Life is short, as many of us do not realize until Father Time waves the big clock in our faces to remind us that time is running out. To stave off an eternity spent away from our toys and pastimes – some hobbyists have returned to the roots of motordom and built or bought a classic speedster that harkens back. Herein are a couple of stories of contemporary people and their cars.
Penny
Larry Schuknecht lives in Clarence Center, NY. Among other interests, Larry is a founding member of the German Gun Collectors Association and is a Jägar hunting gun expert. German hunting guns are known for their styling, beauty, and utility; you can find more information on these masterpieces as well as purchase a book on the subject (edited by Schuknecht) at www.germanhuntingguns.com.
Larry is also owns Dutchman Wood Works, and evidence of his craftsmanship can be seen in Larry’s 1914 Ford Model T Speedster named “Penny.” The copper brightwork is a big feature, but there’s more to see from viewing all quarters as well as under the hood.
Penny wears No. 32 as did Frank Kulick’s track car from 1910-12. Photos courtesy Larry Schuknecht
The earliest T speedsters started appearing soon after used Ford T models became available as donor chassis. Thus, we see evidence of them showing up just a couple of years after Ts had been introduced in 1908. The first examples were carbon copies of what could be found on the local race track or at an endurance run on local roads.
In fact, Penny’s design was inspired by Frank Kulick’s 1910 track speedster!
Frank Kulick in 1910 with his Ford track racer. Note the woman standing in the grandstand; doesn’t that remind you of Glenn Close in the movie The Natural?
Here’s another one of Kulick at some road race…
…one of the several photos of Kulick racing as seen in period automotive journals
Frank Kulick had worked for Henry Ford as a test driver and mechanic at the Ford factory. Drivers such as these cut their teeth by racing these cutdown examples, and all of America’s car-oriented youth soon figured out that several bolts were all that held the T body to its chassis.
And voila! Cutdown street speedster, here we come!
I don’t think that the passenger is the young man’s date… maybe his mom?
The T was an easily transformable platform because of its simplicity, uniformity of manufacture, and that the basic design of the Model T did not change throughout its 18+ years in Ford showrooms. So it didn’t matter when the hobbyist picked up his or her T chassis and started a T speedster build.
As seen in this 1916 Ford ad for a rolling chassis, there wasn’t much else needed to get started on that speedster project!
Larry bought a complete chassis in 2006 and began a build that would emulate the T racer that Kulick piloted in the 1911 Elgin National road races.
Penny’s copper as seen on the seat back and the engine cowl.
Schuknecht applied his wood crafting skills to fabricate the chassis out of oak, and leftover copper sheets supplied the copper that adorns the seat backs as well as the engine cowl to give it a handsome and period-correct look. Added to the completed body was an acetylene spotlight to finish off the brass era look.
Acetylene-powered spotlight
Using Murray Fahnestock’s period writings on T speedsters, Larry had the engine bored 0.20” over and installed oversized aluminum pistons to fit. The period-correct Holley Model G carburetor and a hand pump used to pressurize the gas tank kept the engine fed, and a straight pipe routed the exhaust out the back. Larry also fabricated and fit a water injection system to the engine.
Thirty-two inch “T Driver” tires replaced the stock 30-inch units to give Penny additional top end, and with all components installed, she was good for 50 miles per hour, a fairly good clip for a Model T! The project was completed in 2009.
Highway-style tires for modern roads
In 2016 Larry Schuknecht sold Penny, only to later miss the car so much that he bought a die-cast Franklin Mint model, stripped it down, and then built a cutdown replica of Penny!.
Penny Model T model
Penny didn’t fare as well under the new owner. After the new fella hopped the engine a bit and then proceeded to blow it up, he stripped off what he could use for another build and then sold the forlorn remains back to Larry. Sheesh!
