73 replies to this topic

[Steve L]

I have been reading the article in the latest Motor Sport magazine about Julian Bronson's Scarab F1 car, and how it has been developed for historic racing.

 

As part of the build, the original Scarab engine was replaced with an Offenhauser unit of the type which the cars were later fitted with in-period for Formula Libre racing.  The reason given is that the Scarab units were a poor design and never likely to work properly.

 

But I seem to remember that not too long ago it was established that the Scarab F1 engine was actually a very sound design (by a designer of high repute) only hindered by how the units were built up (with possibly a serious timing issue)?

 

Or am I imagining this?

[bradbury west]

No, I think you are correct. ISTR one of the magazine articles, C&SC probably, or possibly the book, explained that there was an issue with valve timing or cam timing, the rectification of which released a lot more power. This was very much akin to the problem found by Sean Danagher with the ex O'Reilly, Schell Maserati 8CTF when he did a full restoration. The article is on file here somewhere.

Roger Lund

Edited by bradbury west, 11 October 2017 - 21:41.

[Rob Miller]

Here is a link to an explanation of the problem.

 

http://www.ultimatec...ffenhauser.html

[Roger Clark]

How much difference was there between the Scarab and 3-litre Offenhauser engines - apart from the capacity, of course. I believe they were both designed by Leo Goossen. Did the Offenhauser have desmodromic valves?

Was the 3-litre Offenhauser used anywhere else?

I understand that the Scarab was tested with an Offenhauser before the Scarab engine was ready. Was this the 3-litre or did they use a 4.2?

[Paul Parker]

I have been reading the article in the latest Motor Sport magazine about Julian Bronson's Scarab F1 car, and how it has been developed for historic racing.

 

As part of the build, the original Scarab engine was replaced with an Offenhauser unit of the type which the cars were later fitted with in-period for Formula Libre racing.  The reason given is that the Scarab units were a poor design and never likely to work properly.

 

But I seem to remember that not too long ago it was established that the Scarab F1 engine was actually a very sound design (by a designer of high repute) only hindered by how the units were built up (with possibly a serious timing issue)?

 

Or am I imagining this?

 

Yes I noticed the lack of any power output info in the article when in fact what you have posted was known years ago.

[Steve L]

Thanks for the replies. Glad my memory wasn't playing tricks! I enjoyed the Motor Sport article but it just seemed to be very one dimensional. No doubt the Offy unit is a better option these days because of spares availability.

[raceannouncer2003]

Was the 3-litre Offenhauser used anywhere else?
 

 

Here is a link...shows one of the three front engined Scarab sports cars from 1958 tried an Offenhauser, but switched to Chevy after one race...

 

http://www.tamsoldra...tlowScarab.html

 

Vince H.

Edited by raceannouncer2003, 13 October 2017 - 05:54.

[Roger Clark]

Many thanks, Vince. Was the 3-litre Offenhauser a Reventlow project?

The Bill Kreuger quote also suggests that the Don Orosco Scarab has a 4.2-litre engine today which might explain why it is so competitive.

[RA Historian]

Here is a link...shows one of the three front engined Scarab sports cars from 1958 tried an Offenhauser, but switched to Chevy after one race...

 

http://www.tamsoldra...tlowScarab.html

 

Vince H.

When the Scarab project began in 1957, the FIA rules for the World sports car championship had no top engine displacement limit. Then the three liter limit was imposed. Originally Lance Reventlow wanted to take his Scarabs on the world circuit, but that was suddenly impossible. So he ran the first two Scarab sports racers in the US in 1958, and very successfully at that. He still had an eye on the world stage, however, and to that end had the third (and last) front engine sports racer built with a three liter Meyer-Drake (Offenhauser) four cylinder engine. That car/engine combination ran one time, at Santa Barbara  the start of Sept 1958. Bruce Kessler was the driver. It immediately became apparent that the three liter engine in this chassis was not competitive, so that was the end of that project. The Offy was removed, and a proper Chevy V-8, such as in the first two cars, was installed. 

 

This third chassis went through a succession of owners from mid 1959 on, and achieved its greatest success in the years 1959-60 with the Meister Brauser Team, with Augie Pabst driving. It is now in the Revs Institute/Collier Collection.

 

Tom

[RA Historian]

The Bill Kreuger quote also suggests that the Don Orosco Scarab has a 4.2-litre engine today which might explain why it is so competitive.

