A Walk in the Park
There is no best place to find what you’re looking for at Hershey, as there is stuff everywhere you look. Buying a guidebook is helpful but not the final word, as parts sellers shift and restock their inventory during the week. Cars and/or parts pop up, get sold, and then show up elsewhere, for sale again.
First up: I spotted a maroon speedster that had employed a 1913 Model T Torpedo as the donor car. Like many speedsters these days, it had some updated features to make it a safer and swifter ride. Putting disc brakes on the rear would certainly help to stop it, but with no seat belts? Hmmm…
1913 Torpedo-bodied T speedster. Very sharp, and for sale at a good price!
Next I spotted a bright yellow speedster in the Model T Ford Club area. It belongs to Jerry Kramer, MTFCA’s current president. It had some secret tweaks to the engine and gearset that allowed Jerry to be clocked by a highway patrolman at 92 mph! (BTW, this had not been planned!)
Kramer reported that he was subsequently able to talk his way out of jail by offering a ride to the willing police person, who said he had enough of an experience in such a car after Kramer reached 65 mph. Thankfully, a ticket never ensued.
Sharp in chrome yellow!
And—imagine traveling at 92 mph with no real steering box—the way Ol’ Henry made the Model T, as they say. Fancy that!
A third example of inspired speedsterism shows what some folks did in the heyday of the Model T speedster movement. They raced ‘em!
Two sides of a Frontenac track speedster fitted with street lighting and a street Fronty head.
Based on their racing experiences and entrepreneurial acumen, Louis and Arthur Chevrolet formed Frontenac Corp and made various engine heads for the Model T and Chevrolet 490.
Chevrolet brothers magazine ad
Depending on one’s desired level of tune, a fast street setup could be had, or a full-blown track monster with overhead valves and a hopped-up engine.
Fronty DOHC racing head. This no doubt made the T or Chevy 490 a scorcher of an engine!
And if one wanted a readymade street speedster or a turnkey track scorcher, those could also be found in the Frontenac catalog.
Chevrolet brothers street speedster at the bottom. The race version had its own catalog…
The Roadway, the Dealer Tents, the Auction
A roadway of cars for sale stood in line—must have been at least a mile of cars— encircling half of the Giant Center parking lot, which itself was overgrown with parts booths, club areas, and dealer tents. Although there was only one Porsche 356 Speedster in that line of cars, the other speedsters were all in dealer tents nearby. More on that in my next post.
In addition to dealer sales, the auction on Thursday evening had some gems to write about, which I’ll also cover in my next post. There were at least a dozen speedsters spotted by yours truly at Hershey, not to mention a few more (rumored) that escaped these speedster eyes…
And Did I Mention?
The holidays are coming soon, and with the Panama Canal backed up by at least four months, some of those toys may not get to Santa’s sleigh in time. However, it’s not too late to place an order for a copy of my book, Classic Speedsters, which you can obtain for your dearly beloved at www.ClassicSpeedsters.com. Don’t delay—order today!
And until the next time,
Enjoy your speedster!
T speedster tank in the sun.