Now that's what I call serendipity. Very glad you found these and very glad you're sharing them with us. Thanks.
More info on the Tiger here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=191060&highlight=doane If you find any pictures of the Austin-Healey, please let me know. I know a lot of guys that would be interested in those. Rick
It did have a Cad La Salle, It was also Cyclone equipped Dean B. Mistakenly ID's them as Edmunds,but we are the only guys that had that distictive fin arrangement. Max was a pal of Cook's till the end,
The gentleman kneeling beside the roadster with the nailhead sure looks like Max Balchowsky(spellng?), and that might explain the M on the nerf bar.
Re: "Sterlings Red Car " First Special built by Sterling Edwards: http://www.96trees.com/edwards/edwards.html California Dreaming [FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,geneva]Sterling Edwards and his American Sports Car[/FONT] [FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,geneva]by Robert Devlin[/FONT] .......The key to transforming his imaginary design into reality was independent engineer-designer Norman Timbs, who created working drawings of the car based on dimensions that Edwards had derived from European sports cars. One foreign innovation that particularly impressed him was the increasing use of four-wheel independent suspension, a feature as yet unavailable on any American production car. Once Timbs and Edwards agreed upon the car's basic dimensions, their design was followed "to the bolt." Edwards employed the talents of Indy car builder Emil Deidt and his race car shop, Deidt and Lesovsky. The ch***is was based upon a modified ladder frame, using four inch chrome-molybendum tubing for all main members. Once the project was under way, Phil Remington, who had worked with both Traco and Deidt and Lesovsky, joined the team and became the chief contractor on the project, bringing the rolling ch***is together The search for components compatible with Edwards' design target brought forth an unlikely source: the Studebaker Champion. Its front A-arm units were ideal because of their light weight and compact size. Timbs' design for the rear suspension was surprisingly similar to the then-fledgling Volkswagen Beetle, with trailing arms and torsion bars locating the half-shafts. Studebaker drum brakes were fitted initially, with experimental discs used later on. A Ford three-speed close-ratio gearbox was mated to one of Eddie Meyer's famous V-8/60 Ford cast iron blocks. This 2450cc unit, which Meyers' had successfully adapted to midget as well as hydroplane boat racing, was given a slightly less radical cam, more suitable for the car's dual-purpose role. Meyer's twin carburetor intake manifold and high-compression heads were used along with lightweight high-compression pistons to produce a total of 120 bhp. Development of the body shell progressed separately with the construction of a quarter-scale model which was reworked by Timbs and Edwards until its dimensions fell between those of a typical American car and the delicate Cisitalia. Next, a full-size wooden buck was built up by Bill Zimmerman. The talented Emil Deidt fabricated the aluminum body sections, including a removable hard top. Detailing of the interior included a full cluster of Nash instruments, while leather upholstery by Runyan featured safety padding encircling the ****pit in the best Indy tradition. This ambitious project was completed in early 1950, and the result was an original and sophisticated design, thanks to the money and talent lavished upon it. And it was good-looking too, displaying advanced, if not futuristic, styling that did justice to its Italian progenitor. With the detachable hard top and full windscreen in place, Edwards could drive the car on the road at his leisure. For compe***ion, the hardtop was removed and replaced by a metal tonneau that covered the rear seats, and twin racing screens replaced the windshield. Lean, agile and powerful, the car was ready for its first road race at Palm Springs on April 16, 1950. Edwards was a member of the group that had helped plan this inaugural postwar west coast road race over the deserted Army Air Corps field and adjoining roads. His compe***ion in the 40-lap event included an Allard, a Jaguar XK-120 and numerous blown and otherwise modified MG's. Edwards and his sleek roadster, carrying number 26, traded off positions in the early laps with the Allard and the Jaguar on the 1.65-mile L-shaped circuit. At the end of the 66-mile race, Edwards was first across the finish line, more than a lap ahead of the second-place finisher. So began the postwar road racing scene in California and with it the race career of Sterling Edwards and his all-American automobile. The California racing calendar for the remainder of 1950 included three events after Palm Springs: Buchanan Field, near San Francisco, on May21; Santa Ana, near Los Angeles, on June 25th; and Pebble Beach, near Monterey, on November 5th. The Edwards sports car, known as the R-26 for its race number, took overall wins at all three tracks. It was a stunning performance for