Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg history on display

At the downsized automobile display at the Blackhawk Museum which now only includes a single floor of classic automobiles, the author found two artifacts of the once-mighty Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg triumvirate.

Errett Loban (EL) Cord took over as the General Manager of the failing Auburn Automobile Company of Connersville Indiana and worked at no salary with the understanding that he could acquire controlling interest if he was successful. By lowering prices and re-painting the cars, Cord quickly turned around the company’s fortunes and used Auburn as the cornerstone of his Cord Corporation which by 1929 owned 150 companies that included Lycoming Engines, Checker Cab, Columbia Axle, Stinson aircraft, and Duesenberg.

 

 

The first item of interest on display at the Blackhawk Museum is this Duesenberg Straight Eight model J engine. This 420-cubic inch engine built by Lycoming in Williamsport Pennsylvania uses dual overhead camshafts to operate four valves per cylinder which developed a remarkable for its time 265 horsepower. Transmitting its power through a three-speed transmission, a Model J Duesenberg could hit 95 miles per hour (MPH) in second gear with a top speed of nearly 120 MPH.

This engine built in 1929 was originally fitted to chassis #2175 which has been lost through the years, although part of that short wheelbase chassis’ original disappearing top body built by the Walter Murphy Company of Pasadena California was used in rebuilding Duesenberg #2154.

 

 

 

The other fascinating Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg artifact at the Blackhawk Museum is this 1935 Auburn 851 supercharged “boat tail” Speedster. Powered by a 280-cubic inch Lycoming straight eight aluminum head engine fitted with Bohnalite aluminum pistons and a Schwitzer-Cummins centrifugal supercharger that turned at six times the crankshaft speed, the engine developed 150 horsepower.

 

 

That was enough power to allow David Abbott “Ab” Jenkins to set 77 worlds records at the Bonneville Salt Flats over a 24-hour period. The records witnessed by the Contest Board of the American Automobile Association included a mile at 67.0306 MPH from a standing start and 100.77 MPH for one mile with a flying start.

 

 

 

The latter run earned the Auburn Speedster the title of “the world’s fastest stock car” and every production 851 Speedster carried a dash plaque (Auburn part number is G5437) signed by Jenkins that certified that the Speedster had been driven over 100 MPH before shipment. It’s doubtful that Jenkins drove each car but there is no question that a supercharged Auburn Speedster could easily attain over 100 MPH.

This particular Speedster is equipped with a three-speed transmission single-plate clutch and two-speed Columbia rear end, which allowed the driver to switch between the in-city and open road axle ratio using a selector on the steering wheel hub.  

 

While this car designed by Gordon Buehrig was striking and with its “boat tail” design and chrome exhaust pipes was probably was the dream of many young men in 1935, the factory had to actually force some Auburn dealers to put a Speedster on display on their showroom floor.  The car had no virtually no room for luggage and with the top in place, getting in or out of the Speedster was all but impossible.  There were an estimated 500 Speedsters built in 1935 and 1936, but years later many Speedster replicas of varying build quality have been built.

Alas, the Cord Corporation itself collapsed in late 1937 - EL Cord sold out before the holding company entered bankruptcy and its various assets were sold off by the bankruptcy court.   Auburn renamed American Central fabricated parts for Jeeps and B-25 bombers during World War II and Lycoming remains in business today. 

After selling out, EL Cord moved to Beverly Hills where he had previously built Cordhaven, a ten-acre estate with a $2 million home that enclosed 32,000 square feet, had 62 rooms - 16 bedrooms and 22 bathrooms. EL made several more fortunes in radio, television and real estate before he died in 1974 but only after Cordhaven was demolished in 1963 and developed into twelve separate parcels.  His grandson Chris Cord was the 1987 IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) sports car champion.  

 

All color photos by the author

The Bully

 

Out front at the PPG graveyard themed booth at the 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) was the “Bully,” a wildly painted 1930 Ford Model A Tudor sedan hot rod built by Dana and Lorene Hinkle of Ramona California and their three sons.