Orosco had two Scarabs at one time, the front engine chassis number one, and the F-1 chassis number one. He ran the F-1 car with a Meyer-Drake/Offy, but while saying that it was a three liter, may well have had a larger unit in it.  Almost 20 years ago he sold the front engine sports racer to Rob Walton, who still owns it. Orosco had replicas of both the front engine sports racer and the F-1 car built, and made, shall we say, dubious claims about their legitimacy.  Orosco no longer owns any of them, having sold the real F-1 car and the replica sports racer and replica F-1 car at auction a year ago. I understand that the real F-1 car is now in a museum in the Pacific Northwest area of the US.

 

Tom

Edited by RA Historian, 13 October 2017 - 14:27.

[E1pix]

Tom, do you know where the front-engined Meister Brauser car is now?

I ask because its bare frame was at a friend's shop in Golden, Colorado in July of 2013, to be restored and sent to its California owner then.

Edited by E1pix, 13 October 2017 - 14:53.

[Tom Glowacki]

Tom, do you know where the front-engined Meister Brauser car is now?

I ask because its bare frame was at a friend's shop in Golden, Colorado in July of 2013, to be restored and sent to its California owner then.

It's now in the Collier Collection:

 

https://revsinstitut...b-sports-racer/

[E1pix]

Awesome, Thanks Tom!

 

Good to see the graphics look correct! I almost did that car, but I've yet to break out my brushes again (though have with pinstriping).

 

It pains me deeply to see all the crummy, inaccurate, junk vinyl on so many great vintage cars!

 

But… Have Brushes, Will Travel. First lettering in over 25 years next Spring.

[David Birchall]

Is this the time to remind people of the wonderful film "The Sound of Speed"?

The Chevy V8 powered car at Riverside, without a spoken word throughout the movie-loverly stuff!

[Henri Greuter]

How much difference was there between the Scarab and 3-litre Offenhauser engines - apart from the capacity, of course. I believe they were both designed by Leo Goossen. Did the Offenhauser have desmodromic valves?

Was the 3-litre Offenhauser used anywhere else?

I understand that the Scarab was tested with an Offenhauser before the Scarab engine was ready. Was this the 3-litre or did they use a 4.2?

 

I don't think it is the 3 liter Offenhauser as you have in mind but there have been some 3 liter Offies being used before the Scarab.

Back in 1952 there were some experiments with supercharged 3 liter Offenhausers at Indy. Andy Linden qualified one in the middle of the first row that year but was the first retirement.

I don't know if this 3 liter has been any inspiration for the Scarab engine, maybe could share parts???

That race of 1952 was, at least within Indy history a unique one because in no other years    (edit  during the 50's   EndEdit)  there were so many different engine configurations within the starting field, and four ot those were used witin the first four qualifiers!

 

1 (pole) Straight six turbocharged diesel

2 Supercharged 3 liter Stright 4 Offenhauser

3 standard unblown 4.5 liter Offenhauser

4 Supercharged 3 liter Novi V8.

 

.......  and way back in the field there was the unblown 4.5 liter Ferrari V12........

 

 

BTW, Herb Porter fielded a supercharged Offy in the years between 1957 and 1959 but rules mandated that blown engines then had a capacity of 2.8 liters. Rodger ward was one of the drivers of that car,

 

 

Edit2:  I forgot to mention but there were 4 such supercharged Offenhausers in the 1951 race but deemed no success because (as I have read) while they were more powerful, they lacked the torque of the unblown 4.5 liters which helped those cars to accellerate out of the corners much better than the supercharged ones and thus made the unblown engined cars easier to drive than the blown engines. Hence the fact that one year later only Linden still drove for a team that tried its luck with a blown Offy.

EndEdit2.

 

 

 

Henri

Edited by Henri Greuter, 14 October 2017 - 09:50.

[fbarrett]

E1pix wrote: " its bare frame was at a friend's shop in Golden, Colorado in July of 2013, to be restored "

 

Gary Okoren? He's a real ace with metal.

[E1pix]

Beautiful, Frank, Yes.

Friend since 1980, fabricated my sign palette first used In about 1982 and solely since, son-in-law of a great prep shop client and dear friend of mine over the last decade of his shop (RIP, JB).

