Behind the scenes
Looking at the teams which appear regularly at race meetings The point of recognition between the public and the racing teams that entertain them is only at the circuits where…
• • • MESSENGER SPECIALS
Sir,
As the possessor of a not very usual name, a life-long follower Of an ‘,equally unusual sport, and quite a number of years ago a builder of several Messenger Special racing ears in succession, I was rather astonished to read from the pages of your journal that there is apparently another Messenger in the world who has been bitten by the bug, and built a racing car. I, of course, refer to the ” 500 ‘ which ran at Silverstone as reported in your issue for June.
would like to contact my namesake in England, if only to wish him well, although we have a common interest to write about. My cars were naturally much larger than his and all had a common source for many of the components -model T Ford. Various alterations to the mechanical details, including the addition of overhead valves, inchiced them to go much quicker than their original maker intended, though perhaps not so reliably. The last ” Special.” of which I am enclosing a photograph taken in I 930, was constructed in 1928-29 and had a special all-welded frame, circular web crankshaft, special eonnecting rods, pistons and camshaft, also a four-speed close ratio transmissien with direct drive on third gear. The compression ratio of 10 to 1 was quite high for those days, but it developed sufficient power to attain over 100 to 110 on a hard beach, and would accelerate from a standstill to over 90 m.p.h. in under 15 sec., while turning the curve of a flat dirt track. The body looks strange now ; it was the narrow singleseater of the period, rather high on account of sitting over the tafishaft. This car is still in existence, and is now being reconstructed by a new owner after lying idle since I crashed it up a bit in MIL See picture below. I am, Yours, etc.,
Auckland, C.1. IL E. MESSENGER.