History Vintage "Cageless" Midget Picture Thread

Jim, I'm not sure what roadster Tony had. Freddy Charles ( Heydenreich ) ended up with the Vatis car. He bought it in either "67 or '68. Fred passed away this past fall. His son, Johnny Heydenreich now has the roadster. He has it out in Indy where he lives. It is still unrestored.

 

Check out this beautiful Ken Coles photo of Bob Wente. in the #82

http://www.colesracingphotos.com/Cars/Midget-Cars-1950s-60s/10717160_arkcK#746507692_Qeb6i-X2-LB

How about Gary Byers in the Lockard #69

http://www.colesracingphotos.com/Cars/Midget-Cars-1950s-60s/10717160_arkcK#746507792_Hwpo4-X2-LB

Mel Kenyon!

http://www.colesracingphotos.com/Cars/Midget-Cars-1950s-60s/10717160_arkcK#746507805_Huw3D-X2-LB

Bob Harkey

http://www.colesracingphotos.com/Cars/Midget-Cars-1950s-60s/10717160_arkcK#746507651_zyWQp-X2-LB

 

How About Jud in a Midget?

http://www.colesracingphotos.com/Cars/Midget-Cars-1950s-60s/10717160_arkcK#746508793_FNvRC-X2-LB

Ken Coles new website is a Gold mine of his photos!

I think this is Jimmy Davies.

http://www.colesracingphotos.com/Cars/Midget-Cars-1950s-60s/10717160_arkcK#746508770_2GW57-X2-LB

Anyone know who this is?

http://www.colesracingphotos.com/Cars/Midget-Cars-1950s-60s/10717160_arkcK#746508750_owJXY-X2-LB

 

Sorry about the cage-one of my all time favorite Midgets!


Jimmy Maguire in the Mataka Bros #75 at the Houston Astrodome.

http://www.colesracingphotos.com/Cars/Midget-Cars-1950s-60s/10717160_arkcK#746505881_ZSeM3-X2-LB


Super Tex!

http://www.colesracingphotos.com/Cars/Midget-Cars-1950s-60s/10717160_arkcK#746505183_5g3Db-X2-LB

 

Mike Caruso at Micar Engineering in Las Vegas not only has a great collection of old midgets but is making parts for Offys. The Caruso cars were well known "back east"

 

Hi Buildy;
The Leader Card #5 looks like Herk. Is that possible? Great stuff!

 

Jud in the 52 was at The Hut 100 in 1965, I was lucky enough to pass him that day. My engine blew up and Jud finished in the top 5, I think.
I think the Leader Card car was driven by Jigger Sisoris?
The #83 car driven was the Mar Edward's car that A.J. sold at his auction for $85,000 when he sold his other things.
Jim Graybeal

 

Hello Jim,

Do you have pictures of you in the Midgets you could share?

 

WYNN`s #1,

I believe this one is Herk! Says AJ on the side,but it isn`t AJ.

http://www.colesracingphotos.com/Cars/Midget-Cars-1950s-60s/10717160_arkcK#746506965_Yeet5-X2-LB

That leader Card #5 was Hurtibise as well!

 

...

 

The car Davies is driving in the above picture. I believe this is the same car that sat in Howard Linne's garage for years. He would never sell it. I remember the unique nose. Was it called the Black Beauty ?

 

From 1965

 

Here is a color version I ran across of the pix I posted a week or so ago. The '59 Bloomsburg race. This color shot makes it easier to tell who's who.

The other shot is a start of a heat race, same day.

Spike Gillespie

 

Here is how the Jimmy Davies Offy looked when he brought it down to Aust.

 

And another angle.......

 

Caruso now a great website ,carusomidgetracing.com

 

This car made 2 trips to Australia, returning to the USA with Davies before Les Scott bought it back for his 1972 tour, now fitted with a cage, a Chevvy II and numberred 10.It still had the same nose and unique stance. Scott also returned the car back to the states along with a set of (Australian) McGee fuel injection for the Chevvy II.

 

winchester old timers weekend slated for aug 21-22, 2010

 

Nice Shot !

 

WOW!! .. Yes, a real nice shot Spike.

Lou Heller .. I haven't thought about him in a looong time. .. Interesting how comparitively young they all were too.

THANKS!!!

 

Great stuff Spike!!!

Life Magazine did a color photo shoot at Hatfield. Pretty sure it was in 1959.

 

Take a look at the Walker Enterprises price list from the 1940's for the Offy engine and the Kurtis chassis.

http://www.texasopenwheel.com//index.php?showtopic=499

 

Ken, Lou Heller Jr. was at Stan Lobitz movie party last november.....

 

That Darrell Villa car was sold to Carl Miller, less engine when Ed bought the cream color 83 that mr Post owns. carl put a v8-60 in it.

 

If only those three companies were in existence today....with those prices of course.

 

Any idea what year in the '40s that price list was put out?

THANKS!!!

 

I don't know the exact year since it is not marked or dated but the Walkers were in their prime years of midget racing in 47 to 49 and out of the midgets in 1950.
So I would think 47 or 48 would be a close bet.

 

On that list (assuming it was 1948) a STANDARD KURTIS-KRAFT (torsion bar) CHASSIS including ..
Frame, complete Body & Seat, Front Axle & Radius Rods, Bumpers, Fuel Tank & Saddle, Oil Tank (for an Offy set up), Radiator, Windshield (I think I got it all) had a cost of $1,117.20

That $1,117.20 in 1948 had about the same buying power as $10,037.13 in 2009.

MANY other assemblies were necessary to complete a midget race car.

 

That is an interesting cost comparison, I was thinking of doing this myself.

 

Hey, I need your help again. I believe we (Don Edmunds and I) are finally closing in on the lineage of my midget. Several false leads showed that we were doing a good job of finding out what car it was not, and where those cars are.

Don gathered the following:
King Kramer (Lansing, MI) bought the car from the Kenyons (Lebenon, IN)in the early-70's. Kenyons obtained the car from Badger Midget racer, Gary Schooley, Schooley got the car from Bob Lithcow (Steator, Ill.). Lithcow was a Howard Linne customer, and apparently purchased the car from Linne as a 'new' Edmunds in the mid to late 60's. Linne, in addition to racing midgets, was an Edmunds dealer at that time.

Any info out there on Schooley or Lithcow?

Any info would be helpful, images would be great.

As a refresher, the car is a single tube, half-cross torsion rear, spring front, Edmunds. May have had a SESCO or Chevy II when Schooley raced it.

Blacki-Suede
aka Carroll Hamlton