Say Hi to Gary, as will I. :-)

[RA Historian]

Tom, do you know where the front-engined Meister Brauser car is now?

Bear in mind that there were two front engne Meister Brauser Scarabs, chassis number two and three.

 

Chassis two is the one with the englarged cockpit, which was to fit the tall frame of Jim Jeffords when he drove the car for Nickey Chevrolet. This car was purchased by Meister Brauser in late 1959 and was kept by them for a decade. It was then sold to Augie Pabst, who owned it up until 2012 or 2013 when he sold it to John Mozart. I understand that Mozart has had the car restored in RAI trim and is no longer in the Meister Brauser livery.

 

Chassis three is the one that is currently in the Collier Collection at the REVs Institute. This was purchased directly from RAI by Meister Brauser in mid 1959. It was sold by Meister Brauser to Harry Woodnorth in June, 1961. Then it went to Skip Lehmann, followed by Jerry Hansen. While in Hansen's ownership it was heavily damaged in a garage fire and never raced again. From Hansen it went to Bud Gates, then Don Devine, who restored it. Later it was in the Dick Barbour Collection for a number of years before being sold to the Collier Museum. Since the frame was fire damaged, Collier had a new frame built, and hung the old one on the wall. It was in this guise that this car was vintage raced for a number of years and was involved in that infamous collision and roll over at Laguna Seca around 2010 or so. Collier people realized that the car was just too valuable to risk, so they had a complete restoration done, which involved the replacement of the 'after market' frame with the original frame. The car was also restored in its Meister Brauser livery, and is now on display at the Collier Museum. So it is now in better shape than it has been since the early 1960s, what with the the original frame back in place.

Edited by RA Historian, 14 October 2017 - 14:37.

[RA Historian]

Is this the time to remind people of the wonderful film "The Sound of Speed"?

The Chevy V8 powered car at Riverside, without a spoken word throughout the movie-loverly stuff!

Just to be specific, the car in the Sound of Speed movie is the first of the front engine Formula 1 cars, not a sports racer. It had a Chevy V-8 in it in place of the Scarab four, which at that time simply did not work.

[E1pix]

Thank You Tom, I never knew two were run in Meister Brau colors. :-)

[RA Historian]

Thank You Tom, I never knew two were run in Meister Brau colors. :-)

Yes. From the end of 1959 to the start of 1961, a bit more than one season, Meister Brauser ran two Scarabs. That had to be one of the more formidable pairings ever. Augie Pabst and Harry Heuer were the drivers, with Pabst usually in the 003 car and Heuer in 002. The team won 11 races in 1960, with four being one-twos. Pabst won seven, with one win each for Heuer, John Kilborn, Carroll Shelby, and Bill Wuesthoff. That is feature wins, not counting prelims, Sat qualifiers, and the like. 

 

Tom

Edited by RA Historian, 15 October 2017 - 13:24.

[E1pix]

Thanks, Tom!

Did they run those cars at the 1963 June Sprints?

I ask as that was my first race and it seems they did...

(Edit: I was two years and 11 months old) :-)

Edited by E1pix, 15 October 2017 - 13:25.

[D28]

Thanks, Tom!

Did they run those cars at the 1963 June Sprints?

I ask as that was my first race and it seems they did...

(Edit: I was two years and 11 months old) :-)

I saw the Meister Brau Team at the Canadian GP, Sep 63, even followed their beautifully detailed truck on the highway leading to Mosport.  The team then consisted of Don Devine, Scarab Mk2 and Harry Heuer Chaparral 1. According to Racing Sports cars this is the lineup appearing at the June Sprints, they finished 1, 2 with Harry in front. They appeared with the same lineup for the Road America 500, just 2 weeks before Mosport, Don Yenko partnering Devine in the Scarab. The Chaparral 1 is listed as an entry from Sept 61 Riverside, for Harry Heuer and Meister Brauser, so he had the choice of the 2 cars for a few races.

[E1pix]

Thank you, D!

My memory is those cars were there, despite my being so young.

I have some history with the Pabst family. From 1970 to early 1980, we lived a few blocks from David and maybe two miles from Augie. I toured Augie's mansion in maybe 1975, in perusing a kart offered by his stepson Tim in our local paper. I don't recall seeing the front-engined Scarab, but the rear-engined one was there in a brick-walled garage.

