Found on eBay: When 1,000 cubic inches isn't enough.

[wildmanjoe]

Found on eBay: 1915 Van Blerck Special Speedster

Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1915-Van-Blerck-17-Litre-engined-chain-driven-Monster-racer-/160659220307?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2568092753

1915 van Blerck Vintage racer. This is a true one-off masterpiece using a massive 200hp plus 17 litre ( yes, seventeen litre ) T head six cylinder engine that was built in 1915 by van Blerck , a famous Marine engine builder in Michigan who built hi-performance engines for the wooden Hacker craft raceboats of the rich and famous. In fact , research shows that his company's Marine engines cost more than the Duesenberg Marine engines at that time ! This massive engine fires it's gas using three sparkplugs per cylinder , and the pistons have to be the size of a two pound coffeecan ! The thundering sound it makes is as special as the engine and the car itself. The pre- 1920's chaindriven Firetruck chassis has been expertly modified by the car's famous California craftsman and builder Gary Wales to accept disc brakes and even hidden Powersteering , which helps stop and turn the huge 38" front and 40" rear tires. The shifter to the indestructible 3 speed transmission is attached to the exterior , and the great looking exhaust hangs off the passengerside looking like a missile ready to be fired. It spits out sparks and shoots out flames periodacally and makes the windows shake just idling in front of your home. The 19 foot long sleek race car body is complimented by a beautiful dash full of gold dials and period swiches and there's lots of brass parts under the hood as well as on the outside of the car, including a huge period spotlight. The carburator was located on the outside on the ( RH ) driversside which looked cool , but it was a troublesome carb and thus it had to go. It has been replaced now and the car starts much easier , idles better and drives better. The hole in the sidepanels of the hood has now been filled with a antique snakehorn pouring it's head out and it looks great ! I've also replaced the louvres in the hood panels with plexiglass , so now you can see the beautiful heart of the machine from the outside too. ( I have the louvres and they will pop right in if you like 'em better ) The sheer size of this racer is definately impressive too : 214" Length , 74" ( over 6ft. ) Tall , and with a wheelbase of 163 " ! I have personally spent considerable time and money recently to perfect the mechanicals on this beautiful machine , and now you can " drive over a house " if you want to. Surely , you will have no lack of torque and you will easily be able to achieve over 100 mph. if you have the guts to..( you gotta be pretty crazy , because at 60 mph you already feel like a God riding a firebreathing dragon-like chariot ! Just imagine the dropped jaws of your fellow Higway users as you roar past them , flames shooting out the exhaust , wearing your leather cap and goggles while you overlook the brass windshield and brass bird hood ornament at the end of the superlong hood in front of you ; it does'nt get much better than that ! This is truly a unique opportunity to aquire a " Jay Leno type of toy " and a funfactor of 10 is guaranteed.. Now as far as the value ; it may be hard to determine for a car like this , but I have paperwork with which I can prove to you that a - welll known in classic car circles - Texas millionaire paid $288K for it at an auction in 2008 , and yes, I have that documented. A well known st.Louis dealer even had it for sale at $385,000 ( but he aint shy ) Now ,I know that may be a decent amount of money to drop on a custom car , but just look at what people pay for unique items these days. $ 40 million for a Chinese vase , 43 Million for a Picasso painting and similar money for other art , and then we have seen millions paid very recently for some stellar classic cars , like 16 mill for a Ferrari and 10 mill. for a Duesenberg.. This car definately qualifies as being a work of art , and best of all , you can drive it ! I was able to purchase this rolling work of art for much less than previous stated and documented prices , and now so can you.. If you want something really crazy and impressive - that no one else has , is beautifully built and sounds like thunder - to be the focus of your collection , this is definately it , and NOW is the time to consider purchasing this beast for a fraction of what it cost to built , and at a super discount for what it sold for before.... Take a look at the movies next to the camera logo on my main victorycars website please. Please CALL for more info , as I'm traveling a lot and cannot always answer your emails in a timel;y fashion , thank you.

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Six cylinders for fuel efficiency, 1,037 cubic inches and probably the lowest hp/displacement ratio I've ever seen. How do you make so little horsepower with so many cubic inches? I'm sure the there are breathing issues with the flathead arrangement and metallurgy issues with iron that old, but that can't account for all of it.

[SAmadei]

Six cylinders for fuel efficiency, 1,037 cubic inches and probably the lowest hp/displacement ratio I've ever seen. How do you make so little horsepower with so many cubic inches? I'm sure the there are breathing issues with the flathead arrangement and metallurgy issues with iron that old, but that can't account for all of it.

In general, its about low compression. It took a while before machining, sealing and metallurgy would allow for more horsepower. I'm sure the pistons are super heavy, too, but part of that is due to the huge displacement, necessary to get horsepower with its low compression.

I think its interesting that it looks like a cross between the brass era and a stealth fighter. Like a 1915 Lamborghini Reventon.

The name also cracks me up a little... like something Hunter S. Thompson would write about, when hes not writing about Vincent Black Shadows.

[Robert Hall]

Pointy. Probably the most badass car of 1915. I'd like to have a model of it.

Edited October 7, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar