History Auto racing 1894-1942

Welcome to the HAMB. Your website has some nifty history.

 

Both these pics depict the 1932 Indy 500 winning car. Mostly identical, except for the radiator grille.
I assume the official IMSC pic is correct, but.....
Anyone know which one is right?
And how did this confusion arise?

 

The painting shows the car like it looks today, as an exhibit in the IMS museum. The car landed there right after its last race, about fifteen years after it won the '500'. Racing cars don't go fifteen years without major changes in appearance, especially when the rules change in between!

 

Thanks Michael. That settles it.

 

Would it's final iteration be the Bristow-McManus Spl driven by Rollie Free at the 500 in 1947?

 

According to this guy, https://www.oldracingcars.com/indy/hartz/, yes!

 

Josh, any luck so far finding info or pics of this car? Just the other day, I found out this car was entered for the 1946 Indy 500 (Bee-Gee Detroit Special), with a turbocharger (!) added to the old Packard engine! I don't think it ever made it to the Speedway, but I would sure like to know if they ever fitted that turbocharger? Any other info welcome, too.

 

Some photos I've collected over the years, sorry for any duplication here as I can't review all 376 pages.
I believe this was Joe Lencki's first race car


Jimmy Snyder with Joe in the foreground.


Joe's shop on Chicago's South side. Emil Andres is with him looking over the Lencki Six


A close look reveals some very early disc brakes (1941) from Joe Milan. Eventually this design was marketed as the Kinmont disc brake, and with Preston Tucker knowing both Lencki and Milan he wanted Kinmonts on his post war Tucker.

Emil in the Lencki Six powered Kennedy Tank Special, 1941 Indy 500.

Joe, far left, but I don't have an ID for the car, this must be at the Milwaukee Mile.


L to R, Joe and ??

 

Not exactly automotive, but …. inspired by automotive greats!

 

Here was my favorite from the Hillsborough Concours this past weekend.

 

One of my favorite threads!

Sent from my SM-T237P using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

That's Myron Fohr in the 1938 Marchese/Miller - note the Bob Wilke sponsorship!

Earlier photos show the Lencki dirt car first with Offenhauser engine (2 & 3), then with a lengthened chassis to accomodate Joe's own six (4). Like the speedway car (5 & 6), the dirt car ran with either Offy or Lencki power according to needs (and availability!). The first picture is a Fronty Ford, the last one has Lencki's first IMS entry on the trailer, an early Miller-Schofield two-man car with Joe's homebuilt engine based on a Gallivan Ford. Sorry, I don't recognize the other two gentlemen, but spot Ted Horn in the second photo!

Great pictures, thanks for posting!!

 

1955 GP dePau (Eugenio Castellotti) Lancia D50

 

The Marchese car looks about the same today, lives in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. Bob

 

Thank you Bob! Check out this link to the car the late Peter Giddings restored and vintage raced. Bob
http://petergiddings.com/Cars/LanciaD50.html

 

All of these images are from Poland's National Digital Archives. They were all labeled "IV International Race, 1931". Some were captioned.Most were not.
#1 Witold Rychter 2nd from right
#2 Henryk Liefeldt Austro-Daimler
#3 Lazlo Hartmann Bugatti
#4Stanslaw Holuji Bugatti Type 35
#5 Albert Suminski
#6 Rudy Caracciola

 

Bob, This Bugatti with two gas fillers and center dash mounted magneto it is a Type 51. Thanks for posting the photos! Bob

 

I find it interesting that many of these racers were wearing license tags. You musta been one bad mofo when you went out on the road for a cruise in one of these gems.

 

They wouldn't have been used much for cruising. The license tag was mostly to get the cars to the racing venues - saves on towing car expense!

 

As you can see it is a Bugatti Type 35C. The license plate OLVI 937 confirms chassis 4949.

 

#3 Lazlo Hartmann - Bugatti 35B chassis 4858
#4 Stanislaw Holuj - Bugatti 37A chassis 37281
#7 Georg Christian Lobkowicz - Bugatti 35C chassis 4949
#8 Jan Ripper - Bugatti 37A chassis 37329

 

Fabulous! Thanks!

 

The event is the Tatra hillclimb, at Zakopane nr. Kraków, August 16th 1931. Sixth round of the European Hillclimb Championship. FTD set by Caracciola's Mercedes Benz SSKL in the sports car class, faster than Max Arco-Zinneberg in the racing car class. Caracciola went on to win the championship.

Although the post above describes it as the fourth International event, it was actually the fifth (and final) running - the first, in 1927, was a National event.

 

Unfortunately in Friday's practice at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, this 1912 Packard, going through Turn 11, slid then "hooked up" and overturned (all the way over). Both the driver and riding mechanic were severely injured. Brian Blain, the owner of the car said the car was rebuildable; but the men have a long road to recovery!

 

Racing vintage cars is a dangerous business as it was when they were new. Hope they recover to race another day.

 

Really bad news , heard about this a few days ago.
They do have a long road to recovery.
I built this car for Brian.

 

It looks like the mechanic was belted in. Is this standard practice / mandatory when participating?

[EDIT: I'm not trying to second-guess anybody, just trying to learn about something I hope to try someday soon.]