Augie used to drive a one-mile stretch of road past a best friend's house on the way home from work every day. The modest house was all alone and backed up to a giant farm field that produced all the grains for Pabst Brewing. My friend's mailbox was the end of an exact quarter-mile stretch starting with another driveway, the friend's being the last interruption of maybe a half-mile of country road. We always wondered if Augie knew this as he's routinely tear past my friend's house at well over 100 mph in a wicked, gold Boss Mustang.

One day he gave my friend a ride, in a Ferrari if I'm correct. My friend told Augie he was a lifetime fan of all things racing, and Augie proceeded to take him on one wicked joy ride! They talked about all sorts of things, but when I asked my friend if Augie knew about "our" quarter-mile, he'd forgotten to ask! We joked about this two weeks ago at the SCCA Runoffs at Indianapolis, an event we finally did together after first discussing it after my first Runoffs in 1972. Thanks for coming, Mark!!!

I first learned how to steer with my Dad's Plus-4 Morgan at about 13. The first time was on Pabst Road, there was a right-left-right set of turns that was awesome in design for any driver young or old. Then I started driving myself at 17, in the family Opel wagon, and learned my "car" skills in those same turns -- once doing them at 75 before deciding it a one-time effort. I raced a dozen kart races before bothering to drive a car.

Another longtime best friend's dad ran a clinic in our little town, and my wife was born there. That friend's step-sister wrote a best-selling book in 1999 called "Daughter of the Queen of Sheba." Much of it is written in code, and my friend refused permission to even exist in the book for its delicate subject matter. But in the book are references to my friend's mother having a lifetime, fantasy attraction to a certain beer magnate...

I never really knew Augie, but he is a Legend in my memory. We saw him race the front-engined Scarab at Road America in 2001 and 2002, and his son Augie III drove the rear-engined car *very* well in 2001. I have some images of Augie I now treasure, especially one with a tight lens, coming under the Turn 6 bridge. Though he's probably just taking in air, the look is he's singing to the Gods for a life well spent.

Thank You, Mr. Pabst.

[D28]

Thank you, D!

My memory is those cars were there, despite my being so young.
 

Very interesting stories. I'm envious you started race meetings so young and can remember it, sort of! 

 

The Scarabs were wonderful cars, wished I had seen one again, even in vintage racing trim. Impressive is how competitive they remained even in fall 63, about 5 years after inception. Don Devine finished 4th at Mosport against a very strong international field. According to a Road & Track race report  he argued that he really should have been 3rd. Seems he had one more outing at Laguna Seca for a 10th, and that was it for  the Mk2 cars in major competition. A good way to go out.

[David Birchall]

I checked youtube and some kind soul has put a copy of "The Sound of Speed" on it!!

 

VOLUME UP:

 

 

It is not Lance Reventlow driving in the movie apparently but Chuck Daigh.

 

I have a copy with better definition than this-I will look into putting it on yt.

Edited by David Birchall, 16 October 2017 - 01:17.

[E1pix]

SPLENDID!

Please let us know if you get a better version up!

[RA Historian]

 

It is not Lance Reventlow driving in the movie apparently but Chuck Daigh.

 

Yes. Lance is in the close and pits shots,  but Daigh drove the car in the film. The movie was produced, directed, and filmed by Bruce Kessler. In it one can spot a goof. The white wagon in the background of the pits shots changes years from one take to another.

 

Tom

[RA Historian]

I saw the Meister Brau Team at the Canadian GP, Sep 63, even followed their beautifully detailed truck on the highway leading to Mosport.  The team then consisted of Don Devine, Scarab Mk2 and Harry Heuer Chaparral 1. According to Racing Sports cars this is the lineup appearing at the June Sprints, they finished 1, 2 with Harry in front. They appeared with the same lineup for the Road America 500, just 2 weeks before Mosport, Don Yenko partnering Devine in the Scarab. The Chaparral 1 is listed as an entry from Sept 61 Riverside, for Harry Heuer and Meister Brauser, so he had the choice of the 2 cars for a few races.

To this day Don insists that he finished third. As far as Riverside 1961 is concerned, Heuer had just taken delivery of the Chaparral 1. This was its first outing. It was new and unsorted and was not intended to be raced by Harry that weekend as he was quite comfortable with this Scarab. Augie Pabst took the Chaparral out in practice only to have the engine blow.

