Equipment
Amazing car in that it competed in five Indy 500s, plus other AAA paved dirt track races, and survived. Originally built and campaigned by Joe Lencki, it is still equipped with its original 265 cid Joe Lencki DOHC Six, rated at 400+ horsepower, which had been drafted by the legendary Leo Goossen and built at Fred Offenhausers facility, with shifting accomplished through a Miller 2 speed transmission. At Indy it was driven by Tony Willman in 1939 finishing 14th; Floyd Davis in 1940 finishing 21st; Emil Andres in 1941 and 1947 finishing 30th and 13th respectively; and Mauri Rose in 1946 finishing 23rd. Featuring an all aluminum body by Rigling, fuel and oil tanks were produced by Kurtis and it was restored to its appearance as seen in 1946 with Mauri Rose at the wheel. Presented in complete running order, would qualify for vintage race events today, though we would reconsider using the current 16 wire wheels with Firestone Gum Dipped blackwalls. Interior was trimmed out in saddle leather and cockpit fitted with original instrumentation, looking a lot nicer than when raced. As a bonus for the new owner, all the original blueprints, pictures, records, spare parts, notes and memorabilia were included. We noticed a couple of small paint chips near the hood, but the car looked showroom fresh with only minimal testing miles at best.
Market commentary
Even though this car had a verified history at Indy, it had never been a winner, and this price was probably a lot more than it had won in all its days on the track combined. This was a good buy, for even if a similar machine was found in the back of a forgotten garage, a lot more than this amount would have to be invested to create the level of performance and appearance seen on this vehicle.