eBay Auction of the Day: 1915 Van Blerck Special
No, we've never heard the name either, but this massive red rocket deserves at least some attention. Crafted by Gary Wales, the Van Blerck Special replicates a vintage open-air racer wrapped around a massive 17-liter inline-six motor - and it's up for grabs on eBay.
Yes, you read that right - 17 liters for a six-cylinder motor. The motor, which is a 1915 Van Blerck mill, was originally designed for marine applications, and likely was used in some form of a racing speedboat. The auction claims the motor pushes 200 horsepower and "unthinkable" levels of torque. Considering the common 1915 Ford Model T made only 15 hp, that figure's quite impressive. You may spend a small fortune in sparkplugs; there are three per cylinder, meaning there's somewhere close to 18 plugs on the whole engine - and our bet is it'll drink more than its fair share of high-octane fuel.
(Click through for more on the 17-liter special)
Wales' build is impressive, especially since he chose to create the car as if it were a period road racer. Hence the two-seat cockpit with canvas-covered tool chest, liberal use of brass, down-draft carbureator and - perhaps best of all - dual chain drives to the rear axle. It's an image that conjures memories of vintage racing Mercedes-Benzes and, admittedly, Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang.
Yes, that $325,000 price tag is huge (as is the car itself), but if you're looking for a ride that's just as obscene and attention-getting as Jay Leno's Tank Car, you need look no further.
Comments
New Guy
Ok, something's pretty fishy with this car.
* Front Brakes are modern vented hydraulic discs
* Head lights are halogen sealed beams
* Pedal arragement is modern as are pedal sizes
* Modern Nyloc style nuts are used
* Nice rubber boot on Steering shaft penetration on firewall
* Possible computer next to steering shaft (note modern Aircraft quality connection and 12 point bolt heads
* Fitting for mini-light flash light on firewall.
Pretty car, was it in a movie of some sort? Fanciful too. However, either it isn't from 1915 or it was restored by a guy that had no clue on hww to get it right. A lot of the modifications appear to be stuff to make the car safe to drive, but if it really is an one of a kind 1915 car, why trade off orginality for drivability?
New Guy
Never mind. Found this http://www.robbreportcollection.com/Articles/Autos-Other-Vehicles/Collec...
This car is a 1920's truck chassis with a 1915 boat motor and was driven to an event after being custom made at speeds up to 65 mph. This is a cool car, but it is a complete custom.
EHONDA
Yeah, it's just a 1915 engine, not a 1915 car.
'Unthinkable' is pretty vague, but it's not going to be making much more than... err, 6-700 lb/ft, maybe? Assuming it's not revving much past 2000 rpm. That's a lot, but it's not that incredible for what must be an immensely heavy car.
New Guy
I would guess something closer to 500 ft/lbs. A modern n.a. engine produces somehere in the range of 1 ft/lb per cubit inch of torque, but these are high compression engines (9 to 12 to 1). Back then, T heads were lucky to get 4 or 5 to 1 compression. The size of the engine would lead to a lot of internal friction (and the splash oiling wouldn't help either). So I would say 500 ft-lbs would be about it.
Besides, look at the drive chains. I don't see anyway those chains could put "unthinkable" torque to the wheels.
Still, it is fun to think about what this car could have done if it really was a 1915. It would have been a horrible road race car, but it might have been ok for land speed races. By the late 20s, guys were running 81 liter cars (yes eighty one liters) trying to get past 250 mph.
Russ Bellinis
Is it really any crazier than some of the specials Jay Leno has been building with tank engines or WW1 Hispano Suiza air plane engines?
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