That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

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Rob
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That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by Rob » Mon Feb 17, 2020 5:44 pm

The other thread became long and deep in the weeds, so I’m putting this high resolution photo, courtesy of THF all rights apply, up. I sent off for it last week and they emailed it today.

With car numbers we know several specifics of the other racers. In the left front to the rear of the big Ford racer is motorcycle. Then the Ford, with numbers taken down (the large racer carried two numbers, competing in two classes. Forward of the Ford is number 12, a 213.6 cu in Abbott-Detroit. The driver is M. Basle. Basle will die in a racing accident a few days later in a circular track race at nearby Chicago. As it turns out, Frank Kulick, driving the 226 cubic inch Ford will win the race Basle died in (that Ford is farther down the line on the right, #49). Number 14 on the right is another Abbott-Detroit. This Abbott has a cowl/cover. Click on the photos for full resolution:

#16 is a 286 cu in Cole. Back to the right, #46 is a 672 cu in Simplex, the largest racer at the hill climb.

8C52582D-4938-4D7C-9A86-DC0F7CFC2769.jpeg

Below is the list including hill climb numbers, makes, bore/stroke and cubic inches and driver of the racers for anyone interested. Farther down the street is stock Ford #3, and it looks like a Model T driving away from the camera.

83EEF5C3-E845-463A-9C37-79CE900D61CA.jpeg

Another photo shows the front of the large racer, with Frank Kulick at the wheel and an unknown passenger. I’ve noticed a few additional things about the photo:

E5107CC1-E813-48BE-85F1-60947892A327.png

In the closeup below you can see a small lever just inside the left rail. The Ford Special had a unique of controlling high speed. Instead of having it “tied” to the hand brake, the racers had a separate lever that when thrown down, it goes over center putting the racer in high gear. The clutch pedal still control low and neutral, but high is engaged once the lever is flipped down. I suspect this way the hand/service brake could be used while driving without disengaging high. Maybe this also allowed a more aggressive clutch setting for high. With 1 1/2 to 1 diff ratio it seems it would have taken a lot of pressure to keep the high speed clutches from burning out with the higher cubic inch motor. Also, the lower part of the motor protrudes out the bottom of the frame. It’s quite noticeable how much lower and wider the crankcase/transmission case are compared with a standard T.

71B91D4C-1F00-41AB-B4F5-7A6E959FC555.jpeg


Wayne Sheldon
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Re: That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by Wayne Sheldon » Mon Feb 17, 2020 6:07 pm

A lot to see in that enlarged higher resolution picture! I will need to spend some time later climbing in and walking around for awhile.
I wonder what is going on with that #14 Abbott-Detroit? The cowl is interesting, and a bit unusual for such an early racing event. No sign of a seat, steering wheel or column. Exhaust blackening on the cowling indicates it was run for some while. Maybe making some changes between races?
Wonderful stuff! Thank you Rob, and THF.

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Re: That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by Rob » Mon Feb 17, 2020 6:16 pm

Thanks Wayne, my pleasure. Possibly the seat and steering wheel are just out of view? The Abbott across from it has no seat back and the steering column is short and swept pretty low.


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Re: That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by Howard Tomlinson » Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:23 pm

Rob,

Thanks for the explination of the high speed "lever". I noticed the lever in the pictures of the Special that used to be on display at THF and wondered how it was used (thought it may have dealt with the brakes). Your explination makes perfect sense.

I follow your posts with great interest.

Thank you,
Howard


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Re: That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by Wayne Sheldon » Mon Feb 17, 2020 10:23 pm

The cowl on number 14 is deep enough that the steering wheel and even a seat could be hidden by the cowl. However it also looks narrow enough that getting a steering wheel in close could be difficult. Also, having been involved with a number of early racing type cars, quite a few model T speedsters and racing cars, had and extensively driven a half dozen myself, ridden and/or driven several others including a fair number of non-Fords? I would think a steering wheel inside such a cowl would be very difficult to handle on any sort of open road, let alone a winding mountain hill climb! Hands need to fly from wheel to levers, back to wheel back to levers (truly a lot of fun!). Difficult enough with the steering wheel in the open a few inches behind the cowl's edge. As for the seat? It would have to be a very low back, common on racing cars before 1910, but by the time of these races, most racing cars had seats at least large enough in the back for the driver to press his arms forward somewhat. Zoomed in really close. there is something low behind the cowl (visible only near the right side of the chassis). It could be the back of a very low-back seat? However I wouldn't really like such a low seat if I were driving that beast on a mountain road. I can see other unknown bits, but they mostly appear to be with the next car over (#46). I can see its left rear wheel next to #14's right rear wheel as a relative position guide. Zoomed in, one can look inside the Abbott-Detroit's right rear frame rail! A lot of detail.
Wonderful stuff!

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Re: That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by Rob » Tue Feb 18, 2020 9:32 am

Howard, thank you. I greatly enjoy sorting out these Ford mysteries from the past.

