History Auto racing 1894-1942

cool.

 

Great article - thanks for posting . I never noticed the reinforcing wires on the wooden spoked wheels -very interesting innovation but wonder how effective they were. Hard to believe these things were drifted around corners at 70 mph in 1904.

 

Looks to be a friction drive with a large output wheel--but the text mentions a ''gearbox''??

Herb

 

I think you will find that's a flywheel, you can see the chain drive to the gearbox, all shafts are transverse, no bevel gears.

 

The 1904 Gordon Bennett Wolseley team, sent to the Ise of Man for the eliminating trials.
The car in the centre was the old 1903 flat four 72hp car revamped with a new radiator and body, driven by Sidney Girling, this car had also run in the tragic Paris Madrid event the year before.
The two other cars are the new 96hp horizontal four's 152mm x 165mm 12 litres, the same dimensions as the 1903 flat four (Lord Montagu), handled by Charles Jarrott and Campbell Muir.

 

The British team for the 1904 Gordon Bennett Cup, held on the Homburg circuit in Germany, Charles Jarrott, Sidney Girling (Wolseley), S. F. Edge (Napier).

 

It's hard to imagine driving these cars to us in today's motoring world, unmetalled roads, narrow canvas and rubber high pressure beaded edge tires, constant speed engines controlled by a governor, two wheel brakes (side lever), these were often also interconnected with the clutch which needed to be withdrawn in order to apply the brakes as the engine ran at speed.....
.....can anyone with experience of a car of this period comment, bearing in mind that all must have been updated with a later throttled carburettor?

 

fantastic pics jonto. thanks for posting. I think they were horizontally opposed four cylinder motors mounted transversely.

 

I believe the 1903 car was a flat four but the 1904 cars had in line four cylinder engines horizontally mounted. To quote again Lord Montagu, "crankshafts were not a Wolseley strong point at the time, a young apprentice was met with cold stares when asking why there was such a pile of broken ones round the back!"

 

Here is the 1903 flat four car in its first guise with wraparound tubular radiator. There does not appear to be any wire reinforcing spokes on the wheels, perhaps the wheels were found to be a weak point.

 

C.S. Rolls

 

1905 Circuit d'Auvergne - Charles Rolls Wolseley 96hp 8th

 

1903 Paris Madrid. On the start line Versailles, Sydney Girling Wolseley, Jarrott was the first away 3.45am !

 

Hi 23Tck,

Both post and avatar show a Henry Kohlert car - that can't be no accident, can it?

 

He is my Grandfather. I have plenty of pictures to share from Elgin Road Races from about 1910 to Indy 1938. I found that newspaper clipping showing Duke Nalon racing with the lower cowling removed.

 

Welcome to the HAMB!

 

I thought I would add this photo I think this might be the same Elgin Piston Pin car as 23Tck's avatar with #4 on it. You can kind of see where the 4 was painted over and the 23 was added

 

Yes, it is the same car - you can read an almost full history of it at http://www.oldracingcars.com/indy/miller/1923-2/ (see entry for ’2405-X/2419’), but please ignore the last sentence.

 

He went down to Indy with the Number 4 decals. I believe one of the front wheel drive cars was also number 4 so he had to scrape off the #4 and put the 23 on. Next year when he went down he didnt have the numbers on it. The pic from '28 shows that. In 1928 he was number 29. I have a race photo with that somewhere.

 

Heres Norm Batten's car after the fire in the 1927 race. The car is X2610- one of two Jr8's built from the miller 91.

 

No info on this Packard, sorry, possibly home made. Happy holidays to all!

 

Does anyone have a general assembly or frame drawing for a c1922-3 Miller 183 race car please?

 

Someone here on the HAMB has access to all the MILLER drawings. I have a period photo of a 183 that was owned and raced locally in the 1920's. Bob

 

That is fantastic even in unrestored condition!

Can the engine's history be traced back (and what are the plans for it?)?

 

Did you ask Josh Shaw?

 

Did that 1/2 a 122 come out of New Hampshire? If not there is another 1/2 up there some were. Bob