MTFCA Forum

Rob Heyen, I'm looking at you, bud.

I'm looking for information on the 1904 race car known as "Baby". It appears to be a twin Model A/AC/C engined car, rated at 20 HP.

I've found a few pictures, but nothing wrote up yet.

Anyone have info?

Thanks in advance!

jk

Jason, have to run to take a kid to the doctor (when they are in their twenties, are they still a “kid?”). I’ll get on this. It’s a 20 hp rated racer somewhat “cobbled” together late in the 1903 racing year. It made headlines, and held light and middleweight records for 1 to 5 miles for years after it raced. FMC received widespread headlines across the country with the racer, and it even went to the west coast (Ford’s only venture with a racer west of Chicago that I’m aware of) to take on Barney Oldfield with his Peerless (or whatever flavor of the month he was racing with by 1904).

The racer is made up of two 2 cylinder racers sharing one flywheel. While it’s rated 20 hp, and said to be two Model A 10 hp motors, the specs indicate it’s actually a longer bore/stoke motor(s) than the standard Model A.

Of course, more to follow...............

Thank you, Rob! I knew if anyone would know it would be you!

Good luck at the doc. My oldest is 19, and he's still 'a kid' in my eyes, though he may feel differently. LOL

I see the driver is wearing a tie. What could possible go wrong? Shades of Isadora Duncan.

Wayne, never mind the tie, look at Frank Kulick’s right pants leg, just over the open chain:

This article appeared in “Scientific American” in November 1904. Kulick driving the Ford skeleton racer and Barney Oldfield with the Peerless Green Dragon:
This was the intermediate racer Ford used. Ford’s 999 and Arrow were still racing with different owners (initially Ford and Tom Cooper controlled the racers, with Cooper funding them and Ford building. Then Cooper and Oldfield barnstormed with the two racers around the country until Oldfield was lured away by Winton (and in 1904 to Peerless). Henry Ford was in the process of building the six cylinder racer, beginning it in late 1903 or early 1904. The reason he set the one mile world record on ice in early 1904 was because the racer (Arrow) had been severely damaged when Frank Day (substituting for Tom Cooper) was killed racing in Wisconsin. Cooper shipped the wrecked racer to Ford, who improved and rebuilt it. He then took it on the ice and set the the one mile world record, without Cooper’s consent. Some information suggests Cooper considered legal action against Ford, but decided the publicity associated with Ford’s world record was a good thing and left well enough alone.

Below, the rebuilt Arrow, now with steering wheel and wind guard, in Detroit about the time of Ford’s world record:
I believe Arrow had the Y shaped manifold on the left side of the motor, and 999 a vertical and horizontal shaped manifold. I reserve the right to be wrong.........

Awesome info! Thank you, Rob!

Do you know if it still exists?

Unfortunately, the last anyone mentions this racer is late 1904. Frank Kulick told a newspaper both the new six cylinder and his 20 hp racer would be at the Ormond (Daytona) beach racers in early 1905. However, only the six cylinder arrives and the small racer isn’t heard of again.

Of Fords early racers, only the 20 hp no longer exists. There were three versions of the six cylinder racer, and the last still exists, off display at THF. I’ll try to find the specs I have of the lightweight racer. Not only did it hold light and middle weight world records, it was pushing Oldfield and the worlds and US mile speed records.

Rob wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:21 pm

Unfortunately, the last anyone mentions this racer is late 1904. Frank Kulick told a newspaper both the new six cylinder and his 20 hp racer would be at the Ormond (Daytona) beach racers in early 1905. However, only the six cylinder arrives and the small racer isn’t heard of again.

Of Fords early racers, only the 20 hp no longer exists. There were three versions of the six cylinder racer, and the last still exists, off display at THF. I’ll try to find the specs I have of the lightweight racer. Not only did it hold light and middle weight world records, it was pushing Oldfield and the worlds and US mile speed records.

Is this the six cylinder racer you are referring to
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/41 ... 1395434131

Frank,
No, that’s the last racer Henry Ford built. It has a 410
Cu in motor, and beat the fastest car in the world in 1911, the Blitzen Benz. Currently, it’s off display at THF.

Articles on Model T Times:
Part 1:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/o82q61ihwp7z6 ... 1.PDF?dl=0

Part 2:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/psrkq4h8v96bx ... 2.PDF?dl=0

Thanks Rob, i was experiencing some withdrawal symptoms recently but just in time you provided some new racer info
Vroom vroom