Auto Racing Northwest
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Large and dangerous this 1909 Lorraine-Dietrich race car with a massive 16.4L 4 cylinder engine producing 200hp harkens back to another time in auto racing. It took a special skill of the driver to drive and handle this beast, and even more so to drive it and win races with it...and it did win races! And, it did so in the company of the many other Edwardian era race cars from that period, all big, all powerful, and all extremely dangerous!
The Edwardian era of auto racing, generally spanning from roughly 1905 to 1914 (or up to the outbreak of WWI), was a period of rapid technological advancement, massive engine capacities, and intense international competition. This "Brass Era" in the US and Edwardian era in the UK was defined by an "automotive arms race" where manufacturers focused on luxury, high speed, and endurance to prove their engineering superiority.
Key Characteristics and Technology
Massive Engines: Cars of this era often featured gargantuan, large-displacement engines, sometimes exceeding 10 liters, to achieve high speeds.
"Aero Specials": Many Edwardian specials were constructed by fitting aircraft engines onto period chassis, creating immensely powerful, albeit sometimes unstable, racing machines.
"Fire-Spitters": Known for their raw, often terrifying power, these vehicles featured very basic suspension, relying on the driver's skill to control them on thin, "skinny" tires.
Evolution in Design: The era saw a transition from wood-framed, chain-driven cars to more refined engineering, though they remained challenging to handle.
Types of Racing: Competitions included grueling city-to-city races, hill climbs (like Prescott), and early track racing
Legacy
Today, these cars are celebrated in vintage racing events like the S.F. Edge Trophy at the Goodwood Members' Meeting. These events showcase the "heroic" era, where drivers wrestle 100-year-old machines, including the famous "Beast of Turin," around tracks.
Worth a watch here: cars.bonhams.com/auction/28011/lot/26/1909-lorraine-dietr...
What is an Offenhauser, or most often referred to as an "Offy?" To those not familiar with auto racing, or more specifically, auto racing history, Offenhauser may just be the name of an excellent German restaurant on the lower East Side, NY where you could get the best Sauerbraten under the New York City sky! But, in reality, Offenhauser was/is one of the best, and most successful auto race engines ever built. It was a joint effort started by Harry Miller in the 1920's, and Fred Offenhauser, who later joined the company and further improved the engine. Very powerful, small displacement, monobloc high compression 4 cylinder motors, putting out an enormous amount of hp for their sizes, and that hp approached, or even exceeded 1000 hp on some of their builds, an incredible number! Now the term "Monobloc" construction, very uncommon, where the block had no detachable head, and therefore no head gasket which is one of the weakest points on high compression powerful engines! This allowed the high compression numbers of 15:1+ that the engines made. Maybe now the title will make sense, "Headless Warrior."
Vince
Here, a little more history on the Offenhauser story from wiki:
The Offenhauser Racing Engine, or Offy, is a racing engine design that dominated American open wheel racing for more than 50 years and is still popular among vintage sprint and midget car racers.
The Offenhauser engine, familiarly known as the "Offy", was an overhead cam monoblock 4-stroke internal combustion engine developed by Fred Offenhauser and Harry Arminius Miller. Originally, it was sold as a marine engine. In 1930 a four-cylinder 151 cu in (2.47 L) Miller engine installed in a race car set a new international land speed record of 144.895 mph (233.186 km/h). Miller developed this engine into a twin overhead cam, four-cylinder, four-valve-per-cylinder 220 cu in (3.6 L) racing engine. Variations of this design were used in midgets and sprints into the 1960s, with a choice of carburetion or Hilborn fuel injection. When both Miller and the company to whom he had sold much of the equipment and rights went bankrupt in 1933, Offenhauser opened a shop a block away and bought rights to engines, special tooling and drawings at the bankruptcy auction, and he and other former Miller employees took over production. They and former Miller employee, draftsman Leo Goossen, further developed the Miller engines into the Offenhauser engines.