Some stories have a happy ending: Larry has since rebuilt Penny and is driving her again. Penny is now enjoying warm summer evening rides in upstate New York with Larry and his wife, who take Penny to local cruise nights and shows. They watch the joy that Penny brings to children who are invited to climb up, sit in the driver’s seat, and imagine…
Penny back home
Caddy
Cadillac was an unintended consequence, a company born in 1903 from the ashes of Henry Ford’s second firm, the Henry Ford Company. After Henry Leland took over as chief engineer from the ousted Henry Ford, the company was renamed to be Cadillac, and the rest has been – well – history!
Since its inception, Cadillac has been known for quality, precision in manufacturing, and cars built for real-world driving. In the case of the early 20th century, road use required being rugged. Cadillacs were all of that.
1903 Cadillac Model A period photo
Innovation was also in Cadillac’s DNA, a company that produced an electric starter in 1912, electric lighting, and the first mass-produced V-8 in 1915. Displacing 314.5 cubic inches, this early V-8 consisted of two cast iron four cylinder blocks mated to an aluminum alloy crankcase. It produced 70 hp, but also put out a healthy 175 pounds of torque.
Rugged and reliable were two factors that allowed Cadillac to win war contracts for armed as well as transport vehicles, and Cadillac was involved in both world wars. Although Cadillacs were fitted with guns as early as 1904, it was General Pershing who promoted the Cadillac as a fine piece of transportation for the Army in the nineteen-teens. Pershing had used them as command transport while leader of the forces pursuing Pancho Villa from Texas to Mexico in 1916.
As General of the American Expeditionary Forces in 1918, Pershing recommended requisitioning Cadillacs when American troops journeyed “over there.” to France and the first World War. The 1918 Type 57 Cadillac thus became a favored staff car for the AEF and acquitted itself well during that conflict.
1918 Cadillac Series 57 staff car photo courtesy Historic Vehicle Association
Philip Lukens purchased his 1918 Cadillac Speedster after it had been stored in a Pennsylvania barn, a speedster that had become a little shopworn around the edges. He had spotted it for sale on a YouTube video, which can be seen at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXJzKCc79c8
Lukens knew that he had to have it. Although Cadillac produced seventeen models using two chassis (125” and 132”), no speedster per se was offered as a factory model. Therefore, this Caddy emulates the cutdown style of the period that was popular and relatively easy to build. As seen in period journals of the nineteen-teens, modifying a stock-bodied car to accept a cutdown speedster configuration was common practice; Philip’s speedster may be a recent re-body, but it fits right in with that speedster theme.
1918 Cadillac Speedster
This Caddy speedster is fitted with a 1940 346 cubic inch engine, a flathead V-8 known for its power and famously used during WWII as motivation for tanks and other military equipment. Philip reports that it delivers 150 hp and loads of torque for quick acceleration.
1943 Cadillac WWII war effort ad
The speedster has been built on a 128” wheelbase Studebaker frame of the era, runs on 6 volts, and uses a 12-volt system as well to activate the starter. Lighting is provided by brass kerosene side units and a Rushmore spotlight that is currently not yet hooked up to an acetylene source. An easy project waiting to be completed…
1940 Cadillac 346 engine out…
Cadillac engine going in…
Engine in and ready to go!
Shortly after its purchase, Philip replaced the 346 with a newer replacement block and assembled it himself. A Cadillac three speed transmission engages the power. A straight exhaust exits at the back and produces a muffled staccato.
Cadillac artillery-style wheel
Lukens outfitted the artillery wooden-spoke wheels with 6.00 X 20” tires, which allows it to navigate both paved and dirt roads with aplomb. The caddy cruises at less than 2000 rpm and is good for close to 100 mph. Only for the brave, that is! Tally Ho!
Ready to go for a spin! 1918 Cadillac Speedster photos courtesy J. Philip Lukens
Many thanks to these readers who supplied photos and stories of their speedsters. If you have built a speedster that you’d like to share, let us know about it! We’ll come back to this theme at a later date.
Next episode, we’ll take a look at two modern speedsters that hail from Great Britain.