I did. And they aren't even vintage Holly carbs... We're talking off the shelf Summit two barrels with center hung float bowls. Yuk. But the rest makes up for it! Sam
I'm not buying the story completely...... Did the boat actually ever run with the Millers in it? Sounds to me that Packard got them removed before they ever got the chance to prove themselves. Yeah, that's the boat... Yeah, those are the engines (sort of) - but did they ever REALLY run together? Where have those engines been all this time? The story is a bit hazy to me. I'm guessing 80 percent true 20 percent embellishment.
Neat story..........if you want to get sucked into some 'research time'........search "Flat bottom drag boat".
Gar Wood & the Detroit powerboat racing scene is why the Resturaunt on the Riverfront across from Belle Isle on the mainland is named the Roostertail. In its heyday it was quite the "well to do" hangout.
Thank You Ryan, that is as "Traditional Hot Rod Boat" as you can get! Having been very involved in the fast boat world for years, I have amazing respect for anyone who has the balls to run hard on the water, it is not for the timid!
Awesome, quite a story. I would like to know the rest, and if the origial induction system was removed just to make it runnable.
Seeing those vertical stacks reminded me of Tommy Ivo's 4-Buick engined dragster in the early 60s. And he called it "Showboat", which makes me wonder if this is where he got the name. Regardless, this boat is eye candy.
According to Miller Historian Mark L. Dees in his book "The Miller Dynasty" it is possible that Wood claimed the Detroit race was won with Packard power because he did not want to alienate Packard, he was considered a "Packard" man. Dees believed that the Millers were in the boat when he won. It was a strange race in which Wood believed his English competitor acted with poor sportsmanship when Wood needed time to fix a fuel leak. It led to a very interesting race involving more than a little strategy on Woods part. There is a picture of the boat being lowered into the Harlem river off a railway barge for a record attempt. The engines are clearly Millers not Packards.
Miller would be OK w/the Holleys, wished he woulda had them in the day. Restorer probably didn't want to burn pistons and deal with that shit. I read up on the job of getting them engines back in service, it wasn't an easy or cheap task. Old fuel mixers can be real tough to bring back and not worth the cost of ultra rare engine component damage. Some times you trad guys show your skull thickness, it can be a lot.
A half million or so at the event and no one can produce a picture of the boat there? " Dees BELIEVED that the Millers were in the boat when he won." Yet Wood claimed they were Packards? Someone would know.... It was a big deal in its day. Packard fans would love to believe the race was won by Packard power. Miller fans would love to believe the opposite. Most of us (myself included) would like to think it was those awesome millers. The boat owner though would be the one I'd have to believe. As far as restoring the millers, a boat like that isn't a driver - Maybe once in a blue moon... Its a historical showpiece!.. The original induction should be there. Its not a "trad" thing... Its a historical one. I'd like to know who had those engines all those years. Anyone have info on that?
This was taken from woodyboater.com: 1113 cubic inch Set up now @ 8:1 comp. runs on pump 93 octane gas 960 hp @ 4500 rpm on dyno. Designed to run at 6000 rpm, why take that chance? Each engine originally fitted with two roots type superchargers (1800hp in that configuration) One crankshaft, reconfigured with modern bearing inserts, no longer uses babitt bearings One new block chosen from over 40 new castings to get a good one! Zakira’s Garage has complete set of drawings and bluebrints All rods replaced with newer metals which are stronger than originals, originals were kept. Complete picture history of rebuilds 64″ long One engine ran at Hershey many years ago as an exhibition. Inertia starter which a small electric motor spools up a flywheel. Around 6500 rpm, then spins the engine 3-5 seconds when released! Sorta sounds like they "reproduced" two engines to sell this boat
Chaz, according to Dees he could not find any photograph evidence of the boat post race showing the motors. I think perhaps that is why he felt the Millers were actually in the boat. PR in those days was as neatly choreographed as it is today. If Wood did not want to upset Packard he would have gone to lengths to protect that relationship. Who knows now, there are all long gone included Dees and his fellow Miller Historian Griffith Borgeson.
The video is an awesome sales pitch for the auction, but there's some historical hazieness there as well. You gotta remember, they're trying to get the best possible price at auction. Nonetheless its a helluva boat! I'd make room for it in my shop!
Theres a fine line between : "Only two were ever made by Miller"...and "These are the only two in existence" Sounds like lawyer jib jab
I believe I am have to side with Chaz rather then some of the other claims. Dees and his research was pretty decent but certainly not bullet-proof. The early Miller racecar history is still in a fog let alone some folklore with boats. Claims that the Packard powered engines were basically just ho-hum waiting for Miler to come along is simply laughable. The claims of these "historians" was little more than sales hype. Did the historians mention anything that the Miller powered Miss Los Angeles got it's backside handed to em by the Packard powered Miss America VIII in the 1929 Harmsworth. By the way the 1929 Miller engines were basically re-worked Liberty engines in a 24 configuration. To those that are not up on Liberty engines they were pretty much Packard based engines. Packard powered Garfield Wood boats dominated the International Harmsworth competition. You could not buy an ice cream cone with the winnings of the Millers in the same competition. Gar won in 1920 with Miss America I, 1921 with II, !926 with V, 1928 with VII, 1929 with VIII, 1930 with IX, 1931 with VIII, 1932 with X, and 1933 with X. Although I would have to do a little digging to see what the pre Miss America VII boats ran for power the Miss America VII, VIII, IX and X all ran IM2500 Packard 12s. There are numerous pictures of them running on the water with the fat stacks and I have seen no pictures of the Miller on the water in any Gar Wood powered boat. The story I have read on the Miller in Miss America VIII in 1931 is that Miller was late shipping the engines. Miss America IX was already to go with the IM2500 Packards. The IM2500 Packards were removed from Miss America VIII and were going to be placed in Miss America V so that Gar would have three boats. Since Miller was late (which anyone that researches Miller would be hard to question), Gar pulled the IM2500s back out of Miss America V and they were placed back in Miss America VIII and Miss America V was withdrawn. Gar's brother George was to pilot Miss America VIII in the Harmsworth and did so. As to any provable pictures there is certainly nothing with anything on the Detroit river with the Millers but there are pictures with the pretty distinctive stacks of the IM2500s. Gar had a few bucks and I am sure he wanted to go play with some Millers and they very likely, like all things Miller were exquisite and very fast, but to try and make the absolute silly claims that Gar was looking to offload the Packard winning combination is so incredibly silly it shows the lengths someone will go to re-write history. Packard won repeatedly on the water at that time, Miller did not. Gar had thoughts of retiring on a couple of occasions since no one could really give him a run for the money including the Brits. Although I am not the foremost expert on these matters I have followed them with some interest for years. My grandfather and Harold Mistele were very close friends and I spoke to Harold Mistele about these boats years ago. During the 60s, Harold owned Miss America IX and Miss America X and actually went to court to gain ownership of Miss America VIII I am quite sure and lost. I have seen some pics of Miss America IX with big block Chevy engines in them, which may make some people cringe. This boat I believe is still owned by someone in the Mistele family. I believe Howard Mistele (I believe a son, maybe a nephew I am not sure) now owns Miss America X which has 4 Packard 12 Marine engines in them. I believe the four engines put out 8000 hp and this boat was the 1932 Harmsworth winner. This boat was on display a couple of years ago at the Packard proving grounds and anyone could walk around it on a raised platform. Here are some pictures I took, maybe not framable but you get the point. Gar may have been small in stature but he was size large where it counted.-Jim
So what you are saying is that the Holleys were used to cut a corner... I think most of us thick skulled trad guys already figured that one out for ourselves.
The Jalopy Journal
