Old Race Car

[Guest BillP]

Anyone know any details about this interesting car?

[Brass is Best]

This car looks a lot like the number 17 Gulf-Miller Special. It was driven in 1939 by George Bailey. This was the first rear engine car to race in the Indianapolis 500. Mr. Bailey started 6th with a qualifying speed of 125.8 mph. The car finished in 26th after 47 laps with a mechanical problem. Mr. Bailey raced at Indy in 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938 and 1939. Tragically he was killed in a practice accident for the 1940 Indy 500. However the intake and exhaust are different with this car as is the height of the seat. There are a lot if similarities between the two cars. The mystery car appears to be a super-charged miller as well. Possibly it is a different version of the same car or a sister car. Preston Tucker was also working with Miller on front drive Indy cars around this same time. Changing the exhaust to exit through the top of the hood would certainly help the engine bay to run cooler.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Brass is Best (see edit history)

[alsancle]

I was just reading an article on this somewhere, I forget where.  An attempt to copy the Auto Union that had won the Vanderbilt Cub in 37.

[JACK M]

37 Desoto behind it.

[mike6024]

There were 3 in 1939, and more later.

 

Of three in 1939, only George Bailey was able to qualify, although he did so in sixth place, the first rear-engine car ever in the Indy 500 race-day line-up. Of the handful of starts by these cars between 1939 and 1947, none traveled further than Bailey's 47 laps in 1939. Originally intended to run on pump gasoline, they featured side-mounted pontoon tanks, which proved to be very dangerous. After a pair of serious fires, the cars appeared in 1941 minus the pontoon tanks.

 

http://www.conceptcarz.com/z19647/Miller-Gulf-Special.aspx

[joe_padavano]

36 minutes ago, mike6024 said:

http://www.conceptcarz.com/z19647/Miller-Gulf-Special.aspx

 

Unfortunately, the car in that conceptcarz link is a recreation, er... TRIBUTE car, not an original.  It has a Jag I6 and ZF transmission.  The blue silicone hose should also be a giveaway.

 

 

Quote

 

Highlights

• Over 4,000 hours in the build
• Aluminum body
• Jaguar inline 6-cylinder engine
• ZF transmission
• Miller Gulf tribute car
• Built by Babineau metalworks
• The year on the bill of sale indicates as replicated 1946

 

•  

[padgett]

Somewhere I have a copy of a large format coffee table book on the Indianapolis 500 from sometime in the 70s that had photograhs of every car that qualified for every race.

 

OTOH that photo has the id 46811 - I could not find at the speedway, just the other one but a search just for Bailey also failed so the search engine is not very good..

[1937hd45]

Right side shot from the 1938 Indy 500 story in Automobile Racing by Ray Kuns  fifth edition. Bob

Edited January 5, 2017 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[JACK M]

Same 37 Desoto.

The photographer liked to have the driver turn his head.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

You could probably get a lot of information from The Old Motor on this and other cars

http://theoldmotor.com/

[Guest abigailcarson73]

Is this a tribute car? I just wished it does still exist nowadays.