Whaddyacallit #518 - Gordon Watney Special body over a 135 hp deDietrich

[Ray B.]

Ever seen this ?

If you did, please respond below and let us know the make and model of the car posted here.

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Thanks!

[Ray B.]

Rookies not interested?
No problemo...

[Tackitt]

Man!  What an incredible looking automobile!  American?

[D-type]

Aero-engined?

[Ray B.]

Not American, and not an aero-engine AFAIK, although there is a distant connection with aviation.

[Tackitt]

Italian?

[Ray B.]

Not Italian.

[D-type]

Farman?

[Ray B.]

Not a Farman

[Ray B.]

So, to the pros.

[Wendax]

Pre-WW I?

[Ray B.]

Partly...

[Wendax]

Thought so 

[pnegyesi]

Anything to do with Szawe?

[Ray B.]

Not AFAIK

[Wendax]

Partly...

That makes it a pre-WW I chassis and a body of around 1922.
Is it a racing car chassis?

[Ray B.]

Sort of, yes.

[grobmotorix]

Is it a rebodied Benz?
This Detail looks quite familiar:

[Paul Jaray]

Can It be a Mercedes by Gordon Watney?

[Paul Jaray]

This a Gordon Watney Special, he was a very well know dealer - racer in England. He built and raced mostly large chain drive specials some of which were aero engined and built on double chain drive Mercedes chassis. Many of these creations were raced on the famous Brooklands track before 'its' demise during WWII.

[Ray B.]

If Pal is the boss (see http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=15858.125;topicseen ), Paul is the man!

A Gordon Watney Special body over a 135 hp deDietrich (1907 or 1908, logically, given the reference to the St Petersburg-Moscow race).
Here is how their Mercedes looked like. Much less impressive.

[Ray B.]

Point added, puzzle moved