Wayne, I went looking for pics of the “cowled” Abbott, and found this on the “Chicago Digital Collections” link (all rights apply).

Link:
https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ ... =Algonquin

Mortimer Roberts seated in the Abbott:

3D8DFCF0-FEA3-4C59-A46D-1B7AC4AD6C19.jpeg
3D8DFCF0-FEA3-4C59-A46D-1B7AC4AD6C19.jpeg (59.78 KiB) Viewed 4459 times

Photo of the Jones Case, #52, with sharks teeth:

0C8EEE9C-BBB0-46BF-A0D6-9E82F5E21035.jpeg

From “The Old Motor,” advertising following Algonquin with the Case shark’s teeth design:

779846A2-8117-4D54-9C6C-65E9E7680045.jpeg

Basle seated in his Abbott- Detroit, who will be lost in the upcoming Hawthorne (Chicago) races a few days later:

5B068204-F68A-49FF-82D0-066AA09077FE.jpeg
5B068204-F68A-49FF-82D0-066AA09077FE.jpeg (76.63 KiB) Viewed 4459 times

The three Ford Model Ts, running in the Class A, under $800 stock division:

94ACC805-F482-47E4-A555-53547473EA5F.jpeg
94ACC805-F482-47E4-A555-53547473EA5F.jpeg (72.6 KiB) Viewed 4459 times


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Re: That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by dmdeaton » Tue Feb 18, 2020 10:38 am

Can’t wait to get my speedster going


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Re: That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by Wayne Sheldon » Tue Feb 18, 2020 3:59 pm

Well, Rob, you do seem to be the best at finding these bits and pieces, details etc, researching these things! That cinches that much about the Abbott-Detroit! I think I better stop wondering and speculating, finding questions, so that you can get important work done on your cars instead of looking at a computer screen all day answering my silly questions.
Looking at some of these cars is fascinating. Seeing how crude much of the modification work was done then compared to how many of us "restore" such cars today. The Ford "specials" do look nicer than most of the other cars at this meet.
I was wondering what cars had the "teeth" on them, and had not yet sorted through the listings you had posted. Thank you for pointing them out. Also, thank you for finding the additional images of the races.

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Re: That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by Rob » Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:06 pm

Wayne, i appreciate your thoughts and information. I find this takes me back to my old “investigator” days, except now no ones going to jail once we learn the truth. Anyway, this “sleuthing” obviously suits me well. The cars with teeth were Case.

It is interesting how rudimentary some of the cars are, while others are well crafted. I am amazed that Henry Ford drops a bomb on his head designer, Joe Galamb in 1909, telling him, let’s build a light car using Model T appearing chassis that will beat the fastest racer in the world. And in less than two years, they did!

A comparison of some of the photos of the “Blitzen Benz” and the Ford that took it in the Detroit match race:

8B64B6C7-2802-45CB-A6C6-61A459593E13.jpeg
91701E65-16E3-4A1B-BE28-5038B8B9A0D8.jpeg

The Benz big 1300 cu in overhead valve motor:
7BC0D3A0-685E-46D7-9479-909ACB80F525.jpeg

Ford’s last, and largest “Special” 410 cu in motor:
2147DC4E-857B-43F8-B6C9-12E3347548B6.jpeg


Amazing!


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Re: That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by Drkbp » Tue Feb 18, 2020 10:51 pm

Rob,

Thanks for driving us cross eyed!! :D Great street photograph (and others of course)..!

Can any of y'all tell what number the other Case is behind the 52 car?
It seems to have a 9 on the fuel tank??

Jagersburger was driving the 37 car but I can't see it.
He drove a "tooth" Case in the Indy but sometimes drives in white.

Strang that drove the 28 car also dies in a wreck in July so the Case Team took a hit as well. Dangerous sport.

We really had a bad one yesterday, Ryan Newman in the 6 car at Daytona....
I pray he drives again

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Re: That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by Rob » Tue Feb 18, 2020 11:50 pm

Ken,
That seems to be a jumbled mass of humanity and machinery. There’s a car pointed toward the camera, and I think several cars in the mass. There’s no room for another number on the fuel tank, so my guess is ti’s the #9 Staver, sandwiched between the Cases, driven by Monckmeier. But just a guess. Wish we had a higher resolution pic.

60062C19-4A9A-4415-ADE3-3C2AACC7ECD4.jpeg


D73317A9-3B5A-49F9-B573-DD62AD86B971.jpeg

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Re: That was fast. High resolution photo of Fords and other racers, 1911 Hill Climb

Post by Rob » Wed Feb 19, 2020 1:02 am

Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company were in a similar situation as they had been in in 1906 when he re-entered racing after a brief absence. Henry Ford had been a leading speed merchant, creating some of the fastest cars in the world (including the fastest in the world for a moment with 999). Meanwhile, he had fulfilled a dream, making the most affordable, yet advanced car with the Model T in 1909. Then, with success assured, he approached his designers and told them “i want you to develop a racer to beat the unequivocally greatest racer ever seen on the planet.”

And they did.

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