More Pix: 2013 Newport Hill Climb Fun

[BobPalma]

We didn't have to babysit as much as we thought today, so I was able to get the December Turning Wheels Co-Operator done and shipped to Ann Turner before supper. This leaves a little time to post more photos from the 2013 Newport Indiana Antique Auto Hill Climb.

I'll do a set of Fairborn OH's Phil Harris now and others / additionals as time permits over the next couple days, so check this thread from time to time if you are interested in the Newport goings-on.

Phil, as you may know, is Proprietor of Fairborn Studebaker in Fairborn OH, SDC parts vendor best known for marketing the new Model 44 flanged rear axle kits for Studebakers.

Phil was at Newport 2013 as a competitor for the first time, running his newly-acquired 1939 Coupe Express with 1940 grilles in it:



Here is Phil leaving the starting line in the C/E. This is taken from about 1/3 of the way up the hill:



I went further up the hill, to about the 40% mark, for this picture as Phil charged the hill. From this vantage point, the C/E engine's ability to overpower the clutch was audible!



Sadly, my battery was dying as I took the above photo. When Phil was much closer, I tried to take a shot as he sped by...but the battery was so weak that by the time he got close, the camera couldn't focus quickly enough. He shot by and I got a nice picture of the asphalt with nothing on it.

Phil had just acquired the C/E from Friendly Dick Quinn's Honest Antique Studebaker Sales of Mokena IL. Phil invited me to examine the fine detail work accomplished during the C/E's comprehensive refurbishing for resale.

Especially notable was the OEM Studebaker door check retainer installed inside the C/E's left door:



Rumor has it that Dick paid Lambrecht Chevrolet money for that last known NOS door check so the C/E would pass Phil's intense pre-purchase examination. BP

[8E45E]

That that white & turquoise '59 Edsel Ranger two door sedan there again this year?

Craig

[BobPalma]

That that white & turquoise '59 Edsel Ranger two door sedan there again this year? Craig

No it was not, Craig. The gentleman had been trying to sell it, so maybe he did.

Also, the weather was so inclement early in the day that the number of "show" cars was down to maybe 60% of last year, so he may have stayed home rather than get the car dirty. It was raining hard over most of the state all morning , but cleared in the west (where Newport is) about 11AM. BP

[Studebaker Wheel]

Bob; He got a rare deal on a rare vehicle. It was race ready when I sold it to him so I am sure he must have won his class?? By the way how did the Knoepfel Bros from Paris, IL do in there '41 Champ coupe. Believe they hold the record in their class.

[BobPalma]

Bob; He got a rare deal on a rare vehicle. It was race ready when I sold it to him so I am sure he must have won his class?? By the way how did the Knoepfel Bros from Paris, IL do in there '41 Champ coupe. Believe they hold the record in their class.

Yes, Dick; it was race ready. Cousin George was envious at the amount of weight Phil was able to remove!

I do not know if Phil won his class, but he doubted it. The clutch slipped in race trim; perhaps he had Malcolm Berry warm it up, unbeknownst to the crack Tech Committee!

I talked to Kevin Knoepfel on the way out. He was off his record time (yes, he holds the class record by a good margin ) a couple of tenths due to a missed shift, and did not know the other competitors' time in class when I talked to him. However, he was certain he had won the class in that no one else was even close, as he listened to the times being announced in his class.

As you know, Kevin's '41 Champion -box-stock, of course- usually wins by a couple of whole seconds, whereas many classes are decided by a couple of tenths! BP

[Dick Steinkamp]

I'm thinkin' the three lug nuts on the front wheel of the CE might have reduced the unsprung weight enough for Phil to overcome the slipping clutch situation

[BobPalma]

Actually, Dick; he has the full compliment of five lug nuts on all four wheels. He put three new studs in that wheel and had shinier lug nuts on those three studs.

You're right; in the photo, it looks like the wheel is secured with three nuts, but it really does have five. BP

[Studebaker Wheel]

Yes, Dick; it was race ready. Cousin George was envious at the amount of weight Phil was able to remove!

I do not know if Phil won his class, but he doubted it. The clutch slipped in race trim; perhaps he had Malcolm Berry warm it up, unbeknownst to the crack Tech Committee!

I talked to Kevin Knoepfel on the way out. He was off his record time (yes, he holds the class record by a good margin ) a couple of tenths due to a missed shift, and did not know the other competitors' time in class when I talked to him. However, he was certain he had won the class in that no one else was even close, as he listened to the times being announced in his class.

As you know, Kevin's '41 Champion -box-stock, of course- usually wins by a couple of whole seconds, whereas many classes are decided by a couple of tenths! BP

Stock, of course!!?? I heard they operate on the honor system down there. Like NASCAR no honor among any of them!!

[BobPalma]

Stock, of course!!?? I heard they operate on the honor system down there.

Absolutely. Any infractions or deviations from "as built" are dealt with promptly and swiftly.

One fellow with a 1938 Pontiac was caught replacing his car's OEM inner tubes with slightly lighter material tubes inflated with nitrogen a couple years ago and has not been seen since.

Most competitors know the town is 'way too close to the swift currents of The Wabash River to hazard the possible ramifications of any malfeasance. BP

[Son O Lark]

BP
[/B]

His name wasn't Hoffa , was it?

[8E45E]

One fellow with a 1938 Pontiac was caught replacing his car's OEM inner tubes with slightly lighter material tubes inflated with nitrogen a couple years ago and has not been seen since.

Did it look like this one? http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...t=1938+PONTIAC

Only thing is, I don't see the telltale GREEN valve stem caps.

Craig

[wayne]

Stude's did good again. I won my class in a 51 commander and a 55 Commander got second. Rich Meadows won his class also.

[BobPalma]

Stude's did good again. I won my class in a 51 commander and a 55 Commander got second. Rich Meadows won his class also.

Here is Wayne's 1951 Commander at speed, about a third of the way up the hill:



Good show, Wayne; 'good meeting you. Cool beans. BP

[BobPalma]

Cecil Meadows' 1955 Commander Conestoga at speed:

[BobPalma]

I believe the oldest car to run in the 2013 Newport IN Antique Auto Hill Climb was this 1910 Brush:



The announcer said it was a 1910 model, and it indeed looks like a 1910 in my 1805-1942 Standard Catalog of American Cars, Third Edition.

The announcer also said it was an 8 HP machine, but I doubt it. The Catalog says 1909 models had 7 HP, but 1910 models had 20 HP. The car had a slow time up the hill, understandably; about 90 seconds, IIRC. (By contrast, Kevin Knoepfel's stock-as-a-stone 1941 Champion runs in the 28-second range.)

Still, I think this little Brush performed better than could be done with only 8 HP, so the announcer was probably repeating something somebody told him; there is an enormous amount of mis-information circulated at Newport every year. (All in good fun, you understand; one reason this event is so enjoyable is that nobody takes it all that seriously. All you have to do is observe the number of allegedly stock prewar flathead Ford V8s competing with dual exhausts!)

Anyway, back to this Brush for a moment. The Standard Catalog referenced above actually discusses the hill-climbing ability of Brush runabouts. Hill-climbing ability was a BIG deal in the early days of the automobile; a real testimony to a car's "worth," if you will.

To that end, The Catalog reports the Brush Runabout Company having testified to the car's hill-climbing ability despite its modest horsepower and diminutive size. Company literature of the day suggested that, to understand why a Brush could perform so well against cars of greater horsepower, "the potential [Brush] purchaser should reflect upon the reason why a squirrel can climb a tree faster than an elephant."

'Sounds reasonable to me. BP