A horror story of a different Novel, as Mike Stevenson put it.
When it comes to leaving an odd taste in your mouth, some cars take the cake.
Of course, they all can... but some land squarely in an area resembling that touching and special report one might see on a Wednesday evening news story... in America... in 1980.
This is the case here.
From the towering bonnet all the way to the beauty piloting her, you can't "unsee" this thing.
This really is a Wednesday's Child and gosh it's ugly. (the car that is)
Far from the beautiful and known recreations some cyclekarters aim for, I've done my usual job of assaulting you visually... and we'll get on with this side show.
This car was reported by some, as one attempt in the early versions of the sprint car. This particular rendition didn't succeed. Many commonly rolled, adding to the fatality statistics while the average life expectancy of the racer was already less-than-lengthy to begin with. But, the pure spirit and ingenuity is extremely apparent with some builders of the day here.
It's rather unique, and that's what I look for when building any cyclekart. I don't want "average." I want to make the one you remember.
The researcher (me in this case) sifted through all kinds of leads when looking for imagery of the car.
The reason: An attempt of doing this weird little car Justice... if recreated in cyclekart form.
If you're me, one cannot punt here. You gotta get it right for a caricature just won't do. Don't get me wrong though, making a caricature of this really only requires a basic frame & one rather large mailbox slathered in black paint... if you want to look at it that way.
But no, I cannot and will not. That'd be far too easy.
In my journey, I found evidence pointing the way to a possible existence of a Midget racing scene or series even as far back as the mid 20's. Who knew? Keep in mind, they were called "Junior cars/racers" in the brief time the cyclecar reigned in California.. only to disappear as fast as they appeared.
Further down the road, after chasing many leads pointing at Elfreida Mais and some car that was driven through wooden walls as a side show... (sometimes they were set ablaze too) I found referenced a most prominent track racer throughout the twenties. A Californian named Frank Hefling with his "Hefling" or "Roller Skate Special" with a supposed SOHC 4 cylinder Nelson engine of 2.4 Litres.
But first... Let's get something straight. This, was Elfreida Mais:
The younger (and far more petite) woman in the Hefling Special, as some internet sites appear to claim... is not her. I'm sorry, they don't even look like each other and I've got eyes in my head.
Elfrieda was much older by the time the original Hefling picture at the top was taken.
... and she, did other fun stuff...
...Like Crash Through walls... she died at an early age.
Anyhoo...
What... on earth... is a nelson engine?
Hefling raced his car amongst the bigger cars at Ascot Speedway in California, and on at least two different tours of the Midwest in 1926 and 27. He wasn't doing all that badly considering the power handicap as one account put it.
Sadly, no other information has surfaced, and the real story may never be told.
History doesn't remember Wednesday's children all that well... so all I had initially was one picture, everyone's friend the internet... and some phone calls to make. (that's where you talk to live people folks)
Thanks to a fellow forum onlooker during the intial build, at least I had a direction to go digging. That "someone" also knew of other photos from "the day" the first photo here was taken.
Unfortunately, no others of the car however.
I wanted at least something else to go on, for capturing the essenece of this car required a tad more. That fellow forum onlooker, pointed the way.
Some many more months of research, site after site, trail after trail, dead end after dead end... I kept building it based on the original photo...
For lack of a more colorful four-lettered reference, the universe was giving me the finger at this point in the journey.
The fun part though was every now & then, that random search revealed scraps strewn about little forums here & there which proved its existence. Although the car didn't rise from the area, a lot surfaced around the midwest whilst on the trail.
She ran in the midwest a bit.
Right about here was where I was going to say something about there being only one known photo of the car.
I really was.
That's all that existed over the years. I was also proud that I'd gotten so far with that one image.
Then one day I stumbled onto another trail of this car. Quite by mistake actually.
Oddly, it backed the entire research train over itself as the trail I'd followed went well into the Joan La Costa Realm.
Why? A look... that's why.
Joan, was another female racer.. and a criminal to boot! Google that if you have time, she's quite the badass.
Moving on...
Into a dumpster my train went as it burst into flames... then went down the exact same path certain accounts lead me in the first place... to the stunt women & men of the time.
Perhaps it's cursed?
No kiddin?
Once again, what... is a nelson engine?
Fine...
... I'll google it for you then summarize you lazy turd.
The Nelson was an automobile built in Detroit, Michigan by the E.A. Nelson Motor Car Company. It was made from 1917 to 1921. The Nelson was designed by Emil A. Nelson, who formerly worked for Oldsmobile, Packard, and Hupmobile.
It had a self-developed engine along European lines resulting in a 2.4 liter four-cylinder aero-type setup with overhead cams boasting 29 hp.
Oh the power...
The post-war depression hit Emil hard. A planned collaboration in 1919 with the engine manufacturer Gray Company from the same city did not work out. In March 1920 the first bankruptcy followed. In September 1920 a reorganization led to the E. A. Nelson Automobile Company. One year later, in September 1921, the end came with the second bankruptcy. A total of around 1,000 vehicles were built, one of which is still in existence.
... and when, have you ever heard the word POMP used in conversation? I haven't.
Back to the racing:
An exerpt from one writing:
Oh that's gold isn't it?
The trail was right.
Finally, a 2nd image of the car. Stunt people... the circus... black cats, people that intentionally crashed their cars... and Midgets... more fun than I can handle in one lifetime really.
