I found this a couple of years ago, I think it was made by Speedway. Any info will be greatly appreciated: year or era, what it's worth (not selling it just would like to know) etc. Thanks in Advance
Yep, a "Speedway" for sure, I would guess at 1957 or 58. The grille is not the only dead givaway, look at the left side (inside) of the cowl the way it humps up... That is Speedway only. The front axle should have the name cast into it. The radius rods are totally correct, the front nerf is missing the "S" in the middle. Do you have any upholstry for it? Looks like a great car !!
While not a 1/4 midget guy myself, I count a**** my friends two of the experts on these little cars. Lance Turner & Gregg Kishline live & work in Kenosha Wisconsin restoring all types of race cars. They know just about everybody involved in high end 1/4 midget restoration. [one of Gregg's projects set the world record at auction a couple years ago.] They p***ed this id request along to the guy they consider the top 1/4 midget expert in the world. Here is his response: <tt>Good Morning Chuck, I just received an e-mail from Gregg Kishline and Lance Turner, asking for information about the Speedway quarter midget. I can be of some help. I had in my collection, until last Saturday, a Speedway. I just sold it along with 5 other cars in my collection. This car was built by a company called Speedway 1/4 Midget. They were originally located at 11111 Chandler Blvd., North Hollywood, CA, but relocated to 11483 Vanowen St., also in North Hollywood. They were one of the earlier manufacturers of the 1950s era, advertising the sale of the brand in 1956. The car was originally sold in complete form for $445 and in kit form for $365. The Speedway did not exhibit any remarkable features. Like so many other cars of that era it was relatively rudimentary. e.g. no rear suspension, simple mechanical hand brake. However, it did have a couple interesting features. The cowl was offset to the drivers left (no other marque had that design feature and most of the magazine photos show the car with a windshield similar to full size race cars). The Speedway also incorporated a cast aluminum front axle in its front suspension with the name Speedway cast into it. I have an extra one of those axles. In the years that followed its initial release, the Speedway built several stretched versions of the car by increasing the ****pit length to accommodate taller young drivers. (many other manufacturers did the same thing). Eventually, Speedway built an entirely new car, larger in size, and **** ugly compared to the original that you show. Like 95% of all quarter midgets of that time, it was powered by a 2 h.p.. Continental Red Seal 4 cycle engine. At its peak there were more than 36 builders of quarter midgets, the bulk of which were located in SoCal. I hope this helps a bit in your search for info. Keep in touch, Doug Schiller Port Lavaca, TX P.S. I was a resident of that former mecca of motor racing, Riverside, CA, for more than 40 years. </tt></pre>
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