One of the keys to the Offenhauser engine's success and popularity was its power. A 251.92 cubic inch (4,128.29 cm³) DOHC naturally-aspirated four-cylinder racing Offy with a 15:1 compression ratio and a 4.28125-by-4.375-inch (108.744 mm × 111.125 mm) bore and stroke could produce 420 hp (310 kW) at 6,600 rpm (1.77 hp per cubic inch, 81 kW/L) making it remarkably power-dense. Other variants of the engine produced even higher outputs of 3 hp per cubic inch (137 kW/L), unparalleled for their size and capacity in power-to cubic-inch/cylinder-count ratio. Another reason for the engine's success was its reliability. Its monobloc construction made it immune to head gasket or cylinder stud problems, and allowed for higher cylinder pressures.
From 1934 through the 1970s, the Offenhauser engine dominated American open-wheel racing, winning the Indianapolis 500 27 times. From 1950 through 1960, Offenhauser-powered cars won the Indianapolis 500 and achieved all three podium positions, winning the pole position in 10 of the 11 years.
1991 Volkswagen LT 28 van in the livery of D & S Autos Racing, Northampton.
Last MoT test expired in July 2009 (SORN).
Since 1979 Hergesheimer Motorsports has been providing the absolute highest quality, dependable service to Porsche owners who expect the very best from there cars. We are the most comprehensive Porsche service and race shop in Southern California, providing everything from routine scheduled maintenance to highly specilised chassis development and track support.
For more information, photos and discussion on this build, visit the Guess who just got a Boxter? thread on Renntrack.com.
To find out more about Hergesheimer MotorSports' comprehensive Porsche services, please visit www.hergesheimer.com. or call (949) 458-7223.
Additionally, for the latest HRG news and trivia, follow us on our HRGruppe facebook page.
Photo courtesy of Alexander Bermudez
Louis Deletraz pilots the No.40 Acura GTP as it climbs the hill out of turn 7 during the closing laps of the 2024 Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen.
The Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3.R in a striking green was one of my favorite subjects. Using the flaggers station and another photographer as a screen, for me, is creative fun that never fails to give me that cheap thrill of speed.
Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART)
2001 Lehigh Valley Grand Prix Presented by Toyota
Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth, Pennsylvania, USA
May 6, 2001
Tony Kanaan in his early years drove for a number of different teams before he landed with Andretti in the Indycar series.
Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART)
2001 Lehigh Valley Grand Prix Presented by Toyota
Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth, Pennsylvania, USA
May 6, 2001
As I've said before, Anita and I just never know what we are going to find on our adventures! Here we are at Summit Point Motorsports Park. A place we came upon quite by accident and next to it was a Gov't training ground. Not completely sure what they trained for but the guard at the gate was wearing some pretty compelling hardware so we turned and crept quietly away! But the guard at the racetrack right next door had no such hardware, didn't charge us anything to get in, but we had to sign a paper and get wrist bands! There was more than one track and one of the other ones was running go-carts! We stayed quite awhile watching and snapping photos. We were at the straightaway here and cars can reach speeds of up to 150 MPH (241.401 KPH) ! What an adventure!
3 Gold teeth and all, as captured through the fencing. Luv this location and had fun with the fences.
Since 1979 Hergesheimer Motorsports has been providing the absolute highest quality, dependable service to Porsche owners who expect the very best from there cars. We are the most comprehensive Porsche service and race shop in Southern California, providing everything from routine scheduled maintenance to highly specilised chassis development and track support.
For more information, photos and discussion on this build, visit the Guess who just got a Boxter? thread on Renntrack.com.
To find out more about Hergesheimer MotorSports' comprehensive Porsche services, please visit www.hergesheimer.com. or call (949) 458-7223.
Additionally, for the latest HRG news and trivia, follow us on our HRGruppe facebook page.
Photo courtesy of Alexander Bermudez
Wet Sunday warmup session
Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART)
1997 Texaco/Havoline200
Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
August 17, 1997
www.speedcenter.com/archive/races97/14elkhart/index.html
World Copyright: Peter Burke