Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

looks like liquid lou is interested in it

 

L/F-Along with those mentioned, I believe Unser, Tinglestad, Snider and I'm sure others drove it at one time or another, but Mosley, it seems, had the most success with it.
You're welcome, much appreciated. Also I would like to say 'welcome home' to any of my brothers who may frequent this thread.

 

"looks like liquid lou is interested in it"

Maybe it`s one of his old cars....Kidding

I`ll feel really dumb if that thing really was a race car.

 

Yeah, this is one of those Shriner cars. I have a picture in a book somewhere of these things doing a publicity type of "race" on pit row at Indy. I think they also had 33 of these things! Down here the Shriners like dune buggies or Caddy Eldorado convertables.

The term "race" is really more or so about semantics. IE- I love hamburgers, but I LOVE my Halibrands more.

I do think it is a collectable, just don't have any idea as to what it's worth.

 

What kind of drive did they have in those things-VW?


Maybe battery/ electric motor?

 

I used to let those guys use the west side of IRP for their annual car inspection, and then give them a lap or two on the road course. Did it on my own, and the GM at the time (after Bob Daniels) wanted to know why we didn't charge them a rental fee. I told him, "These guys build childrens' hospitals. This is our donation."

 

I was at Ray Skillman Classic Cars south of Indy a while back, and the cammer was there. along with the Grant King/Sheldon Kinser 20, (I built two AMT models of that one)the Grant King #3 and two Knepper 55's. Don't know what the asking prices were or if they were even for sale, as nobody came out the whole time I was there drooling on them.

 

Waaay back in the early days of this thread, I believe Josh posted a couple of pics of the cammer at a show he attended. Until then I didn't know it still exsited. Also, if you're not aware, there's a story and picture sequence of Mosleys Dayton crash on the Dayton Speedway site. Amazing that Mosley and the car both survived:
http://wthompson4.sports.officelive.com/mikemosley.aspx

 

Yep, That was at Indy Goodguys a year and a half ago.

Those crash pics are wild!

Beautiful car..

 

I doubt if they're for sale, Rootie. That's sort of Ray's personal museum.

 

Here's a little something I had packed away. It's a Trophy from Cincinnati Speedway, May 30th 1917. Third Prize Class E Ford Cars won by Charles F. Schwarm, Jr. 72.6 M.P.H. Nice little mantle piece.

 

Darn it! I was going to make an offer. Guess I'll have to settle for the Shriner car, it's almost as good isn't it?

 

I know where you can pick up a 2nd hand Fez........cheap!

 

I've already got the fez, I'm looking for a big ol' Shriner sword now. Then I'll have something to fend off those trying to steal my prized, priceless Shriner car.

 

'Rootie, NICE! And thanks to Josh for posting those. But, disappointing to see that when they lettered the car, Mario Andretti was the designated driver when everyone knows that Mike was more well known and associated with that car. Afterall, he was Mr. Watson's driver for what? 6 or 7 years before he left for Sugaripe Prune? Also, it's one thing for us to enjoy all the pics of all the 4-cam dirt cars whether they were in a sprint car or a big car but, how about us lucky dogs that actually got to hear them run!!!

 

I will never,ever forget the sound of Gary Bettenhausen ripping around Reading and Selinsgrove in Willy`s cammer.

 

I guess Mario has more"star power." I can only find where he drove it a couple times in 67, even A.J. probably had more seat time than him. Appears Bud Tinglestad also ran it some before Mosley in 67.
Interesting to read Watsons comments on Mosley in that Dayton Spdwy. piece.

 

What did you guys do this weekend? I was in Texas, driving vintage Indy cars at the 2 mile high bank Texas World Speedway!........... Looking forward to hearing about racer5C's trip to drive the "Ranger" at Zephyr Hills.......

 

jjones752, any pix of the other 4 cars??
mlight9.

 

Amen to that, Gary B. sure the place up & the sound was the best concert ever,
mlight9.

 

Only the NOVI ever sounded better

 

Look closely at the front axle, looks straight and probably mounted rigidly to the frame. They have fabricated what I'll call a "steering arm" that the king pin goes thru and (rearward of the axle) mounts the black round unit which is a rubber torsion elastic spring from a trailer which has an arm going forward to a stub spindle.

The only thing I see off a midget is the rear tires.

He's right about the wheels, they certainly are rare. Strange looking pressure plates and no winged spinner nuts, or hex nuts, now we have an X nut! Could they possibly be a fancy looking 12" wheel that was made to go with those trailer suspension, spindle and hub parts?

 

Hey Spike .. I spent an ENJOYABLE day a few weeks back in the shop of a friend of yours .... Harold Seaman.

I can remember one particular year getting to the back gate at the Trenton NJ mile, just as the Indy car warm up hot laps were starting. The roar of the Offy's going by was obvious .. suddenly there was a loud, shrill, shreak of a different engine. I knew that it had to be (and was) one of the new Ford cammers, with their intestine like exhaust sysyems.

I read some where that the downfall of the Ford (later Foyt) engine was that they had to be kept wound up in the very high end of there rev. band .. or they had no steam.

The Mataka Brothers (Raceweld) had one that was on loan to & displayed in the museum at the Flemington (NJ) Speedway (when it was still open). I wouldn't be surprised if the surviving brother still has it today.

 

Hey Mac, how was the turn out hope it was great. Hope there was a lot of spectators as well. I will have some more photos of the Spencer/Thomson spcl. We are working on the final assembly.
P.S. I hope you got lot's of photos at Texas.

 

No, I don't even own a digital camera yet, and didn't have my 35mm with me. I'll bet Rootie or somebody could find some, though. There was a crash sequence of Kramer Williamson in the King 3 in Open Wheel mag (maybe even issue #1) that was as scary looking as Mosley's Dayton wreck. Amazing that either car survived, not to mention the drivers.
On the digital camera subject, I'm always behind the curve. I was still wearing Levis hopsack flares and desert boots (remember them?) well into the eighties...and an afro(no pictures of that scary wreck, either)!

 

I was able to go up to Texas World Speedway this past Saturday. I did not have much time to spend up there but it was pretty interesting. I've never got to see or hear an actual Indy roadster with the big Offy run, grew up watching Offy midgets, but in Denver there were little to no sprinters and no champ cars in the late 60's early 70's. So it was pretty amazing to hear that big Offy pop off, and see and hear it run on a big race track. Wish I'd had more time to visit with people, but I'll take what I can get. Was lucky to spend a few minutes with Larry Pfitznmaier and his Siminoz Spl. Watson, could have spent day's talking with him, what a nice person and talk about a great ambassodor for vintage racing. Here's a few photo's my daughter shot while I was flapping my gums.

 

Just wondering if anyone out there would recognize this sprinter. This Tony Martin photo was taken at Portsmouth Speedway (Ohio) in the early 60's. I lost the I D of the driver, but I belive his name was Davis from the Dayton, Ohio area. This was one of the few sprint cars to race at Portsmouth which closed in 1962.

 

Thanks for the pics, that Meskowski/Schmidt 44 is my all time favorite Indy car.

 

I raced at Portsmouth a few years back but it was dirt, in the 90's

 

Ken.........I'm glad you enjoyed your day with Fast Harold. He's the 2nd most enjoyable person east of the Mississippi. Yeah, them 4 cam Fords sounded pretty mean, but I'm still partial to the ols Offy.