That's right, the builder of this car was also one of the stuntmen of the 1920's. Other feats of theirs included the funkiest stunt of them all, wingwalking... (BEFORE THEY REQUIRED PARACHUTES mind you)... of which one cute little number took the spotlight in the black cats.
All of this made me smile because I remember some old codger on some site mentioning old Frank had a girlfriend...
... and a prominent female member of the 13 black cats was?
A stunt woman with more balls than most men, the one & only Gladys Ingle.
That'd be who's drivin the car. :)
Makes for good reading doesn't it?
Where were we...
Of course, start with a pile of parts & such.
Lay out a frame with spare stuff.
Find a spring that compressees when I stand on it reasonably well. Slice it down the middle... running slowly along with the cutoff wheel... ICE cubes. Don't want to get it too hot or we might lose the spring tension.
Mock up the spring mounts/perches. Cardboard, tape... beer. (yep, I know the shackles are backwards. It actually works well that way because axle movement up & down is really only 1 inch. You don't notice it and asthetically it worked better.)
Whip up the general look of the car with bed frames. (really)
Find crap that fits over that stuff.
Hit it with Flat Black Paint... (seriously, the patina comes from painting it first... then building and messing it up as you go)
Take a photo, then photoshop items from the real picture onto it to check overall dimensions & placement.
A steering wheel of character
Finish up body part fitting.
Strip it down. Weld things together. LOL
Make wheels that work for it.
In the end, the wheels consist of custom hubs (given to me by Mike Thorpe of New Zealand), 3 different kinds of spokes per wheel, Tusk off road aluminum rims, and IRC GP 1 tires. The hubs, are dual purpose hubs. They are front, or rear. They take bearings, and are broached, so can be used as fronts or rears. No adapter needed. If one built these wheels buying new items... the cost (including the machining of the hubs) runs well over a 1500 bucks. (I didn't spend that much however)
Very few sets of these hubs exist.
See what it all looks like.
Photoshop items from the car onto it... see if we've done it right.
HAND paint the script.
Known Pilots:
Kelly Wood, Zach Smith
First Drive:
The parts:
Frame is 1 x 3 steel rails, common with most cyclekarts. They were actually used in another build that was scrapped, so they were cut from it and became this.
The rest of the inner framework is all Bed Frames with a few misc pieces of 1" square tubing. Part of the lower front frame is a hook... you can tow it if you need to with it. The Hook, was once a steering hoop on an old go kart.
Steering rod is 2 kart steering rods welded together with one rod inside, then with outer couplings welded to it.
Steering wheel is aluminum with original "suicide knob." Once was on an amusement park boat ride.
Front spring perches/curved steel on the front frame was cut right out of a spare Atv Loading Ramp.
Leaf Springs were once one spring. It was sliced right down the middle becoming 2, 1" springs.
Grill area was cut from a canoe and smashed flat. The grille mesh is chicken wire.
Top left & right upper bonnet of the same canoe
Lower front & right panels, what was left of the canoe.
Center body/upper wrap around/dash. 1962 mercury outboard motor cowls.
Fuel tank is vintage west bend.
Faux engine is PVC pipes, wood and a mess of bolts.
Spark plugs in faux engine are real, spark plug wiring actually says "Packard" on them.
Upper right carb looking thing: A fake, bolted to the upper frame.
Faux Exhaust: 1.5" aluminum exhaust flex pipe fromm Napa, silencer from a Briggs Lo206.
Right side fake fuel pump: A Caulking gun... LOL
Atlas Rubber stickers: Custom designed. I don't believe in modern stickers on a vintage recreation. It ruins the car entirely
Car Specs:
Total Height: 40"
Wheelbase: 69"
Front and rear width: 40" (extended width in 2024)
Ground Clearance: rear: 2" Front: 3"
Steering type: Race Kart
Top Speed: 50Mph
Wheels: 17 x 1.40, 36 hole aluminum D.I.D. Oem motocross rims from the 90's laced to late 70's Yamaha XT250 front hubs. This achieved the proper look of the car.
Tires: IRC GP 1 - 17 x 3.00
White Walls: Port-a-wall tire inserts
Gearing: #35 Chain, 12T / 63T race kart/rocket kart split sprockets on kart Dragster sprocket hub
Engine: Early Greyhound 196 (6.5hp) governer removed, trick emulsion tube, open pipe. (it's loud)
TAV: Cheap Chinese unit
Brakes: Vintage Bendix Drum on right pedal. Left handle actuates secondary mech disc on left side.
Front Suspension: Inverted leaf spring, yes we know the shackles should be the other way.
Misc Notes:
Car was built in a driveway with very little as you can see. Total cost of original running rendition: 700 bucks. It is quite "minimal" when it comes to construction... quite different from most modern and overbuilt cyclekarts. You have fun in her, and she rewards you for good driving.
Seat is directly above the engine. It flips up so you can get right to it.
You can get in the car by simply stepping into it.
Car is very easy to drive and predicable. Was first actually put in Huntsville GP heat with driver Zac Smith piloting. It had not even been driven 5 times before that.
Car looks good with tall 17" or 18" edwardian style wheels.
Worth mentioning: There are two another renditions of the Hefling Special. One, Created by Graham Appleyard in the United Kingdom. It was built when he saw my creation from what I was told. (first 2 pics below) The 2nd, a version by Holecz Csaba of Hungary. Holecz asked me for the plans... and I believe he did well.
... and it's a car that's recognizable... Anywhere.
