The Yanks Are Coming

There is just something about the carefully staged shots that graced the covers of Hot Rod Magazine in the 50’s. It’s like Norman Rockwell for greasers – warm, cozy… One of my favorite shots donned the April, 1957 cover and featured Ak Miller and his Hemi powered sports car.

Ak Miller and his co-pilot, Doug Harrison, had shown the world a thing or two in their Olds powered “T” (aptly named El Caballo) when they attacked the Ferraris, Jags, and Austins of the Mexican Road Race (La Carrera Panamericana). In fact, the two felt they had learned enough from those experiences to build another car with even more upside.  In late 1952, they started the “Caballo Fund” which allowed regular folks like you and I to contribute money into their newest idea.

Ak, Doug, and their team in the El Caballo.

By 1955, they had raised some pretty decent money and were off to a good start, but word got around that the Mexican Road Race had been canceled. It was just too damn dangerous and the Mexican government wasn’t getting quite enough kick back to let it go on. So, what now?

Ak and his team refused to give up. In fact, they decided to shoot higher and complete the new sports car in time for the 1958 Italian Mille Miglia – a grueling 1000 mile race featuring tight stuff all around and 170 mph straights. By 1957, the team had made real progress and was close to finishing the car.

And that’s when disaster struck. Just after Eric Rickman (photo man for HRM) left the team’s shop, a fire broke out. By the time the Los Angeles Fire Department got the blaze under control, much of Jack Sutton’s gorgeous body work was destroyed, the frame was warped, and the engine was toast – literally. As a result, Hot Rod Magazine closed their feature story with this copy:

“Fortunately, the fire left one fraction unscathed – Ak Miller and his now doubly-determined crew. Needless to say, the boys are going to be ready to sail on the 18th of April. But now, more than ever, the star-spangled entry needs the help of all of us in meeting the deadline. Here is where Hot Rod enthusiasts everywhere can influence the car’s success more than anything that has been done to date. Let’s make sure that when Ak and Doug come chugging up to the line that we’ve all got our two-bits-worth in!

There is still time to add to their ‘firepower’ by contributing to: The Caballo Fund, 5959 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles 28, California.”

And, of course, the folks came through. Ak and Doug worked their asses off to get the car rebuilt in time to catch the boat to Italy. Once there, things just didn’t go as planned. The car made great power and from the very start it was obvious that the fellas could compete with the big guys, but failing brakes eventually put the car on the trailer for good.

Afterward, the boys decided to tour Europe a bit and see what the other side of the pond had to offer. They hitched the Caballo II’s trailer to their Olds Coupe and took off aimlessly. A few days later, Doug heard rumors of a race in France and talked Ak into heading that way to spectate. Just by coincidence, they ran into Denis Jenkinson (Euro mag writer) and Jesse Alexander (Euro camera guy) along the way.

Almost 50 years later, Denis wrote a book titled, “Porsche, Past and Present.” In that book, he recounted his chance meeting with the crazy bastards from the states:

“That journey to Rouen was a terrible embarrassment to Jesse and me, for on the long straights across France, that great bulbous Oldsmobile coupe with the trailer and racing car on the back sat behind us no matter what we did. We both rowed our little Porsches along as hard as we could, and the Miller entourage just sat there in our mirrors. What was worse, Ak, Doug, and Pete were sitting abreast on the bench seat smoking cigars while Ak drove with one hand on the wheel and his elbow on the window ledge. Meantime, both Jesse and I were driving our Porsches as if we were competing in a race. When we stopped, Ak removed his cigar and asked, ‘Your little cars okay?'”

God Bless America.