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I just picked this up from my brothers ex wife's house where it has been in storage. He is in Florida & the house is now for sale. Now it will be stored at my place until??
This car was purchased by my grandfather in the mid fifties for $400 from a Jaguar dealer in Boonton NJ. It was for his first grandson (my oldest cousin) to use around the property. As more of us came along we all used it with me being the last one. Somehow my brother saved it all these years through many moves etc. It was always stored in a dry basement so it is in very good shape other than the beating we put on it as kids.
The original motor is long gone but a replacement 3hp Briggs is sitting in my attic waiting for a rebuild. Other items missing are the windscreen which was gone before I drove it, the side mirror, headlights & taillights & the original bumpers. The lights ran off a six volt battery but had no charging system so you had to keep the battery charged. As a kid my brother built the "new" bumpers to replace the damaged ones & he remembers replacing the headlights with window screen to make it lighter just like they did with race cars in the day. Of course any original stuff was thrown out cause who needed it?
All the info is from my brother who remembers more than I do & has researched this car for a long time. He has never come across another one like it nor found any info on it. The chassis is crude, made from angle iron & plywood. All chassis components seem to be from the US as fasteners are sae, tires are Carlisle, engine was a Briggs, etc. One "expert" told him the body was definitely made with "English fiberglass". Didn't know there was such a thing but he said you can tell by the pattern of the fibers.
I have some fond memories of riding around in this when I could barely reach the one pedal which was for the gas. The brake was a hand lever next to your thigh when seated. Earliest memories are riding shotgun with my 5 yr older brother at the wheel. I think the last time it actually ran was in the early seventies. Been stored since then. Not sure what his plans are for it but it's his so I'll just store it, look at it & remember a much simpler time.
This car was purchased by my grandfather in the mid fifties for $400 from a Jaguar dealer in Boonton NJ. It was for his first grandson (my oldest cousin) to use around the property. As more of us came along we all used it with me being the last one. Somehow my brother saved it all these years through many moves etc. It was always stored in a dry basement so it is in very good shape other than the beating we put on it as kids.
The original motor is long gone but a replacement 3hp Briggs is sitting in my attic waiting for a rebuild. Other items missing are the windscreen which was gone before I drove it, the side mirror, headlights & taillights & the original bumpers. The lights ran off a six volt battery but had no charging system so you had to keep the battery charged. As a kid my brother built the "new" bumpers to replace the damaged ones & he remembers replacing the headlights with window screen to make it lighter just like they did with race cars in the day. Of course any original stuff was thrown out cause who needed it?
All the info is from my brother who remembers more than I do & has researched this car for a long time. He has never come across another one like it nor found any info on it. The chassis is crude, made from angle iron & plywood. All chassis components seem to be from the US as fasteners are sae, tires are Carlisle, engine was a Briggs, etc. One "expert" told him the body was definitely made with "English fiberglass". Didn't know there was such a thing but he said you can tell by the pattern of the fibers.
I have some fond memories of riding around in this when I could barely reach the one pedal which was for the gas. The brake was a hand lever next to your thigh when seated. Earliest memories are riding shotgun with my 5 yr older brother at the wheel. I think the last time it actually ran was in the early seventies. Been stored since then. Not sure what his plans are for it but it's his so I'll just store it, look at it & remember a much simpler time.
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