Steve Hansen completed all the metal fabrication work including building a new chassis, performing the 4-inch top chop and building all new interior panels and dashboard.

 

 

 

The “Bully” is  powered by a 540-cubic inch Indy Cylinder Head aluminum “Hemi” engine topped by a 8-71 supercharger built by Machine Tech which is connected to a turbo 400 transmission that transmit the power back to the Winters “Champ” quick change rear end.

 

 

 

The car rides on Mickey Thompson HR2 rear wheels and ET Gasser 10-spoke front wheels all shod with Mickey Thompson rubber.

The highlight of the car however is the paint which was laid down by Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan of Hot Dog Customs of Temecula California with PPG Refinish Vibrance Collection ® paints.  

 

Photos by the author

Maria Cofer claims her first

BCRA victory at Merced Speedway

On Saturday night April 21, The Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) dirt track midgets finally made their first appearance of the 2018 season following two earlier rained out dates. Two rookies made their BCRA dirt debut – Jackson Dukes in the #2 Shenanigans Motorsports entry and Jesse Love III in the #5 51-Fifty Energy Drinks Van Dyne Motorsports entry.

The entry list also included three veteran drivers who returned to race with the BCRA midgets after some time away – Jimmy Christian in Dave Thurston’s #11 machine, Rick Cook II in his father’s #7R midget and the ageless Marvin Mitchell in his own #78 entry.  

Defending BCRA series champion Maria Cofer topped qualifying in the #57 Cofer entry with a new track record reported, as she topped Cory Elliott in the Elliott Motorsports #11E, Michael Faccinto in Sean Dodenhoff’s #9D and David Prickett in his own #22Q. Sean Dodenhoff experienced oiling problems in his own #9 car and scratched for the night before time trials.

At the start of the first 6-car heat race, Robert Dalby in the #4D jumped in the lead as Cofer coasted into the infield with a rough running engine. As the field started the fourth lap Faccinto slipped by into the lead when Jimmy Christian rolled to a stop in turn two and the Thurston car caught fire.

The Merced Speedway safety crew responded quickly and got Christian out of the car, but the Thurston entry was finished for the night.  The lower legs of Jimmy’s uniform were scorched and after examination by the track EMT’s, Jimmy was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The club’s best wishes go out to Jimmy Christian for a quick recovery.  

When the first heat race resumed from the red flag stoppage, as the field rolled through turn four for the restart, Faccinto’s engine faltered and he dropped to the inside as Jesse Love grabbed the lead. Love was soon passed by Dalby as Faccinto’s #9D slowly coasted into the pit area with apparent ignition trouble. The results of the first heat race - Dalby and Love in first and second with JR Williams in third place as Faccinto, Christian and Cofer all failed to finish. 

Rick Cook II started on the pole for the second heat race and he held off David Prickett for the first lap with Cory Elliott in third. During the early laps Prickett and Elliott both passed Cook, with Marvin Mitchell settled in fourth place and Dukes in fifth. Elliott made several late moves but could not get past Prickett and the finishing order was Prickett, Elliott, Cook, Mitchell and Dukes.

In a throwback to earlier times, Merced Speedway Promoter Ed Parker offered the four fastest BCRA midgets from qualifying the chance to run a Trophy Dash and Bob Roza offered $100 to the winner. Unfortunately, Faccinto’s #9D still had engine problems after he pushed off and Michael retired to pits leaving just three cars on track. Over two fast and furious racing laps, Prickett topped Elliott and Cofer to claim his second victory of the evening.

Following the track’s Hobby Stock and Valley Sportsman feature races, the BCRA’s 30-lap feature was the finale of the evening’s racing. Once again, Faccinto and the #9D Dodenhoff car could not get going for the feature start and retired to the pit area before the start of the race. At the drop of the green flag, Maria Cofer jumped into the lead from her outside front row starting position with Prickett, Elliott and Dalby in hot pursuit. On the second lap, Elliott dispatched Prickett for second place as Maria began to pull away; by lap 6, she held a 6-car length lead over Elliott who was six car lengths ahead of the Dalby/Prickett battle for third place.

