Thanks Dave. The racer was missing by that time. Here’s another clip. We were holding the mid 40s on the corners and mid 60’s on the straightaways on the banked track. I realized why the Ford Special at The Henry Ford has tightly woven leather around the steering wheel. My hands became sweaty and it was tough to hold the wet slippery wheel pulling left constantly on the corners:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8ts7grbm28jlb ... M.mov?dl=0
Bud, I hope to write two books someday. One about the Ford Six (model K and racer), and one about Frank Kulick. Frank Kulick lived a charmed, yet simple life, and I believe should be celebrated for his skill, perseverance, and loyalty to Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company. And how, when he chose, under his terms, he walked away (as opposed to how history reports his exit, but that’s another story for another thread).
Colin, if you’re still following, an answer to your question. The Ford Specials were all four cylinder racers. They were built to compete in specific classes, with one built and sent to France for the 3 liter class. The reason some thought the four cylinder Ford Specials (at least one version) was a six cylinder due to a reporter seeing the racer below with the hood up. He commented that the racer was a 6 cylinder, because he could see 6 spark plug wires under the hood going to 6 plugs.
The reason? The motor was long enough that the 4th cylinder is “hidden” under the false tank behind the firewall. With a Bosch dual ignition, the reporter could only see the six wires going to six plugs, on three of the four cylinders. This is the 300 cubic inch racer we own:
Other Ford Specials:
Below, the 228 cubic inch racer, sent with the 300 c.i. to the Mardi Gras races in February 1911. Both racers cleaned up, winning most races in their respective classes during the three day meet:
Next, the 3 liter racer sent to France to race in the light car races, and Grand Prix. This racer was withheld from the small car race, because it was too light. It was allowed entry into the Grand Prix of 1911. Henri Depasse, Ford France manager, is at the wheel:
Photo courtesy of THF, all rights apply.
This French version ran second among all entries in the French racers in the 1 km preliminary races, clocking 69 mph. Unfortunately, while practicing over the course the Grand Prix was to run on, a tire blew and the racer crashed at an estimated speed of 75 - 80 mph. Depasse was injured, and his mechanician killed:
Photo courtesy of THF, all rights apply.
Unbelievably, this racer was rebuilt, and a month later, came in 2nd in the most famous hill climb in Europe, on Mont Ventoux. This race is very similar in distance and grade to Pikes Peak, and the little Ford ran second, defeating many of the most famous cars and drivers in Europe. The photo below shows the Ford racer on one of the hairpin turns near the top of the mountain. You can see exhaust streaming from the left side of the hood. This tells us the auxiliary exhaust ports are open on the left side of the motor. These ports were a unique feature of the racers, and designer Joe Galamb described the ports in his reminiscence:
Bud.