Period RACE CAR Images to Relieve some of the Stress

[wayne sheldon]

Is that by chance the same car as your avatar picture?

[1912Staver]

Staver built a small number of " factory " race cars. Three for sure, perhaps as many as 4 or 5 . They all look very similar to each other so I have never been able to tell one from another. But yes , they could be the same car. I don't have enough good , clear photo's to attempt to spot any possible differences between them,

Edited July 20, 2021 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[wayne sheldon]

Thanks! All wonderful and fun stuff.

[1912Staver]

Here is a photo that shows Staver's team. 3 cars, plus several people. Once again I believe this is the 1911 Elgin races. These are all the small Staver , 30 HP. But at least a couple of 35 or 40 HP racers were also built.

 

 

[wayne sheldon]

Nice team photo!

[mike6024]

 

Gus Petzel built the world's smallest car back in 1925. He drove it from San Francisco to New York. 

 

[mike6024]

 

Historian Robert Cunningham has added the following: “His trip was from San Francisco through Yosemite National Park to New York City. Petzel financed his trip across the Lincoln Highway by peddling picture postcards of himself in his racer. Later, in October 1926, Petzel drove the racer over the Ascot Speedway where he was clocked at a record-setting speed of 92 miles per hour”.

“Later, Petzel sold his car to Edmond “Hoot Owl” Gibson. Gibson had become an accomplished rodeo champion in 1910 when silent film director Francis Boggs cast him as an extra in a Hollywood cowboy feature.” The photo below courtesty of The Silent Movie Blog shows Hoot in the car with his Cunningham Roadster behind it. Read the rest of Roberts comment below for more information.

 

https://theoldmotor.com/?p=140175

 

 

 In 1925, Gus Petzel made a San Francisco to Washington, D.C. run in this charming little baby car. The postcard description tells more about it: “The smallest automobile in the world – Designed and built by Gus Petzel of Alameda, California. The car has a 4-cylinder air cooled motor, 3-speeds, electric lights and starter, 60 inch wheelbase, 21″ x 4″ airplane tires, and weighs 560 pounds. It makes 52 miles per gallon and has a speed of 65 miles on the road and 80 miles on the track. Cost $2,000 to build”.

A number of stories turned up about Petzel’s run, and the February 1926 issue of Popular Science has a short article along with a photo and gives the same basic details. The book Alameda tells us that he lived at 1207 Grand Street, on the small island city next to Oakland and across the Bay from San Francisco.

This car is without a doubt is related to the Art Smith Baby Cars, built ten years earlier in San Francisco. The little racer is slightly modernized and powered by an in-line four-cylinder Henderson motorcycle engine.

 

Edited July 22, 2021 by mike6024 (see edit history)

[mike6024]

 

 driver Gus Petzel, in which he toured the USA. He is seen with Ranger Townley of Yosemite National Park. 

[AHa]

Where is it today?

[1937hd45]

On 7/22/2021 at 7:26 AM, AHa said:

Where is it today?

 Twenty minutes from my house, I never knew about the above stated history. Von Dutch owned it at one time. 

[AHa]

Below is a picture of a 1911 GJG racer. The picture was digitized by Google and originates from the university of Michigan. GJGs were  built by the G. J. G. Motor car company of White Plains, N.Y.

Edited September 15, 2021 by AHa (see edit history)

[hddennis]

55 minutes ago, AHa said:

Below is a picture of a 1911 GJG racer. The picture was digitized by Google and originates from the university of Michigan. GJGs were  built by the G. J. G. Motor car company of White Plains, N.Y.

This car survives to this day although I don't know of it's present condition:  https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/application/files/9715/5579/5700/GJG_Car_NYG.pdf

 

Howard Dennis

[1937hd45]

Howard, I'll see the GJG owner at Hershey and ask for a progress report. Seams like yesterday I was stopping by to see what Tony was doing with it on my way to Bennington this time of year. Bob 

[hddennis]

1 hour ago, 1937hd45 said:

Howard, I'll see the GJG owner at Hershey and ask for a progress report. Seams like yesterday I was stopping by to see what Tony was doing with it on my way to Bennington this time of year. Bob 

Hey Bob, I know exactly what you mean. While we are talking about this car let me tell you about how he said he found it. Tony said he was in the White Plains area in the late 1940's and saw a 1920's Dodge touring for sale at a gas station. He said the minute he opened the hood and saw that Wisconsin engine he knew it was going home with him.

