Topic: Whaddyacallit #79 - Harris Front Drive Special

[Ray B.]

When I first posted this puzzle, I did it with a tiny, poor quality pic.
I hadn't realized that I had also THIS...

[faksta]

Awesome, Ray! Thanks a lot.

[motorcar1]

Ray B.,
Thank you so much Sir !!!!

I did forward a private message back.

There is so much more besides what was in this article about Ben and the Car.
Please do not give up on me !!!!
The caretaker of Bens Creation,
John

[Ultra]

This thread is getting a lot of hits today.   Did somebody link it somewhere?  Anyone know what is up?

[Ray B.]

Yes. Here's what happened.
http://blog.hemmings.com/
Although their link doesn't seem to function too well. Can you check it? I don't know s... about these things.

[salguod]

That's how I found my way here, I signed up to see the pics.  Cool stuff.

BTW - If folks remove the '&action=printpage' from the Hemmings link, it'll bring up the forum properly.  Their link seems to be the print preview page.

[Ultra]

Thanks for signing on and letting us know what was up.  Take a look around.  This place is quite the find for a Hemmings reader.  Start here:

http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=7269.0

[Paul Jaray]

Updates will arrive shortly...

[Paul Jaray]

I would like everyone to remember that in the "Feature Writers" section, our friend John is composing his great article about this car...you can became a feature writer writing an article yourself and help the work in progress (or just watch it being completed) or you can wait untill it will be done...

[motorcar1]

John, you asked how I came to choose the Harris car for a puzzle.
I had it in a book for 25 years (the clipping I scanned and posted after your first request). When I joined Autopuzzles I had become more and more interested in the streamlines prototypes of the 1930's, but  this car's design had always struck me because it never became outdated.
Then I found this magazine article on the internet, and the typewriting added on the page made it even more mysterious and I posted it.

I would never have... (EDIT: my wireless keyboard's batteries went dead last night, here is the rest of the sentence)... dreamed that one day the owner of the car would come up with the whole story and those wonderful pictures. This is the best reward for the car detectives we are all.

RAY B;
WHEN you posted the Speedster for ID, it started a whole new avenue for our research, thank you !
We forwarded the incomplete and rough story to many known persons and organizations we believed Ben or the Speedster were associated with>>>> BINGO.
The only problem, so much of it leads to other known racers, politcal figures, life long friendships, business, Navy invention, WW II Foundaries etc, that it has stopped the press per se.

Francesco has unearthered other articles which he has sent us, all lead to even more research and remarkable finds.
Without Francesco, Charlie, yourself and others herein Autopuzzles, NONE of this would have happened,

We checked and found out that site and topic area's about Ben and the Speedster are numerous, in sites the man and car are brought into, there have been over 30,000 hits in all. Great work guys.
By the way, anyplace I go myself, I bring Autoipuzzles into the postings

With all respect and hopes that we can finish the story in the near future, lots of research to finish and more coming in.
John

NOTE:, If you desire to read MORE, go to FEATURE articles on the front page of autopuzzles, the story is unfolding.
Thank you,
JOHN

[Ray B.]

Hemmings just came up with scans of the same SIA article I have shown, in their SIA flashbacks section.
I've justed posted there a comment about all that had been researched here and redirecting to this topic in Autopuzzles.
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/01/08/sia-flashback-harriss-sensational-fwd-streamliner/

[faksta]

As a pretty neat little addition, here is a note from Soviet magazine - that is Za Ruljom #5, 1937 - early March of that year.

A compact and fast single-seater racing car was designed and built by a constructor from Chicago.
The car is equipped by a purposely designed 1.5-liter V8 engine, and although the latter provides just 32hp at 3200rmp, speed of the car reaches 177 km/h.
Such results have been achieved primarily because of a low and aerodynamic body and a small weight of the car. Wheelbase - 2184mm, track - 1210mm, total height - 1089mm, weight - 680kg.

[motorcar1]

Faksta,
Thank you for keeping an eye out and adding material to Bens story.

Ben wrote that his Speedster was in three or four different European magazines>>>
I think that the UK, Germans and France or the other countries which found Bens car worthy and notable for magazine articles on his creation>> from America.

This is the first which has turned up>>> again >>thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


PJ mentioned to me, after the last puzzle>> about the one page bio on Ben he posted, that it may be a good idea to open a second story, so the other links>>> which have been brought forth>>> could be left open for addition and comments.

Will check in with PJ>>> sounds like another gooooood idea he has came up with.

John

[faksta]

You're welcome. I was quite surprised to see this car in a Soviet magazine, to be fair. Most probably this info was taken from some foreign mag.

[jheubanks]

I worked for Ben at C-U Model Raceway slot racing track during 1968-69.He was a unique and accomplished man. He had a pictorial display of the FWD Speedster hanging on a wall near the tracks. His son, Ben Jr, told me the car was lost in the fire at the Biggs facility. Today I was looking around the internet for a picture to show my family and stumbled upon Autopuzzles. I was shocked to find out the car still exists! I hope the car can be restored to its original glory.  A couple of BFH stories: One day at the raceway business was slow so Ben picks up the phone to call his prep school roommate Barry Goldwater. A voice on the other end answers "Hello" and Ben answers " Hi Barry, it's Bucky" (his nickname) and they had a short conversation. Ben spent a lot of his own money trying to help Goldwater get elected. Another idea he had for a car was to place the cigarette lighter in the center of the steering wheel so the driver would not have to reach across the dashboard for it. He had a great influence on me and my affinity for all things automotive.

[Paul Jaray]

That's fantastic. I'm in contact with John, the owner of Harris' car. He's been looking for info about it for so long!