[SEL] OT : Unknown Chain Drive Car circa 1916

[Mark Shulaw]

Thank You everyone thats written. The actual builder of the car may never 
be known but the suggestion by Elden to look at Vanderbilt racers was a 
good one. I see lots of similarities on those cars to the one we are 
looking at. The pic sent by Al of the American Lafrance Speedster has 
striking similarities to our mystery car. I've read that many of the 
builders or owners of cars started with a basic car design and striped it 
down to rolling chassis and rebuilt to suit. But like today some parts were 
bought from builders that made certain things like mufflers, or built their 
parts after other peoples designs, or their own ideas making different cars 
look similar due to requirements of race rules and needs to win. I have 
been looking more at the frame, wheels and suspension to determine 
similarities. As in todays Nascar cars the body designs are similar due to 
profile length and height rules. So right or wrong in the case of the old 
cars I look at the less likely to have been changed things like frames, 
wheels and suspension. And in this case Chain Drive.  Sheet metal and 
mufflers are too easy to change.
A bit more info on the picture She said her grandfather (now passed) said 
it was taken in Dubuque, Iowa  But like so many of us, at the time when the 
info was available for the asking she was not interested in the details 
enough to ask more.
  I'll keep you updated when new info turns 
up.                        Thank You, Mark


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Mark & Christine Shulaw
Bluffton, Ohio
Email: Frappi at wcoil.com
Home #419.358.5206