the maiden season of a scratch-built racer, and said as much for the degree of Edwards driving talents as it did for the ingenuity of the car's design. Postwar road racing in the east and midwest developed rapidly, benefiting from the experience gathered prior to the war, when the Automobile Racing Club of America conducted over-the-road compe***ion in the late Thirties. By early 1951, the California road racing scene had turned serious with a full schedule of events from March to September. This activity, however, lagged behind the organization and entry quality of the east coast events by a year or more, but was quickly showing signs of catching up, leading to strong rivalry between east and west in 1952-1954. Out west, the Allard J-2's quickly exchanged their Ford flathead engines for Cadillac ohv installations which, in the hands of drivers like Bill Pollack, became (temporarily) the combination to beat. But west coast racers never knew what hit them when, at the second annual Palm Springs races held on April 1,1951, the new king of the road made its appearance: a Ferrari 166 barchetta, owned by Jim Kimberly and driven by Marshal Lewis, stroked home to an easy victory. The event was a real eye-opener. forcing the locals to reevaluate the compe***iveness of their "specials." ******************************************************* Looking for more power, Edwards adapted the R-26's V 8/60 to carry an Ardun overhead valve version resulting in an estimated increase in up to 130-135 bhp Motor Trend called the Ardun equipped V 8 a "fine example of what car design, planning and workmanship can accomplish without imported components." Edwards first outing with this further modified R-26 took place at the 1951 Palm Springs race where he showed early promise by p***ing the Lewis driven Ferrari, only to be sidelined by overheating problems *******************************************************Later that summer Edwards decided to build a new sports racing car combining the power of the just released Chrysler Firepower Hemi V 8 with a light weight bodyshell constructed from an entirely new material, fibergl***. Having moved to the bay area he chose to build the new car in South San Francisco in a facility adjacent to his wire rope company ......
WOW!!!!! Please Please Please post some more pics, sounds like a true historical find! As for the car in the first pic I want to say I just saw a pic of it in either Hot rod Deluxe, Rod and Custom or Rod and Kulture in an article about the 47? roadtser show.
i hit the suscribe ****on as so as i saw the phrase's 1948 and pictures i love original hot rod pics show how it really was and i just love that shot of Barney Navarro's T beautiful car thanks so much for sharing love to see some more
Just when I thought I've hit my wits end with 'What's this piece of **** worth' or"what awesome wheels should I put on my car so it looks like evry other one out there'....I stumble on this. Wow. Priceless.
Well kids, I have been really busy getting ready for the Monroe WA Fall Swap Meet this weekend. I have some extra parts and junk......I mean top shelf stuff I'm taking down, space#s 21 & 22 Saturday only. Of course any fellow HAMB members that want to stop by and intro yourself............ BTW, no I will not have any of the photos with me. Speaking of which, I just wanted to post a couple of more shots. A couple of cool under the hood shots for your enjoyment. I have now done an inventory of just the negatives that are in sleeves, 91 car shots! not counting any that might be in the huge amount of film cans that I have not opened yet. I am uploading the shots to the album right now-have a *****in weekend!
Why is that so weird? The Jimmy Summers 40 Merc is in Tacoma, WA. at this moment hiding in a ba*****t
The wheelbase on this looks REALLY small. Wondering if this is a bellytank chasis or something. Also, check out the plaque haging from the steering wheel. Seems to be a picture of a car and the words "North Hollywood." Could be wrong. Only inspection of the negative would tell for sure.
Awesome find!! The '32 Roadster is probably Jimmy Summers old, as he sold it to Fred Vogel. When Max ran it for Fred, the S in the grille had been replaced by a V. Max later bought the car from Fred, and hopped it up with a nailhead engine! Max also appeared on a cover of Honk! with the car! Once again, what a find. Was there any photos of kustom cars there too? would have loved to also see some old Jimmy Summers kustoms Please show us more!
Cool - looks like a Model A roadster, 37 Truck grille and a V-16 Cadillac. Pretty sure I have seen a side shot of this in a book, but none of the engine before.
I'm PRETTY sure the side shot is in the new Hot Rod & Custom Cars book by Bob Ames and Ken Gross. I'll have to check tonight.
Curbspeed is correct about Jimmy Summers Merc, but due to a unreal set of cir***stances, it is impossible to locate without one particular persons help...and he is extra selective about any guided tours....and no photos either...or at least that is my info from a VERY reliable source....
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