History Auto racing 1894-1942

One of these maybe ?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opel_Grand_Prix_Rennwagen8.JPG

 

Not leaving just yet, unless you want me to.
I'm half way through 1906 so i have a while to go before i get to the colorful 60s maaan!

Couldn't find anything on the #28 but i'll agree with Furby.

 

BTT.

Posted a few month's back.
Maybe The37Kid or Michael Ferner can chime in.

 

Count Albert DeDion finished first in the 1894 Paris - Rouen in a dedion Bouton steam tractor, but was ruled ineligible:

http://www.f1-info.cz/?gallery=f1foto/foto0000/1894_1899

See his and other competitors cars on the link and others from Chicago 1895 and 1896 races.



Just a sample:

 

I never knew Harry Miller had children, I'll check some of my books to see if there is any info.

 

Jim,
[SIZE=-1]The late Bob Sutherland's racing car collection was auctioned by Christie's at Pebble Beach a few years ago, I don't know the exact year. The [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]1919 TNT sold at $170,000. I don't know more, but I'll check with Dave Hedrick.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]I was told the Isotta was given the aged patina, but I didn't see Mr Evans or I would have introduced myself and maybe found out more about the car.
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]The Don Lee Alfa also looked original, very worn and authentic looking. It drew the most applause from the crowd when it was driven down Ocean Ave in Carmel a few days before Pebble Beach.
[/SIZE]

 

When do you reckon it looked like that Lee?

 

not particularly

 

I was thinking more of this 1910 car based on nothing more than the 'foreign' and radiator shape observations...

 

I don't know the history of the Don Lee Spcl. I was trying to say that sometimes it's fun to see cars that look like barn finds, although they may not be. I am not personally a fan of race cars that have been 'over-restored' or redone with a 'fake patina'. I'd prefer seeing them repainted with period paint, not 20 coats of hand rubbed polyurethane. I understand that this is a subject of great debate, and this is not the place to rehash what is genuine and what is not. You can probably find hundreds of posts on the Nostalgia Forum on it.

 

Not to be overly snide, but there are patina jobs and there are patina jobs. who ever did that one, needs to go back and look at a "real" worn car. Don't get me wrong, i bet that car is a complete kick in the pants to operate, and I hear that Mr. Evans drives the car alot too.

I think that was the car that was stuffed up the ass end of a Stevens-Duryea few years back.

 

Photo captioned.....1907 Isotta team - Giuseppe Tamagni, Ferdinando Minoia, Vincenzo Trucco, Marc Sorel. The photo appears to be taken in front of the office building.

 

I agree but this car is anything but authentic. Everyone loves a good patina and I like a good fake but this is not one. I just posted a pic of it at indy 1947 page #224, before you look I'm genuinely curious when you reckon it would have looked like that?

Yeah Kurtis dropped a link to such a discussion recently and I couldn't fathom Doug Nye's 'made last week' and 'concours mentality' comments when in the next breath he describes the fire patina as 'a sight that would make grown men cry'.

 

Furby no bite, it's Len Ormsby posing in front of Gil Anderson's Stutz, the Opel is on the left fourth row in position 20...

 

If so there may be a detailed post on another vehilce that was a near miss.

 

ehdubya, OK, I'm catching on. I see that the body and suspension of the Don Lee car doesn't quite match the Indy photo.
The current owner says it was brought back to the US from Australia by David Uihlein, in it's current condition, and was never restored. One is left to assume some Aussie's worked the car over a bit in the 50's and a decision was made not to restore it to exact 1947 Indy condition.
I have no further knowledge.

 

Sometime between Tommy Lee's racing and David Uihlein the car lost it's motor, trans and rear axle.
Bill Murray doesn't appear to have had them or done anything with the remains and they're said to have returned to the US as such .

from a blurb on David Uihlein's Monza

Pretending is fun but the Don Lee tribute theme is weird when it looks like the more successful Griswold era car ... technically unrestored

Confusingly Bill Murray also owned and campaigned 5002, the aforementioned 'torpedoed' engine car a previous owner had Alvis powered ...seen here in 1955 a couple of years and owners after he sold it...

 

I have to agree with you mate.
When i saw photos of the Isotta i can honestly say i was confused. The paint looks to have been brushed on but the eye opener was the restored and clean engine. Why didn't the owner just finish the rest of the car in the same manner i will never know. Still, that was one of the highlight's of the show in the Open Wheel Category, the other being the 1920 Peugeot.

 

Southern Calif.......

 

Lee is correct.....We should be commending the people that have spent the time to restore, race and preserve and show these cars.

I know for a fact that some of the owners of these cars also watch this forum.

Let's not degrade anyones efforts here.......

 

The Opel is to small, look at the frame rails (The 40hp in the family is built like a tank.) Really for me, the big give away is the side profile of the radiator, hood, and hood former...having spent 28 years polishing on that radiator.

The Pope radiator has a very unique profile, kinda like '14/15 Steven's headlamp (liberty bell).

If you look at the fore and aft of the radiator you will note 2 raised strengthing ribs that run across the entire radiator, the same as below:

 

This postcard image maybe showing the first actual event at the new track in 1909. If memory serves me right the second event was motorcycle racing and then a car race at a later date.....

 

Just for the record, I appreciate seeing any vintage race car - whether genuine, recreated, restored or unrestored. The more the better!

 

Ditto, and that car does look good at a glance, too bad about the BS.

 

Stafford
The Stafford Motor Car Co.
Topeka & Kansas City, Missouri
1908-1915



And this photo Old lexington

 

OH!! That is soooooooo nice

I wonder how far I could get before getting caught in that!!

T

Did you know Jim Pauley??

 

No...... What can you tell us about him??