 

The 1963 RA 500 saw Don Yenko co-drive the Scarab, as mentioned. It was his only outing in the car. Somewhat curiously, it is a photo of Yenko that graces the cover of Preston Lerner's splendid Scarab book. I would have thought that given the history that Lance, Chuck, Augie, or Harry would have been the cover shot.

 

The Scarab was in the lead at half distance of the '63 500. Now granted this was due somewhat to pit stop sequences, but it did lead a number of laps. Not bad for a car in its sixth season of racing at the top level. Shortly after the driver change, the engine let go in a big way. I was in the Hurry Downs section of the track and the car went past one last time with smoke pouring out of the exhausts.

 

Tom

Edited by RA Historian, 16 October 2017 - 12:21.

[D-Type]

~ Somewhat curiously, it is a photo of Yenko that graces the cover of Preston Lerner's splendid Scarab book. I would have thought that given the history that Lance, Chuck, Augie, or Harry would have been the cover shot

 

Tom

The picture was probably selected by the publisher's art department based solely on how it would look on the sales shelf with no consideration of who was driving.

[RA Historian]

Did they run those cars at the 1963 June Sprints?

As mentioned, the Meister Brauser Team had a 1-2  finish in the 1963 RA June Sprints. Heuer was first in the Chaparral, with Devine second in the Scarab. Dick Thompson was third in the Grady Davis entered Corvette Grand Sport. Ed Hamill was fourth, with Bill Wuesthoff fifth, first under two liters, in his Porsche RS-60 followed by Doug Thiem in a Ferrari SP 206. Hap Sharp had a big crash in the early going which effectively wrecked his Cooper Monaco. The Mecom Racing Team pair, Roger Penske in the Cooper Zerex Special now-two seater and Augie Pabst in a two liter Lotus 19 ran 1-2 early in the race before both were DNFs.

 

It was the second June Sprints win for Meister Brauser, Pabst having won in 1960 in the very same car that Devine used to place second in 1963.

 

The second Meister Brauser Scarab, chassis 3, had been sold by Meister Brauser in June, 1961. By this time it had been seriously damaged in a garage fire and was no longer able to race. Its last outing had been Meadowdale, Sept 1962, when it was a DNS in the hands of Jerry Hansen. 

 

Heuer had ordered a Chaparral 1 from Troutman-Barnes early in 1961 but it was not delivered until late in the season. Its only appearance was at Riverside in Oct 1961 when the untested and unpainted car had a test outing, only to have the engine blow. Harry used the Chaparral from the start of 1962 on, with the Scarab only having three or four outings in 1962 before being the full season ride of Don Devine in 1963. Devine drove the car, now well past its sell-by date, very well, with a highlight being an overall victory in the VIR SCCA National.

 

Tom

Edited by RA Historian, 16 October 2017 - 12:38.

[RA Historian]

The picture was probably selected by the publisher's art department based solely on how it would look on the sales shelf with no consideration of who was driving.

Most likely. I had a bit more leeway in the Augie Pabst biography book of which I am the principal author. We had a number of good shots of Augie in various cars, but settled on the one chosen, Augie in a Scarab, because that is the car with which he is most associated.

 

Tom

[E1pix]

Hope the swimming pool story made the book. :-)

[lcbulldog]

I saw the Meister Brauser Scarabs race at the SCCA national race at Ascarate Lake in El Paso, TX in 1960 where Pabst and Heuer finished 1, 2 ahead of modest competition.  Then in 1963 we attended the Laguna Seca USRRC where Don Devine dnf'd in Scarab MKII.  Harry Heuer was a dnf with his Chaparral.  Good memories.

[E1pix]

Us Old Guys Rule!!! ;-)

[fbarrett]

Harry Heuer also raced a Meister Brauser Scarab at Continental Divide Raceway near Castle Rock, Colorado. An old film shows him scrapping with Bob Carnes in his red Bocar Stilletto.

 

Lance's step-brother, Richard, is still around, living in Florida. An old friend owns a 1972 911 that Lance bought new and had Troutman & Barnes and Richie Ginther modify.

