15 replies to this topic

[chuckbrandt]

Hi Folks,
I just got a couple of pictures of a pretty nice looking mid-engineed special and was wondering if any of you know anything about it. Would love to see some other pictures of the car, it looks pretty nice to me. BMC-Huffaker transaxle. UPDATE: From Dave Friedman's Pro Sports Car Racing In America page 149 "Ken Duclos' Cicada Special-Chevrolet" at Nassau December 1966.

Drivers name is Ken Duclos and I believe he is the proprietor of Kay-Dee Automotive Engineering. Could be from Westford, MA or Stowe, VT.

Photos were taken by Rick Kopec at Bryar Motorsport Park in NH in the summer of '66, and Thompson, CT at a SCCA National on Labor Day 1966.

Thanks for any info you can provide!

Chuck Brandt

[Geoff E]

OK, someone has to say it ... they look like different cars.

Rear bodywork
Mirrors
Steering wheel rim
Struts to gearbox
Slope of exhaust pipes
Windscreen

[chuckbrandt]

You could be right, the picture of #26 was taken about 3 months after the picture of #34. But still, they are very similar cars with very similar livery. Thanks for considering the question.

Chuck

[sterling49]

love the decals on the back of the lower car.....from memory do they say "moon equipped"?

John Quick used to have them on a very fast E-Type and they were fashionable at the time.....BTW what is their relevance? Anybody know?

Sorry I cannot help on your original question Chuck!

[chuckbrandt]

No problem, I can help with your question. Yes those are "moon eyes" and they do say "Moon Equipped". Dean Moon had a hot rod speed parts business in Santa Fe Springs, California. BTW it was in a back corner of Dean's shop that Shelby started his cobra business.

http://www.moonequipment.com/

Is a website that appears to link to a couple of businesses that are at least associated with the original.

Chuck

[Joe Nix]

Dean Moon, great marketer from southern California

http://www.sema.org/...e.aspx?id=52556

best bio I could google in a few minutes.

[sterling49]

Thank you! After 40 years, one of lifes mysteries is solved.....I thought they were just cool car stickers!

We have a lot to thank Dean Moon for, re Carrol Shelby.........

[T54]

Ken Duclos later raced in F/Atlantic in the late 1970's.

[Stoneageracer]

You are correct that the Cicada belonged to - and, in fact, was built by Ken Duclos. At the time, Ken had a shop off of Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton, Ma. He later moved the shop to Westford, Ma and is now retired and living in Stowe, Vt. Along the way he won two National SCCA Championships in Formula B. He raced the Cicada at Nassau Speed Week but DNF'd. He also raced it at a number of SCCA National events. I bought the Cicada from Ken in 1969. I took it to a time trial event at the old Bryar Motorsport Park in Louden, NH that was put on by the Corvettes of Mass (check the T-shirt in the lower photo). Having more enthusiasm than skill at that time, I managed to spin the car at the top of the hill and backed it into a very big piece of New Hampshire granite. The car was a writeoff and the remains were parted out and sold. The car was powered by a small block Chevrolet with 4 Webers. I don't remember the displacement but it had considerable grunt. The handling was fairly evil, the suspension - by today's standards - rather primitive and it was very short on brakes. At the top of the hill at Bryar, it would unload the suspension to the point of liftoff, so it was important to get the car pointed straight through that turn. I didn't.

It was quite a surprise as well as a pleasure to see the old girl again.

Thanks.

John White
Bridgewater, NH.

[chuckbrandt]

Thanks John,
I guess that answers my first question, where is it now. Nice looking car though. You don't have any pictures from the front do you?

I've left a message at the Stowe, VT address but no reply yet. I hope Ken is well.

Thanks, Chuck

[chuckbrandt]

I just got off the phone with Ken Duclos! Sounds like a really nice guy. He's invited me up to vermont to scan pictures and drawings. Not sure when I'll be able to make that trip, but I'm going to try.

Anyway, it's a tube frame built by Ken. Fiberglass body. 377ci Small Block Chevy with webers. BMC/Huffaker transaxle.

He told me the Nassau DNF story. He said he was doing well in the big race when a rear body mount broke causing the bodywork to lift and fill with air, which lifted the rear of the car off the track. He said it felt like a blown tire or suspension broke so it worked it off the track and shut it down. A few seconds later he heard a screech of tires and Hap Sharp stuffed his car into the weeds 50 feet away (I can't remember what he said Hap was driving). He checked on Hap and he was okay, they walked back to the pits together.

Thanks for all the help on this, I think its a very interesting car to find. Mostly because it's a one-off of the mid-engined type built by a guy who didn't normally build whole cars. He raced lightweight corvettes before that and formula type cars after.

Chuck

[Stoneageracer]

I have known KD for nearly 40 years now and he is a great guy. A man of many different skills. He probably didn't mention that he raced a super modified once in a while as well. Ken generally had the ability to get in YOUR car which he may have never even seen before and drive it faster than you. Didn't seem to matter much what kind of car. Raced Atlantic against Rahal, Villenueve, (Gilles), Rossberg and that bunch. He told me that Villenueve was probably the best driver he ever raced with.

The only photos that I have of the Cicada are of the wreck. Not pretty but if you are interested I can scan them in. Haven't figured out how to get a photo onto this forum. Maybe you can help.

Regards,

John

[catmanluge]

The Cicada II (Number 34) was owned by Ken Hablow and constructed and driven by Ken Duclos. I think the Cicada I (Number 26) was owned and constructed by Ted Priest of Northboro or Southboro MA.

Of Note: The Corvettes of Massachusetts Past President Peter Consiglio died in December in Florida he won the SCCA Runoffs at Riverside california in 1978 beating Tony DeLorenzo, Don Yenko anfd Hal Keck etc. Tony the son of the then President of Chevorlet Division of GM. Corvetts of Mass was notified the following week that they were being dropped from any association with Chevolet...

Bill Caterino

[ggnagy]

Quote

Originally posted by catmanluge
The Cicada II (Number 34) was owned by Ken Hablow and constructed and driven by Ken Duclos. I think the Cicada I (Number 26) was owned and constructed by Ted Priest of Northboro or Southboro MA.

Of Note: The Corvettes of Massachusetts Past President Peter Consiglio died in December in Florida he won the SCCA Runoffs at Riverside california in 1978 beating Tony DeLorenzo, Don Yenko anfd Hal Keck etc. Tony the son of the then President of Chevorlet Division of GM. Corvetts of Mass was notified the following week that they were being dropped from any association with Chevolet...

Bill Caterino

Er, in 1978, the Runoffs, then referred to as the CSPRRC, were held at Road Atlanta and A Production was won by EFR in a corvette. Peter Consiglio did win the the A Production title at the 1968 ARRC, which was indeed held at Riverside.

Perhaps the reason the club was dropped by GM, was because he did so while driving a Cobra, not a Corvette.

[catmanluge]

You are right wrong decade well that what happens when you have had too much fun in life the years just fly bye

[Rupertlt1]

Chuck Brandt: "The second "fragments" car appears to be a Genie - at least it has Genie wheels"

 

https://revslib.stan...tem/bv833mq7075

 

Still trying to identify which hill climb?

 

Could this Cicada be related:

 

https://revslib.stan...tem/mj770xt2509

 

https://revslib.stan...log/sf807db5607

 

https://revslib.stan...log/xn771pq8611

 

https://revslib.stan...log/kz651zc3553

 

See also: https://news.google....4,4401286&hl=en

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 07 November 2015 - 11:16.