No, in the 14 years I was at the shop I may have driven 6-8 cars, and never had any desire to. If they were going to brake something I sure didn't want to be behind the wheel. Driving stuff never impressed me, looking at it and watching others race them, now that is something totally different.
noboD, you always have kind words to say on these prewar threads. Thankyou. This thread isn't even a quarter of the way through, far from it, so i look forward to wasting more of your time. I think 37Kid mentioned something on an earlier post about hearing the Premier run but i couldn't find it. Found this instead. www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=254713&highlight=1905
Kurtis, I could look at this stuff ALL day, wife will tell you that for sure. I live in the heart of antique cars { Hershey, PA.} but what I see here on the HAMB is WAY beyond. Thanks to all of you for contributing to the addiction!!
My all time favorite American Hot Rod the "Ono". It is an S71 FIAT chassis and running gear, with a 50HP Pope Hartford motor dropped in. Just way to cool. Ran all over the US, also competed in the Pan-American GP here in SF, in 1915. The two pictures are one taken in the 50's converted to a road car, and the second is as she sits today.
a couple more pictures: HCCA meet in the 50's, they took over the race track at Del Mar and recreated some vintage racing...oh to do that again...
'Hillclimb' of a 6 story building in the middle of Paris in 1927 .... Background story to the photo.... http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ftjs034.html
Was it really that shade of green? You woudn't happen to know who the driver was in the '15 race? Oh man, sometimes i wish the owners of preWW1 racers would use them in settings like that last pic instead of the manicured lawns of concours events. They were built to be dirty.
the owner was Herb Prentiss of Downey, Ca. and his father before that. It was in thier family from the 20's. The car is now owned by Bill Evans in SD. no clue on the color. In the B/W pictures, the car is painted Red with a White stripe.
If you have lots of time, watch this 12 part movie on the History of Motor racing 1900-1950. Excellent footage. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8Mo8Kj2txs&feature=PlayList&p=C7005F21F4464857&index=0
Seen at Pebble Beach Mercer-looks like 1914 Corona road race paint scheme to me. First time I`ve ever seen this Mercer. http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/gallery/pb2009/17782.jpg
Looks like George Wingard, wonder if that is the same car the used be painted Yellow and Blue? or maybe he got another one.
Looks like George Wingard, wonder if that is the same car the used be painted Yellow and Blue? or maybe he got another one. I was thinking the same thing..............hope he has two. Maybe this will make up for loosing that T head Raceabout.
"Looks like George Wingard, wonder if that is the same car the used be painted Yellow and Blue? or maybe he got another one." In studying my photos of the Yellow one,I`d say this one is a different Mercer. The hood and the wheel knock-offs are different. Radiator neck is taller on the Yellow one. http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/gallery/pb2009/17781.jpg
good engine detail: 305 cu in, "Heron Head": the hemispherical combustion chamber is cast into the top of the piston, OHV.
Buildy you are correct they are different cars. The yellow Mercer (#21) was one of the Type 45s as raced by Bragg at Indy in 1913. David Ulhlein restored another Mercer Type 45 in the late eighties and this carried the Pullen number 4 and livery (in yellow with blue numbers) as raced in early 1914. This particular car was the cover car on Bulb Horn (Jan-Mar 1990) to coincide with an article I wrote on the history of Mercer in racing. My research showed that 3 Type 45s were built and they were raced from 1913 at Indy through early 1916. From what I can tell from the photo this livery that George Wingard has on the car appears to be the livery it carried at Corona in April of 1916 (except for the lack of Mercer script not on the the car-I know George has a treasure trove of photos so he more than likely has some photos of the car as he restored it). The colors of the car changed from yellow to red (at least on Pullen's car) right after the death of Spencer Wishart in one of the cars. When he died Mercer was considering their involvement in racing and the cars ended up on the west coast in George Bentel's shop to be readied for the Corona road races of 1914. It is possible that Bentel took over ownership of the cars at that time although I don't have the smoking gun on that as absolute proof. Pullen's car was reported to be the rebuilt Wishart car. You may note in some of the photos of the Type 45 Mercers that some had the scoops on the top of the hood as the #21 car, including Pullen in 1914. In 1916 at Corona the hood was much the same as George Wingard now has the car. Whether this red Mercer #4 is the David Ulhlein #4 yellow Mercer is a guess. If they are different cars then all three 45s survived which would be a pretty good feat. Anyway you shake it, it is typical top notch George Wingard stuff.-Jim
Jim, I believe there was an engine and radiator from one of these cars in the hands of a Roebling family member 20-25 years ago. It may be a car by now.
Bob you could be right on that although I would have figured one of the Kuser family would have kept something Mercer maybe moreso than the Roeblings. There are a whole bunch of racecars that morphed from a few parts into complete cars. Nothing bad about that in reality as we now get to enjoy another visual and sensual delight at these vintage races. As to the 450 cubic inch designation, there were some 424 cubic inch configurations of the Type 45s as well.-Jim
Jim, I stand corrected on the family with the engine & radiator. Having then turn into a fire breathing race car is fine with me too.
It is interesting that there is not much information on the Mercer racing cars. My research tells me there were two surviving 450s until the red one showed up. Jim is correct about the yellow #21 in the photos Buildy posted. This is the Caleb Bragg driven Mercer although i didn't know it is a George Wingard car. The #4 in the pic below is the car Eddie Pullen drove and crashed in the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup race. This is a George Wingard car. The red one is the car Pullen drove and won the November 1914 Corona race. 1st pic: Caleb Bragg 2nd & 3rd: #4 Eddie Pullen car that was rebuilt after the wheel fell off at the '14 Vanderbilt Cup. 3rd pic: The red car
Kurtis notice in the pic with the Mercer crashing in the Vanderbilt. The hood has the scoops. The last photo though is one I did not have and it is very close to Wingard's red car as there is no Mercer scrip below the seat. I stand corrected the Wingard configuration may be as raced at Corona in 1914 (although in 1916 when it raced in the early west coast events it looked pretty much the same except it now had the Mercer script under the seat).
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