The caution flag flew and slowed the race action on lap 21 as Rick Cook II spun the #7R midget to a stop in turn four facing the wrong way. Under caution the track crew pushed Rick into the infield to join JR Williams as the race’s only retirements. On the restart, Cofer surged to a two-car length lead around the track’s top groove, as Dalby tried the bottom of the track and rocketed past Elliott on lap 23 and set his sights on the lead. Dalby stuck to the bottom of the track through turns three and four and crept closer and pulled alongside Cofer’s car at the start/finish line on several occasions.

Maria and her father and car owner John Cofer

celebrate in Merced's victory lane

author photo

On lap 26, with Dalby even closer than before, Maria moved her #57 midget down to the low line through turns three and four and blocked Dalby’s momentum. Maria held on over the final laps to claim her first career BCRA feature race victory by a single car-length over hard charger Robert Dalby, with Cory Elliott in third trailed by David Prickett, with Marvin Mitchell fifth, Jesse Love III sixth and Jackson Dukes the final finisher in seventh. Among the feature non-finishers, Rick Cook II placed eighth and JR Williams ninth with Michael Faccinto who failed to start listed in tenth place. 

Robert Dalby accepts his second place trophy

from Merced Speedway promoter Ed Parker

author photo

 

The 2018 season for the BCRA mighty midgets continues May 5 with a big night of racing for the Vukovich Classic at the 1/3-mile asphalt Madera Speedway along with the BCRA vintage midget division, the NCMA Sprints, Madera’s own CSS/360 Super Modifieds class, Legends of Kearney Bowl, Senior Open Vintage Super Modifieds, California Hard Tops, the USAC Western US Pavement Midgets, and the Legends of the Pacific.

The BCRA midgets will return to the dirt on May 26 at the Stockton Dirt Track along with the Hunt Magneto Wingless Sprint Car Series and the winged ‘Sprint Car 360 Open’ which will pay $5,000 to the winner.

 

The ICON Reformer “Six Pack”

 

Just for today, Triplett’s Eye on Cars becomes....

Triplett's Eye on Trucks.

 

 

Beginning in 1964 Ford Motor Company offered a “Crew Cab” body style for their new fourth-generation F250 (3/4 ton load capacity) truck. The early 1961-1963 F-series Ford truck featured a uni-body (cab and bed integrated) design which was dropped for 1964. While a four-door “Crew Cab” pickup truck is a common site nowadays, in the nineteen sixties this design also known as a “Six Man Cab” was factory custom built starting with a regular cab.

 

 

from this.....

(photo courtesy ICON)

......to this

(author's photo)

 

 

Beginning with a well-used but fairly rust free example, ICON Reformers based in Los Angeles created this one-of-a-kind four-wheel drive 1965 Ford F250 that they call “Six Pack” that was parked outside the North Hall at the 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show. 

 

The stated purpose of ICON Reformers simple - Take timeless classic vehicles from any maker, from almost any era, then re-imagine them for modern use. Restore the vehicle inside and out to better than new condition, tailor the vehicle to the client’s personality and use but all of the updates are hidden under the restored original look. ICON Reformers advertises that they “design, engineer and build modern rides with vintage vibes”

 

Some of the highlights of the build which is powered by Banks Power modified 5.9 liter (360 cubic inch) straight six Cummins turbo diesel engine connected to a 48RE transmission and the truck rides on Fox racing suspension.

 

photo courtesy ICON

 

Author photo

Custom touches include the nickel plated aluminum trim with stainless inserts, and custom built rear bumper

 

Photo courtesy ICON

The luxurious interior features Moore & Giles leather seating with German wool square weave carpet.  Amp Research power steps deploy when the door is opened.  

