When Pierce-Arrow entered the cylinder wars of the late 1920s and early ’30s with a V-12, they had trouble pumping any more horsepower out of it than their straight 8. Notable race car driver and engineer Ab Jenkins got a call from the automaker, hoping he could help. With his assistance, the team added 45 more HP to the engine. Then Jenkins got a wild idea. Jenkins pitched the idea of driving a new 12 cylinder car for 24 hours straight to promote its reliability and power of its new 12-cylinder. Jenkins promised he’d cover more than 2,400 miles, averaging more than 100 miles per hour, all while never leaving the driver’s seat. The folks at the luxury automaker were skeptical, to say the least. This included Jenkins friend and Pierce-Arrow sales manager Roy Faulkner. In the end, Faulkner agreed, but he didn’t secure a brand new car for Jenkins to drive. Instead, he offered him a 1932 Roadster with 33,000 miles on its V-12. It’d do the trick. First 24 Hour Solo Drive Jenkins had a 10 mile circular track created on the Bonneville Salt Flats for the event. Before taking to the sand on September 18, 1932, he removed the vehicle’s fenders and windshield to reduce drag. In further preparation, he smeared grease on his face for protection from sun and dust. He then donned a pair of goggles and was off. When the 24 hour run came to an end on this day in 1932, Jenkins averaged 112.91 mph and covered 2,710 miles, marking the first 24 hour solo drive in the US. Though Jenkins made pit stops for fuel, food and drink, he never left the driver’s seat for the duration of the run. Pierce-Arrow management was quite pleased with the results, but the would-be record wasn’t recognized by the official sanctioning body for endurance attempts at the time, the Automobile Association of America Contest Board.
Melvin Heath of Rush Springs, Oklahoma brought his rail job to Edna, Kansas in 1954 for the NHRA Sanctioned Regional Championship Drag Races. This event was also an NHRA Safety Safari stop that toured the country that year. The Chrysler-powered rig ran 125.77 mph and was the meet's fastest car and also the scariest looking safety-wise with its flexie-flyer chassis that already looks bent.
When you make parts you’ve got to test them. Eddie Edmunds with one of his technicians tests a dual carb intake manifold setup with fancy air cleaners on the dyno.
Welcome to Pit Lane at Indianapolis back in 1956. In the lower right, we see the crew chief of the Federal Engineering entry, Russell Snowberger, talking to one of his crew members. The car is the only Kurtis 500 E ever built and it featured the fuel filler built into the body next to the headrest and the body panels in front of the rear wheels minus louvers. Under the hood was a 270” Offy that driver Bob Veith used to put the car in the show on the second day of qualifying with a speed of 142.532 mph down in 23rd starting place. In the race, Bob completed all 200 laps and finished in seventh place. Some Trivia; Russ had installed Moon discs on the rims on his team cars to gain extra speed during qualifying, a trick he started using back in ’53 on Paul Russo’s car.
The Jalopy Journal
