718 RSK RS60 RS61

[Trevor]

What great picture Alan and memories! Thanks for sharing!

[alan hall]

Thanks guys! Justin, my father got that '53 pre-a cab in early 1955. He became friends with Harry Weber a factory mechanic who had just come to the U.S. to work for Carl Block in Oakland. Carl had a new 550 that Harry maintained. To my 10 or 11 year old brain the sounds of Harry tuning up that Spyder in the shop convinced me that I had to have one! (I bet that Steve can tell us the serial number of Carl's 550!). When I moved to L.A. in '67 it was not unusual to see Spyders advertised in the L.A. Times once a month or so. Out of date racecars weren't a real hot commodity....there was no vintage racing so they were either used as autocross cars or driven on the street by nuts (like me). There were a couple of times I almost bought a 550A, but finally found the RS60 in a foreign car repair shop in Redondo Beach. It belonged to a young fellow who had bought it from Vasek Polak, but was going back to school and needed to sell it. I made him an offer and he accepted.
Alan

[admin]

[JG]

great photos Alan,thanks for posting. Keep em coming!!!!

[JG]

[JG]

[JG]

[Steve Heinrichs]

Alan, we'll try re Block 550. We think we know but this is a tough one. Do you know any others who raced it? Are you sure it was new?

Steve Heinrichs

[alan hall]

Steve, I am pretty sure that block's 550 was new. I do know it was raced very little and he still had it when he lost his franchise in the transition away from Hoffman's era. Rumor had it that it had very few miles on it and was essentially still like new at that time.
Alan

[Steve Heinrichs]

Alan,

Wow.

Well---there are a few 550s that are literally unknown (at least to me). 0058, 0059. 0061, 0063, 0078.

We put his early race as 0058 but that is a 1955 car and the first race fro Block is 9-56. Now, 0078 is a 3-56 car (and it was at the NY auto show). Maybe that one is more likely. What an amazing find the car would be. I know who owns all but 0078. All of these were Hoffman distributed.

Now, we also show Carl and Fred Block as pilots of 550A-0115 in dates from 1957-1962. This was a VN distributed car and also piloted by others but noted as "Block Spyder".

Did they also have a 550A in your opinion?

Steve Heinrichs

[alan hall]

Steve,
All I recall seeing or hearing about was the 550. I do recall that Carl Block seldom raced it himself, but I don't remember who drove for him. I imagine that any races it was in would have been in northern California. I have a few old race programs and if I can locate them will see if they shed any light.

550A-0115 seems to be one of those cars with a unusual history and a lot of owners in Southern California.
Alan

[admin]

[admin]

[alan hall]

Steve,
I could mot find anything that would help with Carl Block's 550. I did check what I had on the other 550's you mentioned. I show 0058 in Colorado at one time, similarly 0059 in Florida, 0061 in New York and 0063 in Kentucky. All old data. Nothing on 0078.
Alan

[Steve Heinrichs]

Alan,

This is very interesting and very helpful!! I sent you an email re the details.

Thanks so much.

Steve Heinrichs