In 1911, Firestone engineers allegedly told Ray Harroun that constant speeds over 75mph would result in tire failure. I don't personally know if the same logic applies to these new Indy tires from Coker, but I'd say 75 is probably top speed for most of the applicable cars either way. Please don't take my word for it though... As for the other Firestone tire problems, again, I'm out of the loop on this stuff, so all I can say is I'm sorry. Corky is a busy guy, so I doubt he'll have the time to address this on here personally, but if I can slow him down enough to ask him about it, I'd be glad to relay the answer here.
Various thumbnails of the Teetor-Hartley Motor Co refer to providing engines (plural) to Marmon...the Std Cat Am'cn Cars just says the early Marmon air cooled V's were replaced by water cooled T-heads, which I ***ume were T-H's... Other sites ID the original Wasp engine as a one-off T-H, and a thread on prewarcars refers to a T-H reportedly also taken from a fire truck, in that instance ID'd as a "Cosmopolitan"... I find no such company, but Google shows ALF "Cosmopolitan" models... As an engine admirer, I'd deeply appreciate your advising: (1) if the T-H engine from the fire truck had any ID tag or model designation stamped/cast; those I've found so far for T-H are letter or number-letter ID's; (2) if any record was kept of the make/model ID of the fire truck (what references I've found on T-H haven't mentioned any engines sold to truck builders). Many th** for any help!! Bud
Very VERY cool! Thanks for the pics, video TLB! Pretty cool to see corky himself out flogging it in true hotrodder floorless unsafe fashion! James
I was lucky enough to see this car in person last night as it had stopped in my home town while on its way through for the Great Race. I have to say I was happy as hell and Corky is one hell of a cool person. Thanks Corky this car and talking to you made my day.
Weren't the tires on the Wasp in 1911 white (natural rubber)? It's pretty rare for artists painting the 1911 race, etc. to get this detail correct, although one of the artists that did the 500 program covers this year depicted them in white.
Hey Ryan!! How's things at the Speedway?!?! Kids, one thing that has always baffled me is " What Color Was the Marmon Wasp? " See below....that dark of a grey value in a B&W photo tells me that it had to be a much darker color than the yellow we know it as today. If you did not already ***ume that the Marmon Wasp was yellow, I ask you " Does this car look like it would be a bright yellow to you? " If the bricks in the foreground are 'brick red' and the gr*** in the infield is 'Gr*** green' (in May it wouldn't be golden, it would be green) then the car is even darker than those reference objects so it can't be bright yellow in these pix from 1911. Also, if the numbers on the car are black, the balance of the paint is not much lighter in value, also pointing to a color other than bright yellow. Any myths, legends or re-painting stories anyone?
Doing well! One thing I've read is that the film in those days didn't render color values to shades of grey the way you would expect...reds and yellows in particular, if I remember right, were way off when compared to the other colors. Maybe someone else knows more, or I can try to find a link sometime when it's not 1am. The Wasp is on approximately its third coat of paint right now, FYI...and it was DEFINITELY yellow to begin with.
Sounds good enough to me....I had not thought of it being a film issue but that would explain a lot...and if as I suspect the Speedway restoration shop keeps great records, then the Speedway saying it was yellow is good 'nuff for me! Next time I get down the 16th Street and Georgetown Road, I shall look you up and we can partake in some adult beverages at The Union Jack and talk Cars, Hot Rods, Indy, Design and such... Thanks again Ryan!-Mark
A couple more thoughts on color: the "Wasp" nickname back then came from two things, one being the pointed tail, and the other being the yellow color. I believe some called it the "yellowjacket" until "Wasp" ended up sticking. The exact shade may be up for some debate, but it was yellow of some sort. Also, I think I heard once that Harroun himself actually helped choose the color for one of the repaints...he lived up until the late 60s, and I think it was repainted sometime before the 50th anniversary race in 1961 (possibly for the opening of the first IMS Museum, located at 16th and Georgetown, which opened in the mid-50s). Before that, it featured hand-painted lettering on it saying something like "Winner of the first Indianapolis 500, 1911" (that's how it appeared at the first Hulman Era/post-WWII 500 in 1946). I'm totally down for some drinks at Union Jack...just give me a heads up! Ryan
I have a few other Marmon Wasp questions. The first Speedway Hall of Fame was opened in the mid-50's so once that was open the Wasp had a permanent home...but I am curious if anyone knows; What were the Wasp's whereabouts from 1911-1955? Was it always cared for? Was it ever just another old racing car? Did it ever race after the Indy victory? When did Marmon sell it off and to whom? Was it ever 'a barn find' or in similar derelict condition?
Sorry I didn't respond sooner--the engine in our Marmon Wasp replica is a Herschell Spillman T-Head. Still not sure on the make/model of the fire truck. The engine is reported to be in the neighborhood of 550ci, and features a similar design to the original Teetor Hartley six-cylinder. It was chosen to power the Marmon Wasp replica because of its similarities to the original engine.
What is the weight on the car? Can you actually crank start it, or does it take Popeye to turn it over? Very, very cool build. You guy's are obviously very talented group. Thanks for sharing, now post that video!
Not sure on the weight...I'm actually curious myself because that engine is very heavy. I haven't personally cranked it but it seems to be fairly easy to hand crank. Coker's video guy Jason will have a bunch of video footage on the build of this car, as soon as he finishes with the Great Race post-production. I'll definitely post the videos as soon as he gets them put together!
I know it's been forever since I started this thread, but just wanted to post some new pictures of the Marmon Wasp. We took it out in the country and drove it around a bit on Monday. You guys will be pleased to know that we're creating a video do***entary of the build. I'm sure it'll make its way to YouTube whenever it's done. For now, here are some pictures!
Oh and by the way, what looks to be a cheezy grin in the first picture ISN'T a cheezy grin. As we rounded that corner, the car was a REAL handful, and it was all Hal could do to hold onto it. The steering system on this car is less than ideal.
Oooooo...you're right...I had to take a 2nd lookee but taking a gander at the steering input, the slip angle of the tires and the position on the road relative to the armco, yeahhhhbuddy you are holding on for dear life!! Wowwzza !! Now with that said, I would lovvvvvvvve to drive that thing, even if for only a few minutes...let me put a bug in your ear...if you ever decide to do a charitable function, I'd gladly pay you a couple hundred bucks to drive it even if for only 5-10 minutes...I'd even take out a 1-day Million Dollar Policy on your car to be safe...Just a thought but I would love to drive the closest thing to the original Marmon Wasp this side of Speedway Indiana!!
I know this thread is old, but Coker finally released its video on the Marmon Wasp build. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8ADQjnQmdA
Thanks for posting the video,,interesting hearing the narrative and the pains that were taken to re-create such a significant piece of racing history. I applaud Corky & the staff for building the replica and taking it out and sharing it with the general public. HRP
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