 

Howard Dennis

[AHa]

Very interesting!

Edited September 16, 2021 by AHa (see edit history)

[hddennis]

All I can say is Tony told me the GJG was wearing a Dodge body when he acquired it during the late 1940's. From what has survived I assume Tony got all the parts that were removed form the GJG to mount the Dodge body at the time he purchased it.  I first saw the GJG in the 1960's at Tony's Sunoco station and when I left NY in the 1990's I believe he still owned the car.

 

Howard Dennis

[AHa]

Here is the digitized Photo Hemmings ran with their article on the car.

Edited September 16, 2021 by AHa (see edit history)

[hddennis]

I'll answer this one last time and then I'm done. I've stated what Tony told me nearly 50 years ago. I had no reason to doubt him then and I'll not involve myself in smearing his memory now.  Tony was a close personal friend of Peter Helk's and maintained Old 16 for most of his life. Peter drew up a set of plans for a speedster body which hung on the wall of Tony's  station next to the GJG for years. 

 

This next story is speculation on my part based on what Tony told me. I believe Tony never created Peter's version because he learned the true story of what he owned. An elderly gentleman stopped into Tony's station and asked Tony if he knew the story of the patch on the oil pan. He then proceeded to tell Tony that he personally put a rod through that hole while racing at the Sheepshead Bay race track. He further went on to tell Tony that he was G. J. Grossman's son.

 

What part of Tony's owning the car from the 1940's till the 1990's is it you fail to understand? The article states the car was sold in 1995. I'm going to speculate again here but I take this to mean that that was probably when Tony let go of the car for the first time in almost half a century.

 

One final note, the picture's of Tony's GJG in the article are exactly as I remember it sitting in Tony's station, color and all.

 

 

Howard Dennis

Edited September 16, 2021 by hddennis (see edit history)

[AHa]

This picture was also run in the Hemmings article. There is a great story of survival that accompanies the article.

 

It has now been reported Fred Hoch sold the car on to two guys in Pittsburgh.

Edited September 18, 2021 by AHa (see edit history)

[AHa]

Here is another great picture from Hemmings Motor News. It comes from an article titled, Family Albums in Four Speeds. The car is identified as a Thomas.

[1912Staver]

It sure would be interesting to learn more about the current state of this car, 1937HD. 

[AHa]

This picture comes to us from Chevrolet Brothers Website.

 

[Rob H.]

I just noticed this page (I was on during page 26).  NZnerd, your photos of the NZ Ford Model K turned speedster/racer are much clearer than mine.  Here they are "tuned up" a bit.  Thank you for posting.  Attached is an "enhanced" and colorized version of the Model K speedster/racer using the better photo.  

[Fossil]

Must have been a shortage of paint around that time. 

 

 

[Larry Schramm]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:44 PM, Rob H. said:

I just noticed this page (I was on during page 26).  NZnerd, your photos of the NZ Ford Model K turned speedster/racer are much clearer than mine.  Here they are "tuned up" a bit.  Thank you for posting.  Attached is an "enhanced" and colorized version of the Model K speedster/racer using the better photo.  

 

Impressive car

[Walt G]

This image was in the L'Illustration magazine ( French) for October 1927. They touted it was a Mystery car in England. That magazine was a huge ( 12 x 18 inches, over 70 pages coated stock paper)  monthly society magazine with all kinds of coverage of what the elite at the time were doing/attending to, what was fashionable etc. Much like The Spur and Vanity Fair magazine were in the USA. Their October issue was the annual automobile issue. - this is the kind of stuff I have been collecting for 5 decades , odd places to see information that wasn't in the normal car magazines, but aimed at the "upper crusty" types who had the $ to buy expensive cars, use zeppelins and luxury steam ships for travel etc. I learned about these periodicals from a friend, Peter Moore,  who was a motor book dealer in the UK and also when I worked for Austin Clark in his library at his house nearly 50 years ago as he had them. At that time even Austin commented "no one is aware about these much , but they are loaded with information" There are full page advertisements in there as well in the auto numbers/issues for American car for sale in Europe : Hupmobile, Packard, Studebaker, La Salle, Buick just to name a few. Difficult to scan the huge pages on a normal scanner!

