deep or real shallow on that car, whichever you prefer. It was originally built around old T parts in the Oak Hill Garage in Boston by John Reuter and Lemuel Ladd to run in ARCA events. It eventually morphed into the V8-powered car that it's best-recognized as. During its early years it was known as the Reuter Special, then later as the Ladd Special, and, most famously, as the Old Gray Mare. It held the record at the Mount Washington Hill Climb forever, and was one of the most (if not THE most) successful American road racing cars of the pre-Hitler war era. The posted photo is of the car after winning an ARCA race at Montauk, LI, NY with Ladd at the wheel. Ladd joined the armed forces, moved to Switzerland (I think, possibly Germany) and sold the car post-War to ARCA member George Weaver. Weaver used it and loaned it out to many people looking to get their feet wet in early SCCA events. Around 2000 or 2002 the car was disinterred from its resting place and restored by Ben Bragg and Sandy Leith. Bragg runs the car regularly in VSCCA events. This is a VERY brief overview. Ladd at the finish. Bonus points to anyone (besides The37Kid) who can guess who the guy with the champagne is. Weaver with the car sporting road equipment at Bridgehampton, I believe. Photos © DAVART. To me it's right up there with Old 16 as far as importance is concerned (though most would choose to disagree...) So again, what do you want to know about the car? Cris
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