Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

In the 2nd shot, that's Rex Mays on the left. He was Hepburn's teammate on the BSF team, driving the inline Winfield 8, rwd car. Here's a couple of Nulls/York shots:

 

This is actually the Blauvelt-Haskell/Miller in 1938, after being rebuilt as a two-springer the year before, and now fitted with a new Offenhauser engine. Technically, it was Horn's Champ Car after the Harry Lewis racer mentioned by Randall was built in '39. Horn debuted the car at El Centro with a new 1-mile dirt track record of 38.14", bettering George Connor's 38.15" at Milwaukee in '36. He won the main at El Centro, then was second to Mays at Phoenix a fortnight later before travelling east, where he won at Reading April 24, with the colour of the car reported as "maroon with white" - in '37, it had been blue and silver.

The Blauvelt car always had a different number than the Lewis car: #48 in '36 (the same number Haskell had used on it in '35), then #32 in '37, #2 in '38, #4 in '39 and #3 in '40 - I don't think it was raced at all until '46, when it was still (again?) #3. The Lewis car was #1 in '39 and '40, #3 in '41 and #1 again in '42 and '45, #5 in '46 and #1 until Horn's death, then #18 for Schindler in '49 and #1 for Hinnershitz in '50 and '51. This is the car Andretti raced in '61 with a Cadillac V8, after many years with a Ford 6 in it!

More about the different Horn cars at http://www.oldracingcars.com/indy/sprint-cars/1946-ted-horn/

 

The driver at right in the second picture is Tex Petersen. I know the face of the man between Aggie and Tex, but for the life of me... I think the driver in the last picture is Shorty Ellison (or Ellyson), but can't be sure - I have only one reference picture, and am not 100 % sure he's reliably identified in that.

 

Driver in the first and fourth picture is "Rajo Jack" de Soto, last picture I think Sam Nigro, but not sure. Pictures 2 & 3 possibly Ed Barnett. This car ran practically unchanged into the fifties.

 

Rootie's correct, that's Rex Mays. The other picture shows Leo Goossen, Fred Offenhauser and Bud Winfield.

 

You're right that is Tex Peterson on the right in the 2nd pic. After doing a little more looking I believe the taller guy in the middle is Jim Miller. Here's a shot of him with Barney Oldfield and one of the Robson's (George I think)

 

Excellent information, Michael. Thank you for clearing that up.

 

Can anyone shed some light on the origin of this sprinter? Said to be a former Ted Horn car, it was the property of our own Spike Ruth when this picture was taken (mid '60's), and that is him in the center. Pic borrowed from Jim Ruth's son's website.

 

I wish I knew more about Aggie's history...I tend to associate him with Ascot but I know that there is much more to his legacy, as a car owner, promoter, etc...were these pictures taken in Southern California? They are outstanding!

 

We kicked this around way back when Spike was active here. IIRC that is the car that was built by Harry Lewis in 39 and Horn refered to it as "Baby." After Horn was killed it was sold off and passed through many owners over many years. In the late 50s-early 60s it was the Fuel Activator Spl. and was Mario's first sprint ride.

 

Most of those where taken at Southern Ascot Speedway in So Cal which operated mid 30s to 42. After the war the main So Cal track became Carrell Speedway which is where Aggie got into the promoting biz.

 

Rootie, I think that picture was taken in 1966, and I thought, but don't know for certain, that Bruce Craig recovered the remains of the Fuel Activator Special in 1962. I must be wrong on the recovery date, and it's nice to know that the car had such a long history.

 

Back in the day it seems about every other car was a "Riverside Spl." Here's Gus Schrader's version fresh out of Curly Wetteroth's shop 1938.

 

Back in the So. Ascot/Carrell speedway days one of the top shoes was Frank McGurk who later became Aggies head wrench.

 

Wonderful memories reading many of these stories and seeing all the photos of some real classic racers.

Thanks Jim Hill

 

Pretty neat old car, nice shop photos as well. Shows that not everyone could have Frank Kurtis build a car, but tons of them still made it out there.

 

Fantastic photos, Rootie and thank you so much for posting!

Notice how the photos were taken in a residential area. Wetteroth's shop was reportedly in a big garage behind his home in Glendale which likely still exists. Sometime after WWII I believe he may have had a second shop in a more industrial area.

 

Bud Rose and his version of a Riverside Spl.
I know that the advertising/sponsorship scheme that Wards did worked. My dad got to see Schrader, Collins et-al race back in the 30s in the Midwest and he often told of their exploits. As a result he never put anything but "Monkey Ward" tires on the family car.

 

Lou Moore with more of Wetteroth's handiwork.

 

Rootie, you have some really neat photos!

 

Beautiful coachwork. Love it.

 

Thanks, Rootie. I've never seen photos of any unfinished Wetteroth cars that I can remember. By any chance is that Curly leaning on the tail?

 

I really can't say, don't think I've ever seen picture of him.

 

That's why I asked since I've never seen a picture either. And I have to wonder if he ever came to Indianapolis to see any of his cars run. Another builder of that era that is just as elusive, at least to me, is Clyde Adams. He built the 1946 500 winning car, again in the same general area where Wetteroth worked, but I don't think I've ever seen a photo of him either.

 

This car was fully restored by the late Chuck Davis before he got into MILLER restorations. Who is the current caretaker? Bob

 

Back then building race cars was as much a art form as a business. Like some other craftsman, artist and such, some were known to be reclusive if not eccentric, content to stay in the shop and in the background. Don't know if that applies to either of them but it would explain the lack of pictures.

 

I've seen that hood side vent somewhere. 30s era Plymouth?

And the ergonomically styled foot boxes appeal to me.

 

A interesting champ car from 49/50 is the Norm Olson Spl. From what I gather Olson was related to the Olson(ite) plastic co. which went on to sponsor Dan Gurney 20 some yrs. later. A pretty good looking car that was built by Eddie Zalucki and it appears to live in a European museum these days.

 

Speaking of Jim Ruth....how is he