[nzcarnerd]

5 hours ago, Walt G said:

This image was in the L'Illustration magazine ( French) for October 1927. They touted it was a Mystery car in England. That magazine was a huge ( 12 x 18 inches, over 70 pages coated stock paper)  monthly society magazine with all kinds of coverage of what the elite at the time were doing/attending to, what was fashionable etc. Much like The Spur and Vanity Fair magazine were in the USA. Their October issue was the annual automobile issue. - this is the kind of stuff I have been collecting for 5 decades , odd places to see information that wasn't in the normal car magazines, but aimed at the "upper crusty" types who had the $ to buy expensive cars, use zeppelins and luxury steam ships for travel etc. I learned about these periodicals from a friend, Peter Moore,  who was a motor book dealer in the UK and also when I worked for Austin Clark in his library at his house nearly 50 years ago as he had them. At that time even Austin commented "no one is aware about these much , but they are loaded with information" There are full page advertisements in there as well in the auto numbers/issues for American car for sale in Europe : Hupmobile, Packard, Studebaker, La Salle, Buick just to name a few. Difficult to scan the huge pages on a normal scanner!

Looks like the 1000hp Sunbeam - Sunbeam 1000 hp - Wikipedia

 

Lots of pics on the net.

[Studemax]

Yes, the Sunbeam "Slug". It was the first land speed racer to exceed 200 MPH, driven by Henry Segrave at Daytona Beach.

[Larry Schramm]

Here is a picture that I got out of a magazine saying that it is from the 1911 Indy 500.

[wayne sheldon]

Car number 4 on the radiator is a National. The others I am not sure of. 

[nzcarnerd]

Location not noted. Looks to be an Abbott on the left and ? on the right. Date looks to be 1911 by the plate - from which state?

 

 

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

"Pierre de Caters explains the working of Victor Rigal's 120 cv Darracq to Prince Albert, later King of Belgium at the 1907 Semaine d'Ostende. Prince Leopold, later also King of Belgium, is the little boy at the front."

 

 

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

Victor Demogeot at the 1907 Coppa del Velocita at Brescia, Italy.

[nzcarnerd]

The redoubtable Mme Camille du Gast, and her riding mechanic le Prince de Sagan, on her 20 hp Panhard for the 1901 Paris-Berlin race.

 

 

A side view of the same car - 

 

[nzcarnerd]

1908, the Isle of Man and what look to be two of the competitors in what became known as The Four Inch Race' - 

 

1908 Tourist Trophy Race - Graces Guide

 

Car #4 is the Darracq of Algernon Lee Guinness, which finished second in the race, and #6 is Louis Coatalen's Hillman-Coatalen which finished ninth.

 

 

[wayne sheldon]

Neat stuff! Thank you NZ.

[nzcarnerd]

15 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

Neat stuff! Thank you NZ.

There is a lot more where that came from. Just need to make time to sort some out.

 

That pre WW1 era was an interesting time.

[1912Staver]

On 12/12/2021 at 9:16 PM, nzcarnerd said:

Location not noted. Looks to be an Abbott on the left and ? on the right. Date looks to be 1911 by the plate - from which state?

 

 

 

 

Left hand is a Staver Chicago 30 H.P.. I forget exactly what the Right hand one but it is a quite obscure make . I will see if I can find it in my notes.

[1912Staver]

Found it , it is said to be a Correja. One that I must admit I had never heard of before I saw this photo a year or two ago. Built from 1909 - 1914 in Elizabeth New Jersey . Very small production each year and I don't think I have ever heard of a surviving one.

[AHa]

This picture was posted by Greg earlier in the thread. I believe at that time is was credited to Detroit Public Library and I think, Greg identified the right hand car as a Staver Chicago. The left hand car resembles a Detroit. Google can find no good photos of a Correja.