1928 Schumacher Special (early hot rod)

So we have not given up on this project. It is a long long haul. The emblems have turned in to a disaster. We thought we were being smart making them from stainless. Bad idea. The porcelain enamel will not stick. Here is the one original I have that has been restored. Still trying to figure out the stainless. I have a small fortune into these things now.

 

Remember the "Good Old Days" when Plufer & Williams would make you a run of those knockoff center plates? Two guys that sure made a mark on the hobby that I miss. Best wishes for 20015. Bob

 

Some recent engine shots. Almost ready to fire.

 

..... incredible !! Thank you so much for sharing your adventures.

 

Hope 2016 is the year I see it run around Lime Rock. Do the folks at Pebble Beach know about this project? Happy Thanksgiving! Bob

 

I don't know Bob, still a lot to do. I learned a while ago not to say "next year"

 

I started in 1962 with my Model A Roadster, finished cars are over rated. Bob

 

Thanks so much for this thread. Very inspiring!

 

You make a good point about finished cars. There is something cool about a unfinished project sitting in the barn corner. But my dad is 90 going on 91 and he wants a ride so I need to keep rowing

 

I'll be 65 in a few weeks, still looking forward to that shotgun ride myself. Bob

 

There is some info in these two links about enameling stainless steel ...

http://www.melissacameron.net/blog/?page_id=4245

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1004728416960#page-1

 

Bob - time flies doesn't it.

Thanks for the link on the stainless. The project ended up being a nightmare and the guy we used didn't quite realize what he was getting in to. In the end I had a buddy who figured out how to bake them in his easy bake oven and we got it all to work. Lesson learned but I have dumb money into these things.

 

WOW, that's all I can really say. You're doing a fantastic job.

 

Wow time flies when you are having fun. I got these pictures in the fall from John Cislak. He's the guy building the engine. He found them at a flew market back in 2012. They were in these old frames with a million tacks and I finally got around to taking them apart and scanning them. I was hoping to find something interesting on the backs but one said "3 copies" and the dash shot said "2 copies".

These were taken sometime in the late 30s or 40s. I don't really like the car at this point as it has been all mickey moused up and was basically a mess.

 

What the Stutz!! is up with this Wild Ride @alsancle..do your goggles have bugsplat on them yet?......Seriously I hope all is well with you and your father...and your Hotrod

 

Thanks for asking. My dad turned 92 this summer and still spends 4 hours a day in his garage.

Here is a picture of the Stutz from last month. Like a lot of projects things have slowed to a crawl. Although via coincidence, the best buddy of the guy building my engine called 30 minutes ago and I told him to give the builder a push.

 

Btw, I just noticed this thread will be 12 years old next week. Wow.

 

As I recall you Dad finished a long term project this Summer, did we ever see any photos on the HAMB and a story to go with it?


Bob

 

Hey Bob, yes but not really a HAMB car. He has been working on this for 50 something years and finally finished it this year. It was quite the hit at Greenwich. We disagreed on the tires, paint, etc, but I guess he proved me wrong.

 

^^^^WOW!

 

Quality takes time and it seems evident you hold the bar quite high. I have to say I do like the rough late thirties version of this work of art but the polished pic sure looks awesome as well...keep us posted and thank you.

 

Alsancle, I am not a white wall tire guy but your Dad's car looks perfect.

 

Pretty hard to beat a 35 V12 Dual Cowl Phaeton. Beautiful car.

 

I went to the mat for blackwalls but was overruled. I guess it is his car . He bought the car before I was born and I remember when I was really young it sitting behind our garage. I think they built 4 or 5 in 35 and maybe the same amount in 36. There are few phaetons that had the cowl added but this is an original dual cowl.


A few more pictures...

 

A friend on the AACA forum found this and sent it to me. I have some newspaper period newspaper clippings talking about the car, but this is the first time I've found published photos. This is Motor Age December 1935.

 

Very nice! I know the feeling, found a feature on the Lyndwood rail I had 20 years ago, while thumbing through a magazine. Guess the car is "real" now, great way to start the new year. Bob

 

My dad's birthday got a lot easier this year.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/153079965498



Nicely done in 1:43 scale by Autocult, this is the 1970 Stutz BB145 Schumacher Special!

This is a Limited USA Edition of just 333 pieces!

At the end of the 1920s Gustav Schumacher ran a mechanical workshop named “Schumacher – Motor-Service” in the city of Yonkers near New York. He was described as being talented in the fields automotive engineering, design works and metalworking. If he was aware, that the race driver Frank Lockhart did a world record run attempt on the beach of Florida on April 25, 1928, is not known.

For his run on the beach of Daytona Lockhart designed himself a special car with an extremely streamlined body. This car definitely entailed something sensational back then. Lockhart named his racer “Stutz Black Hawk Special Streamliner”, which reflected the fact that the car based on a chassis of the company Stutz. Lockhart’s attempt ended tragically as he was killed in an accident during his run. But this tragedy did not deter the son of a very rich New Yorker industrialist from entering the business premises of the company Schumacher – Motor-Service and asking Gustav Schumacher to design and build him a similar car like the world record car in 1928. The real work for Gustav Schumacher began only after the purchase of the chassis and the engine. He sketched an open race car, which was strongly guided by the design of Lockhart’s record car. Due to the collapse of the stock market the wealthy customer lost a big part of his asset and was no longer able to finance his project. Gustav Schumacher ended up without having a customer for his special automobile.
But the clever mechanic made a virtue out of his necessity, continued building the car for himself and used it until the mid of the 1930s.

The model is brand new and comes complete with the original factory packaging.

 

That is a supercool Vintage Hotrod. I never tire of seeing it. Although I am not collecting that would be a very unique addition to the display cabinet. That kind of thing definately hits on a personal level for sure. I am sure its bringing a warm smile and memories. Congratulations.

@alsancle your description would help this tributes sales as people would actually know what it really was...

 

Has there been any further progress on the great SS please?

 

Steve, there are 2 issues:

1. I have car ADD, and I lose focus and move to something else for a while.

2. Engine builder stalled and I didn't beat on him as much as I should have.

The good news is that I have a reminder in my phone for 10:00 AM every Monday morning to call the engine builder and ask how progress is going. He's started again and I plan on hearing it run this summer.