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Pre-1935 Buick Race Cars


Guest Motormark

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Guest Motormark

What's the best source within the AACA or Buick Club for information related to Buick race cars such as were run at Indy and other tracks back when they used two-place cars, essentially, pre-1935? I am looking for an old Buick track car to buy, 6 or 8 cylinder, and would like to have a resource for what was raced in that period. Were there actual factory made race cars, did teams/builders like Shafer only build their own cars from production parts, new frame rails? Is there a register tracing Buick race cars of this era? Any especially good books to own on the topic?

Thanks,

Motormark

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Motormark,

I would think that the Indianapolis Museum should have all official information for any Buicks that raced at that track and there is a Yahoo group for Racing History. "The Buick, A complete History" has Appendix One on "Thundering Down the Track" which should give an excellent start in your search.

Owning a '32 Buick, the Shafer cars have my interest. I believe there is one in New Hampshire and I recall seeing it at Lime Rock, CT some years ago at a vintage racing event.

Lamar, Your interests never cease to amaze me, and I assume others.

John

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  • 8 months later...

MrEarl,

Thanks for putting up those neat photos of the Buick race cars. The first one with the two dozen guys next to a 4-cylinder Buick is a famous shot of the Buick Race Team in front of the factory about 1909. The one in the passenger seat looks like Louis Chevrolet himself, who pulled a win at Indy in 1909 driving one of these. ----Jeff

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In the book "Walter L. Marr Buick's Amazing Engineer" has a section with photos of the 1909 1910 race cars. This book is great reading on the early Buick history and engineering developments. The publisher is Racemaker Press.

According to this book on the early race cars the chassis was custom built for the first paved races at Indy. These cars were the Model 10 Marquette-Buick Bug. Some of the first single seat race cars, no mechanic on board.

Bob Engle

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Bob,

The caption for that photograph MrEarl posted above:

"Louis Chevrolet, Louis Strang, and Bob Burman were the headline drivers on the Buick factory racing team. In a four year period from 1906 to 1910 the Buick Racing team compiled the best record of any American automobile manufacturer including winning more than 500 racing trophies and victories at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in its inaugural 1909 season. Sales were directly affected by this record of success in competition. By 1908,Buick was the American automotive industry leader in sales. One of the men pictured is probably Glen Breed but if you can identify anyone in this photo, please contact Bob Lawrence."

.............................................from a long story online about Glen Breed by Bob Lawrence

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 11 months later...

Here is a great read about the Chevrolet brothers and their early years of racing Buicks.

 

http://myautoworld.com/gm/history/history/louischevrolet/louischevrolet.html

 

Extracting some of the photos for sharing here.

 

 

Louis Chevrolet at the wheel of the 1910 Buick racer he drove for Billy Durant's highly successful Buick factory-sponsored racing team.

 

1910_Historic_Louis_0112b_zps9w7ukqo6.jp

 

Arthur Chevrolet and riding mechanic in Buick racer Arthur drove in the first Indianapolis 500, 1911

 

1911_Historic_Arthur_005b_zpszdewv83s.jp

 

Racers line up for the start of the first Indy 500, May 30, 1911. Speedway president Carl Fisher led the pace lap in his white large touring car

 

1911_Historic_Indy500_81b_zpskynqw6en.jp

 

Louis Chevrolet with Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932

 

Louis_Chevrolet_66214b.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by MrEarl (see edit history)
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a few more

 

Louis Chevrolet

 

Louis_Chevrolet_77984b_zpsfnvf0lmd.jpg

 

One of my favorite early Buick racing photos, anyone know anything about it?

 

smokin_zpshzcomry0.jpg

 

Repp Roy doing his first wheelie in a 20? Buick

 

Repp%20Roy%20doing%201st%20wheelie%20in%

 

Repp Roy doing it again, must have been fun...

 

Repp%20Roy%20popping%20a%20wheelie%20in%

 

Kurtis Buick ??

 

Kurtis_zpsvdtdnvvi.jpg

 

oops, now how did this 1954 La Carrera Panamericana picture get in here? tsk tsk tsk

 

 

54s%20in%20Carrera%20Pan_zpsymoscfep.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by MrEarl (see edit history)
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