Identify this Studebaker Indy racer!

[garyash]

Someone just sent me some photos taken from the Internet of a Studebaker Indy car. The photos came from the "Old Parked Cars" blog, were posted on Jan. 31, 2011 by Tony Piff. See http://www.oldparkedcars.com/2011_01_01_archive.html

I suspect it's a replica, though not exactly of the 1931-32 cars. It's very nice work. The radiator shell and grill look more like a Miller-style. Wheels look like circa 1935 Ford. A strange thing is that the exhaust pipe is on the left side, but both of the Studebaker straight 8's (336 and 250 cu in) had right-side exhausts. Could it have a Big 6 under the hood or something else? The photos appear to have been taken in Arizona or nearby in late 2010 or early 2011. I've never seen this car before, would like to contact the owner. Anyone know who it belongs to? And, yes, I'm jealous...

[bezhawk]

Maybe Ed, or Dan Wendle(sp) from Fort Collins Colorado? One of them made a big six powered indy racer.

[klifton1]

The wheels look to have snap rings, and look larger then the 16 in Ford. Just my guess.
Klif

[41 Frank]

Gary, I remember seeing a car very similar to this one at the January 2011 all Arizona meet we attended at South Mountain in Phoenix. The meet was organized by the Grand Canyon Chapter SDC. Someone else that was there may be able to identify it. THe owner started it up several times and was explaining the particulars of the engine but sadly I have no recollection of what was said.

[Chris Pile]

It may have a Studebaker engine under the hood, but I'm pretty sure that thing never ran at Indy.

[jnormanh]

It's some sort of mongrel; I'm guessing possibly constructed from some 1930s Indy car parts with a more recent rebody. The grill shell is sorta Millerish, but clearly isn't Miller. Very few period Indy engines had left side exhaust, although the Buicks and a few Millers and Duesenbergs did.

The high position of the pipes would indicate an OHV, engine, and the hood blister, maybe OHC. Using a rare LH exhaust Miller or Duesy for a made up car seems unlikely to me. I think I see one ex pipe at each end and three pairs of pipes between which would be right for a Buick. I'm thinking it's a Buick or maybe more modern pushrod engine.

Here's a '37 Buick Indy car

[Stude8]

The exhaust manifold does have eight outlets into the tail pipe so I suspect it is an 8 cyl engine but when blown up in size the engine casting has no configuration that resembles a Studebaker 8 cyl block. The five 1932 Studebaker factory Indianapolis entries all exist today. Four as they appeared in 1932 (#18, #22, #37 & #46) and one as it was rebodied for 1933 (#34). So the car shown here was fabricated to look similar to other 1932 vintage cars and not a factory entry. A bldg in the back ground of the photos has markings (name & address) that relate to Scottsdale, AZ?
Stude8

[Stude8]

The 1932 Studebaker factory Indianapolis fleet

The attached photo is of the 1932 Studebaker factory Indianapolis race car fleet that all exist today as shown except for the #25 car that is now the white 1933 car #34.
Stude8

[garyash]

jnormanh: The Coker Special is a replica of the Shafer 8 car from 1932. I think Corky Coker actually owns 2 replicas of the Shafer 8: the black one probably built by Dennis Webb in Anaheim, CA in 1994 for Tom McRae (see http://www.hotrodhotline.com/feature.../07denniswebb/) and a red one built by Charlie Glick in Paris, IL (see http://www.caranddriver.com/features...a-30s-indy-car). Glick built the chassis for my Indy car replica project. The Shafer 8 cars and the Studebaker cars used basically the same Rigling chassis with aluminum bodies by "Pops" Dreyer, hence the close resemblance.

But where did this recent near-replica come from?