Hyundai at SEMA 2017

The Hyundai Motor America booth at the 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas combined a racing theme along with two unique customized vehicles.

i30N race car

Sold in the United States as the Elantra GT, Hyundai proudly showed off the i30N which raced in the 2017 24 hours of Nurburgring race. Hyundai entered a pair of i30N racers in the SP3T class for production-based cars with turbocharged engines displacing between 1.6 and 2.0 liters, and both cars made it across the finish line. This car, the #92 shown at SEMA just as it rolled off the German track finished 4th in class and 50th overall with 135 laps completed around the 15 ½ mile track which is a combination of the historic Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuits.

The i30N racer is powered by an all-aluminum four-cylinder double overhead camshaft 16-valves engine with direct injection and continuous variable valve timing that develops 270 horsepower in race trim. Don’t look for the Elantra GT in your local showroom to develop that much horsepower, as Hyundai advertises 161 horsepower in the base GT or 200 horsepower in the GT Sport, or to come equipped with a six-point roll cage.  

Vaccar Tucson concept

After they started with a 2018 Hyundai Tucson Sport, the team at Aaron Vaccar's design studio set out to “build upon the well-developed Tucson platform, powertrain and design to give enthusiasts a vision of just where this affordable crossover aspires to go." Under the hood the team added a Boostec turbocharger and blow-off valve, AEM air intake system and a Mishimoto G-Line Intercooler to the intake side of the Tucson’s 2-liter engine. On the exhaust side, Vaccar fabricated front-mount piping and cat-back exhaust with Magnaflow stainless piping and performance mufflers.

The Tucson now rides on Gecko G-Street Coil overs with Power Stop Z23 Front and Rear Evolution Brake Kit and Concept One Forged Wheels on Continental Extreme Contact Sport tires. The body features Vaccar fabricated front lip, side skirts, rear diffuser and an M&S mesh front grille covered with a two tone scheme that used BASF R-M Paint Systems Silver over Blue Metallic.  

Blood Type Racing Elantra Sport

The Blood Type Racing in Glenview Illinois modified a 2018 Hyundai Elantra Sport engine with a Torcon CAI intake Pierce Motorsports exhaust system and Devil's Own water/methanol injection system.  Suspension was upgraded with HSD coil over suspension on all four corners, Pierce Motorsports sway bars, strut tower brace and chassis brace, and Fella Big Brake kit. The Elantra now rides on SSR GTX01 wheels wrapped with Toyo T1 Sport tires.

This fellow took a different tact - instead

of photographing the BTR Elantra, he sketched it!

Blood Type Racing re-stitched the interior with Diamond-stitched floor mats and fitted with a SoCalGarageWorks carbon-fiber steering wheel. The body was customized with Aerotek custom front, side and rear valances, an APR GTC-200 GT wing, and BTR custom fender flares all covered with BASF Glasurit 55-line Arancio Borealis paint applied by AutoArt body and paint.

All photos by the author - design sketch provided by Hyundai Motor America

Ford 427 SOHC “Cammer” at SEMA 2017

 

 

 

 

At the first NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Racing) Grand National series race of 1964, the Daytona 500, the Chrysler teams debuted the 426-cubic inch hemispherical cylinder head “Hemi” V-8 engine.  Contrary to contemporary legend, NASCAR did not require the new engines to be sold in factory-assembled cars, but had to be available “over the counter” at dealerships. The “Hemi” engine immediately became a dominant force in NASCAR. 

 

 

 

In order to beat the “Hemi” motors over a ninety-day period Ford Motor Company engineers developed the Single Overhead Camshaft (SOHC) “Cammer” engine based on the 427-cubic inch Ford FE block, the regular version of which was being used by Ford NASCAR teams. The overhead camshaft cylinder heads required a different oiling system from the standard 427, so the oil supply had to be routed through a gallery along the left side of the block which led to theses becoming known as the “side oiler” block.

In testing fitted with a single four barrel carburetion the “Cammer” engine produced more than 600 horsepower.  Unfortunately, NASCAR President “Big Bill” France increased the number of units that had to be manufactured to homologate engines so the new Ford engine could not be used in NASCAR.  Ford instead raced the “Cammer” engines in NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) drag racing competition in a number of classes. The Ford “Cammer” engine was never installed in production cars, but they were available over the counter at dealerships.   