 

Frank

[D28]

"What Ifs"   are always problematic in motor sport, but I always wondered.. Had Lance Reventlow concentrated on the American scene and the development of the mid-engined Scarabs, rather than being distracted to Europe and F1 what might have happened. The newer Scarabs had a few wins for AJ Foyt and Walt Hansgen, notable the 64 Bridgehampton 500 km. Could the team have rivaled McLaren and others in the upcoming Gr 7 stakes?  Do the Scarab enthusiasts here have any thoughts on this? 

[DCapps]

Us Old Guys Rule!!! ;-)

 

You still have a ways to go yet...

[E1pix]

Yeah, fair point... but in reality I'm on a de-maturation program, so am about 18 now anyway. ;-)

[SJ Lambert]

Go Super Scarab!!!

 

 

imgur

[RA Historian]

Hope the swimming pool story made the book. :-)

Yes it did, in lengthy detail. But let me tell you, Augie is so tired of that story!

[RA Historian]

I saw the Meister Brauser Scarabs race at the SCCA national race at Ascarate Lake in El Paso, TX in 1960 where Pabst and Heuer finished 1, 2 ahead of modest competition.  

The team was in California in Oct, 1960, for Riverside and Laguna Seca pro races. After Augie was third at Riverside and second at Laguna Seca, they took in the SCCA National at El Paso on the way home. As you say, an embarrassingly easy 1-2 against virtually no competition. This was near the end of a stellar season which saw the team score 12 feature race wins, plus a number of prelim wins. 

 

Tom

Edited by RA Historian, 17 October 2017 - 13:21.

[RA Historian]

Harry Heuer also raced a Meister Brauser Scarab at Continental Divide Raceway near Castle Rock, Colorado. An old film shows him scrapping with Bob Carnes in his red Bocar Stilletto.

There was an SCCA Regional at Continental Divide over Labor Day weekend in 1960. Bob Carnes, who was Denver based, was the builder of the Bocars, and during the season had been running his mouth about how the Bocar was a better car and that it would sweep the floor over the Scarabs. Harry Heuer called his bluff and brought both Scarabs to the race. A special match race between just Carnes and Heuer was arranged, and in this "grudge" race Heuer toyed with Carnes for a while before disappearing into the distance. I have a video of this race somewhere in my mess of memorabilia. Scarabs won two more races that weekend, a Saturday prelim and the Sunday feature. Augie Pabst won the main.

 

Tom

[E1pix]

Yes it did, in lengthy detail. But let me tell you, Augie is so tired of that story!

That's what happens!

[RA Historian]

"What Ifs"   are always problematic in motor sport, but I always wondered.. Had Lance Reventlow concentrated on the American scene and the development of the mid-engined Scarabs, rather than being distracted to Europe and F1 what might have happened. The newer Scarabs had a few wins for AJ Foyt and Walt Hansgen, notable the 64 Bridgehampton 500 km. Could the team have rivaled McLaren and others in the upcoming Gr 7 stakes?  Do the Scarab enthusiasts here have any thoughts on this? 

What if, indeed. However, I do not think that it would have happened. The RAI enterprise was terminated by the IRS rules of the day. Five years with no profit, and one can no longer take any tax deductions. The rear engine Scarab, and there was only one of those, was built in 1962 and was a good car. But technology was leap frogging it and in a couple years it was obsolete. As Preston Lerner explains in his excellent book on the Scarabs, by 1962 Lance Reventlow had lost all interest in racing and was quite agreeable to closing up shop and doing other things. 

 

The rear engine Scarab, often referred to as the Mk IV, did win four major races, all when raced by the Mecom Team. Foyt won the 1963 Nassau Governor's Cup and Trophy races, as well as the 1964 Daytona American Challenge event. Hansgen won the 1964 Bridgehampton 500. The car saw two outings at the end of 1965 after Augie Pabst bought it from Mecom as a quick fix after his McLaren burned to the ground at Mosport. Pabst was 10th in the Riverside Times GP and fifth at the Stardust race. Those were good finishes for an obsolete car. However, it was fast becoming obsolete, RAI was closed, and it never would have been a bother to the McLaren and Lola cars.

 

The car was retired after that, and to this day resides in the Pabst family collection. It has spent the last several months in the IMS Museum as part of the Foyt display.

 

Tom

Edited by RA Historian, 17 October 2017 - 13:40.

[Jack-the-Lad]

Harry Heuer also raced a Meister Brauser Scarab at Continental Divide Raceway near Castle Rock, Colorado. An old film shows him scrapping with Bob Carnes in his red Bocar Stilletto.
 
