History Auto racing 1894-1942

The simple and parsimonious explanation:
A Canadian growing up in Shanghai or Hong Kong would naturally pick up a British accent from his schooling. Anyone who heard him speak would assume he was British.

 

Can anyone on the HAMB supply history and detail for the Ogren racers of the late teen period, please? I believe there were two of these which were based to a lesser or greater extent on a couple of the “walking beam” Duesenberg cars from the 1915-16 period.
<O</O
One of the drivers was a guy called Tom Alley who started out as a racing mechanic for drivers such as Ralph DePalma. He then took the wheel in his own right, leading to him driving the Ogren. After this he built his Pan American race car using one of the first (if not the first) Miller 4 cylinder SOHC engines. One of these was also used in Barney Oldfield’s famous “Golden Submarine”.

The Pan American finished in 5<SUP>th</SUP> place in the 1919 Indianapolis 500 and later was then modified to become the “Bender” Special. It is thought the “Bender” went on to be raced by a driver called Ben Gotoff who eventually wrecked it.
<O</O
I would be grateful for any information/photos about Tom Alley and the cars he raced.
<O</O
Thanks !

 

Here is some info on Tom Alley.

http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/AlleyTom.htm


1914 Indy- Alley rides with Ralph De Palma



1922 Indy-Tom Alley as driver.

 

The pics and the information are great - thanks!

I hope this thread leads to even more detail about Tom.

 

EXCELSIOR Albert 1er de Sénéchal-Careels aux 24 heures de SPA en 1927





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IMPERIA sans soupapes au grand prix de Belgique, à SPA EN 1925 avec Darcy, pilote gagnant de la catégorie 1100







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PIPE 18/28HP, pilotée par Deplus au critérium de SPA en 1909

 

METALLURGIQUE 2litres à carrosserie modifiée, utilisée en compétition par un amateur Allemand en 1929






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These are Sizaire-Naudin race cars. They entered a car in the 1908 Great Race, but it dropped out early

 

Steve, I don't have too much on Alley but waiting to see what pops up. I am curious as to whom do you believe built the body for the Pan American? Some believe based on the press reports of the day that he was Miller's first customer but I believe he was second (for the motor at least). Also I am not so sure that Hugo Ogren used too many Duesenberg engines after 1916, although Haibe was in one of the Dues engined cars in July of 1917. I believe he was the first customer for the Miller 4 and I believe he also had a second Miller at the Chicago derby in June of 1917.

By the way the debut for both the Sub and the Pan American was that race, was it not?-Jim

 

tks 37kid

 

How much information is available regarding Duesenberg's two cycle race engines?

These were built to beat Miller. The Duesenberg's two cycle Indy effort in 1926 was unsuccessful and resulted in a DNF with only 126 miles covered. The cars were apparently small displacement and quite fast.

Vintageride

 

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your reply to my post. It is interesting if the Pan American and Golden Sub made an appearance at the same time. It makes you wonder which of their two Miller engines came first?

I'm not sure who made the body for the P-A. It would be very interesting to know how the Tom Alley / Pan American "alliance" came about in the first place and I hope this thread helps to turn up some more detail!

 

Keith,

Car 54 what (where) are you ? Any idea what that is ? Looks like a Bugatti Type 55 next door.

Paul

 

Steve although we are using some powers of observation that may not be backed up with solid proof, I suppose it is still interesting.

If I had to guess I would say Ogren's engine was first, although it was not the same as Alley's or Oldfield's. Then what I have read is that Miller was working on the new motor for Alley and then next was for Oldfield's Delage. I have read there were some problems with the aluminum castings for the lower end, still plaguing them in November of 1916 (some 2 months after Ogren ran his Miller engined car at Sheepshead). Both the LA Times and Motor World had articles relating that Alley was in town (around August 1, 1916) to start construction on a new speed creation to be called the Tom Alley Special-being built in the shops of Harry A Miller. The LA Times said they had been working on the motor in secret for the last 7 months... not even Miller's friends knew about it (or so they alleged).

"Alley recently passed up a ride in the Ogren (probably a Dues) to build his own car."

Also the Detroit News had an article in December of 1915 that he quit the Duesenberg team to drive the Ogren (and he was building 2 new cars in Chicago). My guess would be this Ogren would have had the Dues powerplant. As to the 2 cars in Chicago that may have been his plan but if he was working on a new motor at Miller's shop since January of 1916 then maybe right after this December article he went west to the best speed shop emporium. Bunch of dart throwing going on here.

Of course the whole deal with the car being called the Pan American was $ and Pan American was coming out with a new type of car in 1917 at their new plant in Chicago. The only thing Pan American on Alley's car was the lettering.

I have two separate articles that state that Alley and Oldfield were both finishing up with their creations on the eve of the Chicago Derby, 1917 that I referred to above. Much of the talk in 1916 with finishing up these new Miller aluminum creations was wishful thinking more than likely.

I will try and see what else I can dig up in my files.-Jim

 

Maserati V4.

Keith, all those Shelsley pics are great. Thanks for posting.

Cris

 

There is more on Sizaire et Naudin plus the Sizaire brothers in Automobile Quarterly Second Quarter 1980, Volume XVIII, Number 2. I just picked this issue up a few weeks ago.

Vintageride

 

You're right; on second look, it seems to be a 26M.

 

More Shelsley................

 

Hans Stuck................




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Nice shot of Doreen Evans in the Bellevue Garage MG. Interesting to see Wilkie Wilkinson watching intently as the car moves away.