 

 

 

Jim Ring's 1964 “Pro Street” style Galaxie 500 shown in the Vibrant Performance booth at the 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show is an example of the final year of this body style which had been in use since 1960. Mid-year during the 1963 model year, Ford had introduced a fastback or "sports hardtop" roofline was added mid-year to make the cars more competitive on the high-speed NASCAR tracks, and were introduced a “1963½” model an industry first. 

 

 

Ring’s car, built by Bones Fabrication in Camarillo, California, is powered by a Ken Duttweiler-built all-aluminum 427 cubic inch “Cammer” engine. The engine sourced from Robert Pond Engines was enlarged to 482 cubic inches and is fed by a pair of 76mm Precision turbochargers which draw air through the inner headlight buckets in the grille. The Holley Terminator EFI system makes this car which develops over 1000 horsepower tame enough to be driven on the street.  

The Galaxie’s front end uses an Art Morrison front clip outfitted with JRI coil-over shock absorbers with tubular control arms. The 9-inch Ford rear end is suspended via a 3-link setup and JRI coil-over shock absorbers. The car rides on polished KWC Forged wheels with Mickey Thompson tires – 18-inch diameter by 6 inches wide at the front and 20-inch diameter by 15 inches wide in the rear.

All photos by the author

 

A striking 1936 Ford Roadster custom

 

 

 

The Meguiar’s Inc. booth at the 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show featured Jon Wright’s amazing 1936 Ford Roadster built in early custom “tail dragger” style.

for comparison this is a factory photo of a 1936 Ford Roadster

 

The bodywork which included stretching the car’s wheelbase was completed by Squeeg’s (Jerger) Kustoms in Chandler Arizona, with the chrome and final assembly completed at Wright’s Custom Chrome Plating in Grafton Ohio.

 

The car powered by a Ford 351-cubic inch Windsor engine fitted with three “deuce” carburetors was a finalist for the 2016 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster title at the Grand National Roadster show.

Check out Meguiar's website at http://www.meguiars.com/en/

 

Color photos by the author

The POR-15 1932 Ford at SEMA

 

P.O.R. (Paint Over Rust) Products  is well-known in the automotive hobby for their signature rust preventative coating product POR-15, but in fact the company offers a full line of products that include metal preparation products, engine paints, high-temperature paints, undercoatings and fuel system treatments.

 

 

 

To show off the wide range of their products for use in the hobby, the POR-15 booth at the 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show displayed a 1932 Ford roadster traditional style hot rod.

 

 

 

POR-15 first displayed a rebuilt 1939 Ford flathead engine equipped with an Offenhauser intake manifold with two Stromberg 97 carburetors and Offenhauser cylinder heads at the 2015 SEMA show, then brought the engine mounted in a finished chassis finished with the POR-15 3-step System Treatment for the 2016 SEMA show fitted with a T-5 manual transmission and a 1941 Ford “banjo” style rear end.  

 

 

The car's Brookville reproduction roadster body was prepared and painted by Classy Chassis Restoration in Midland Park New Jersey.  Final assembly was completed by the crew at POR.  

 

For a step-by-step view of the build check out https://porproducts.com/32-ford-roadster-build/

All photos by the author except as noted

Mark Malipaard claimed his first

BCRA win in the 2018 season opener

 

After the cancellation of the co-sanctioned event at Bakersfield Speedway two weeks earlier, the mighty midgets of the Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) opened the 2018 season at Madera Speedway the day before Easter.    The BCRA Midgets were joined at the Pombo-Sargent Classic by the USAC Western Midgets, Legends of Kearney Bowl, 360 supermodifieds, Pacific Challenge Series super late models and the BCRA Vintage Midgets.

Unfortunately, two of the midgets entered in the program driven by Nick Chivello and David Prickett suffered mechanical problems during the Friday afternoon practice session, which reduced the BCRA entry list to seven cars. In single car qualifying, Chad Nichols in the #17 Shanonian Esslinger edged Scott Pierovich in the Morris #17P by just 5/1000 of a second to grab the top honors with a best lap of 14.014 seconds.