Lance's step-brother, Richard, is still around, living in Florida. An old friend owns a 1972 911 that Lance bought new and had Troutman & Barnes and Richie Ginther modify.
 
Frank

I had a test drive in Richard's nicely restored and thoughtfully modified Élan a couple of months ago in Sarasota.

I'd like to know more about the modifications to Lance's 911.

Thanks.

Jack

[D28]

What if, indeed. However, I do not think that it would have happened. The RAI enterprise was terminated by the IRS rules of the day. Five years with no profit, and one can no longer take any tax deductions. The rear engine Scarab, and there was only one of those, was built in 1962 and was a good car. But technology was leap frogging it and in a couple years it was obsolete. As Preston Lerner explains in his excellent book on the Scarabs, by 1962 Lance Reventlow had lost all interest in racing and was quite agreeable to closing up shop and doing other things. 

 

The rear engine Scarab, often referred to as the Mk IV, did win four major races, all when raced by the Mecom Team. Foyt won the 1963 Nassau Governor's Cup and Trophy races, as well as the 1964 Daytona American Challenge event. Hansgen won the 1964 Bridgehampton 500. The car saw two outings at the end of 1965 after Augie Pabst bought it from Mecom as a quick fix after his McLaren burned to the ground at Mosport. Pabst was 10th in the Riverside Times GP and fifth at the Stardust race. Those were good finishes for an obsolete car. However, it was fast becoming obsolete, RAI was closed, and it never would have been a bother to the McLaren and Lola cars.

 

The car was retired after that, and to this day resides in the Pabst family collection. It has spent the last several months in the IMS Museum as part of the Foyt display.

 

Tom

Thanks for this, I guess not all was a loss for American racing, as Carroll Shelby took over the lease of RAI workshop and two key employees Warren Olson and Phil Remington went to work for him. Both were part of the huge success of Shelby American; I believe many other former RAI workers gravitated to Shelby.

[Concreteconrods]

My understanding is that Julian Bronson's Scarab F1 car is the un-raced, engine-less 3rd car that was for many years in The Wheatcroft Collection. The Motorsport article stating "the original Scarab engine was replaced with an Offenhauser" probably isn't right - it never had an engine to replace. Chuck Daigh raced a Scarab in the Intercontinental Formula race at Silverstone in May 1961 with a 3 litre Offy installed. Quick too down the Hangar Straight!

[Cavalier53]

I must admit I know near to nothing about the Scarab F1. However I enjoyed the magnificent "The sound of speed" enormously already a couple of months ago. And then the looks and the performance of the Scarabs at the Spa 6 hours event recently were really impressive (made a lot of close up pics of the engine).

 

So I have 2 questions:

Is it correct to understand the current Scarab F1 models are officially using the 3 litre Offy that was developed for another US series?

Is it correct to assume the car has finally been sorted and performing so well, only being outclassed by a Lotus 16 (!), 18, and 25 in the opening stages of the Spa race? Or is there any doubt about the actual capacity installed (3.0 vs.4.2 Offy)?

 

Still, another story of just being too late, like the BRM V-16.

 

Jan.

[raceannouncer2003]

Thanks for this, I guess not all was a loss for American racing, as Carroll Shelby took over the lease of RAI workshop and two key employees Warren Olson and Phil Remington went to work for him. Both were part of the huge success of Shelby American; I believe many other former RAI workers gravitated to Shelby.

 

Carroll Shelby, speaking at the Fabulous Fifties banquet in December, 2006, talks about the rear-engined Scarab sports car:

"...When you get to talking about mistakes that you've made in life, I've made a million of 'em. But one of the greatest ones that I ever made was when we went over and took over the Reventlow facility...there was a car available there as a sport car. And I thought about it a little while and suddenly, while I was trying to make my mind up, I think John Mecom bought it. And I wanted to go sport car racing so I bought a couple or three Coopers and we went racing for a little while. Phil (Remington) had a lot to do with that. But the greatest mistake was not taking that Scarab that Phil and Chuck and everybody built because it was probably the best sport car, better than the Lotus, better than the Coopers, and I just wish that...Augie has that car now, if anybody wants to buy it, he said he only wanted three and half million dollars for it..."

 

Vince H.