These so seldom come up for sale, I wanted to be sure to bring it to your attention, it’s a midget racer powered by a Harley Davidson knucklehead with Drake water cooled cylinders. These are such a neat car and engine combination. As I mentioned in another post:
Dale Drake … took a Harley Davidson Knucklehead engine and installed water cooled cylinders. The result was an 89 cubic inch V-twin that was 10 percent smaller than the Offy midget engines then used but it was lighter at 185 pounds and had more torque and seemed to get better traction on slick dirt than the Offenhauser.
There were, according to the seller, something like 400 Drake engines made, though only a few remain. It’s a pretty interesting non-factory engine variant, Dale Drake decided to do it, and he did. I like it!
Link: Drake powered midget racer on eBay
Steve says
That’s close enough to a harley powered go-kart for my blood. There are companies who make water cooled cylinders for newer Harley engines. If I only had money to spend.
B50 Jim says
What a sweet little racer! Perhaps it took advantage of something dirt-track riders always knew — the 45-degree V-twin configuration is just right for hooking up in the dirt. Tuned so the power drops off if it breaks loose, it just flat runs. And it had to be cheaper than an Offy. It reflects the early days of midget racing during the 1930s, when builders ran everything from outboard engines to Plymouth 6-cylinders to Ford Flatheads. It was racing on the cheap, and racers always found a way to race. It wasn’t until midget racing became hugely popular after WWII that the Offys began to dominate, until the 1970s when cheaper production-based engines took over. I believe there has been experimentation with building small V-8s from two inline-4 motorcycle engines, but that configuration had too many problems and couldn’t dislodge the car-based race engines that now dominate midgets.
Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" says
The Sesco was one of these motorcycle based V8s for midget racers.
B50 Jim says
I stand corrected. I love the idea of mating two bike engines into a high-revving V-8. The sound alone is worth the price of admission.
7R Pete says
It is my understanding that the smooth power delivery of fours, sixes and greater numbers of cylinder engines, allows a wheel that is spinning on mud to keep spinning. In contrast a single or twin cylinder engine allows the power to to the wheel to be interrupted so that the tyre lugs can get a grip. I gather that is the reason most trials and scrambles bikes use low revving single or twin four strokes that tend to have small bore and long stroke. I would love to see what such an engine in a midget racer would accomplish. Love the car but would prefer see an old JAP 1100cc used (or even a Matchless Silver Hawk a la Morgan)
Mean Monkey says
My dad was a car-crazed southern teenager and managed to get a job at a local Virginia dirt track in the mid-Forties. He was into the midgets, and even talked himself into several races until his folks found out and made him stop. One of the midgets he drove had used a Ford tractor engine.
He’s gone now, but I know he’d want this racer.
Tom Lyons says
Cool car!
Tin Man says
I went to eBay to check out the add, Car is at 12.8 K and reserve is not met. I cant wait to see what this little Sweetheart goes for. My local Party Store guy claims he just sold me a Lucky Lotto ticket. If he is right this Baby is mine!!! LOL
OMMAG says
Bring back midget racing!
Not this risk averse … litigation afflicted legends stuff we have today… but real open wheel racing on packed clay tracks.
Hooligan says
Isn’t racing midgets considered inhumane and cruel?
Skizick says
As long as you don’t use spurs it’s ok. Some actually like the whip.
Skizick says
How about the Beemer engine. Low CG, eh?
Thom says
If you get the chance, there’s a (sortof) related story called “Jesse James-Blacksmith” that aired early in the morning once on a Sunday about 6 months ago. Apparently Jesse James found one of these engines (in really rough shape) and, is trying to build a bike around it. The show was all about how he went sl over looking for guys that knew anything about these motors and were still alive, when it wasn’t about him learning to be a blacksmith. I’m sure by now it’s our on DVD…
Scotduke says
I do like this racer. I did see a car magazine some months back with a little hot rod powered by an Evo motor and it did look very neat. The bodyshell was a repro of a 34 Ford fitted onto a racing car chassis. Bike engines can make good power units for small, fun roadsters and I agree that the torque of a v-twin is particularly suitable.
loco harry says
yea on dirt only.get real no roll bars.do you realize how many drivers died.yours truly ex racer
UARA10 says
I drove midgets in midwest during 1960s,there were a couple Drakes still running in UARA and in USAC Winter indoors races.they did well indoors but lacked the HP for longer tracks.
WFL says
I own this car now.
R. Quick says
Morgans used Matchless V-twin engines but never used the Silver Hawk.