Jerome Rodela in the #25 Trench Shoring Toyota-powered machine timed third, with Cody Gerhardt fourth, followed by Mark Malipaard, 13-year old Jesse Love in the Van Dyne #5 and defending BCRA champion Maria Cofer rounded the field in the Arata Racing #88.

13-year old rookie Jesse Love and the Van Dyne #5

Cofer started the heat race from the pole position alongside Malipaard, who jumped into the lead at the start but Rodela soon took the lead and began to pull away from the rest of the field. On lap six of the 8-lap heat race, Rodela’s car suffered a braking problem and he spun to a stop inside turn two. Rodela’s brake problems forced his retirement, and Malipaard led the final two circuits to claim the win ahead of Pierovich, Gerhardt, Nichols, Cofer and Love. Rodela made repairs to his car in time for the feature.

The BCRA midgets lined up for the start of the 30-lap feature

The redraw for the lineup for the 30-lap feature event resulted in a full invert, with the young rookie Love tagging the back of the field for the flying start. At the drop of the green flag, Malipaard grabbed the lead into turn one with Rodela, Nichols and Pierovich in hot pursuit.

On lap 10, as the field entered turn three, Rodela’s car swung high out of the groove as his braking problems resurfaced, and Jerome pulled into the infield and retired from the event.  Five laps later, the yellow flag flew for the first time as Gerhardt spun to a stop in turn two because of a blistered right rear tire which forced his subsequent retirement.

When the green flag flew again, Malipaard continued to hold his leading position  and he set the race’s fastest lap on lap 21 with a blazing 13.679 second, while Nichols and Pierovich battled for second position.  Scott began to look to the outside of Chad’s orange machine through turns one and two beginning on lap 24, but was unable to make the pass.

On the final lap as the trio entered turn three, Nichols braked late to try to move around the outside of Malipaard’s #51 car, but Chad’s move fell short and Pierovich cut underneath Nichols to grab second place but Chad recovered second place at the checkered flag.

Winner Mark Malipaard interviewed in Victory Lane

Mark Malipaard jubilantly celebrated his first career BCRA feature victory on the main straightaway ahead of Nichols, Pierovich, Jesse Love, and Maria Cofer, as Gerhardt and Rodela failed to finish. The BCRA midgets will return to action on April 7 for the first dirt track event of the 2018 season on the exciting 1/3-mile dirt Merced Speedway on the grounds of the Merced County Fairgrounds.      

Photographs by the author       

Thumper

 

 

The 1955 to 1957 Chevrolet Nomad two-door station wagon is an icon in the classic car and hot rod communities, which has left the two-door Ford Ranch Wagon (also known as the Del Rio) in the background.

 

 

 

“Thumper” a custom 1957 Ford Ranch wagon, displayed at the ARP (Automotive Racing Products) booth at the 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show should bring the second-generation Ford two-door wagon back to the front of fans’ minds.

 

“Thumper” was built by the crew at Steve Strope’s Pure Vision Design over a period of three years for ARP’s executive vice-president Bob Florine. Designer Steve Sanford made a few important design tweaks to the original Ranch Wagon; they lengthened the front doors leaned the B-pillars forward and added a Thunderbird hood scoop.

 

 

The beautiful bodywork installed over an Art Morrison Enterprises custom frame was finished in period correct colors of bourbon and cream, but the engine is the centerpiece of this ride. It’s a 521-cubic inch Jon Kaase “Boss Nine” a modern replica of the Ford Boss 429 cubic inch engine semi-hemispherical cylinder head engine. Built entirely with ARP fasteners and topped with a Borla Induction 8-stack throttle body intake the engine develops at least 800 horsepower. 

 

 

The custom interior with Redline gauges and Zebrawood trim was fitted by Gabe’s Custom Interiors with Umber-colored Relicate Napa leather and “Light Roast” Pebble Weave leather over brown German square weave carpet. 

 

"Thumper" photos by the author.