Rare birds...errr, cars!

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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by Rich Sweigart »

Deutsch-Bonnet

Howard Hanna was the best known pilot of D-Bs. His son runs YBH motors near West Chester, PA.

The red car is an Alfa Romeo 1300. My 1964 Top Gear says that Joe Amato from Staten Island, NJ drove one at Vineland.

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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by beachfv14 »

Ron Mann wrote:Ok...here is another one. Some more crazy stuff from back in the day...what is it?
I think that it is Dave Latshas' old Hershey hillclimb/Oval track car.
Panhard powered ??
French bodied ??
Held the early hill record at Hershey.
Darn it, I can't remember the name of the car.
I raced against it at the Hershey Stadium in the MINI-STOCK class.
I think.
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by Ron Mann »

Rich…you are correct two fold!! This is in fact Howard Hanna in a Deutsch-Bonnet Panhard. Tom…you were close but ended up kinda cold with Dave Latsha (but keep him in mind later…he certainly drove some odd balls too!)

Read more about Deutsch-Bonnets here: http://www.panhardusa.org/aboutpdb.phtml
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by Ron Mann »

alright, alright....let's keep it rolling here...

What is it!? *edit....year is 1959*
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by beachfv14 »

Ron Mann wrote:alright, alright....let's keep it rolling here...

What is it!? *edit....year is 1959*
Either a Borgward Isabella/Arabella,,
Or a Goliath Tiger, They looked similar
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by dspgti »

So, when do you get to the cool, fast cars?

There is a reason that they are not around anymore. Butt ugly and slow doesn't have a big following. Do the terms dinasaur and extinct come to mind or am I alone here?

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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by Ron Mann »

Tommy...you are close enough! This is a Goliath Empress driven by Murray Sperling. The car took first at the 1959 Fall Hershey hill climb with a time of 71.506. It surely isn't a fast car....but...it is a rare/odd ball!! (hence the thread title, Dave...someone tinkle in your Wheaties!? :D ) I think the Denzel and the Alfa are quite hot looking....I even dig the Goliath and the Panhard!
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by Ron Mann »

I was thinking…I have a slow, ugly & uncommon car (only one other VW Notchback ran PHA)!! Thanks Dave, you really know how to hurt a guy! :wink:
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by Ron Mann »

Ok…this one is still on the rare side and is probably a bit faster than some of the sedans so I can satisfy the thread & Dave!!

What is it!? Circa 1954
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by beachfv14 »

Ron Mann wrote:Ok…this one is still on the rare side and is probably a bit fast than some of the sedans so I can satisfy the thread & Dave!!

What is it!? Circa 1954
OSCA,,, ?
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by dspgti »

For the record, Osca's were cool and fast (of sorts)
http://shutter05.pictures.aol.com/data/ ... B30280.jpg
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by beachfv14 »

So,
Is it an OSCA ??
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by FV195 »

Tom, have another "bitburger" or whatever that beer is you praise so much.
THOR
enjoying the good beer in Fl.
Landshark, "candygram!"
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by Ron Mann »

Whoa...I hope you don't do that with your ice cream bowl...brrr!

NO...not an Osca
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by Bergsteiger 71 »

Ron Mann wrote:Rich…you are correct two fold!! This is in fact Howard Hanna in a Deutsch-Bonnet Panhard. Tom…you were close but ended up kinda cold with Dave Latsha (but keep him in mind later…he certainly drove some odd balls too!)

Read more about Deutsch-Bonnets here: http://www.panhardusa.org/aboutpdb.phtml
In fact, Howard Hanna won 3 SCCA championships in the DB (HP 1958, FP 1961, and FP 1962). Note that Ray Heppenstahl won HP in the DB in 1959!

Link to an SCCA press guide with many class winners from 1954 to present:

http://www.scca.org/documents/Club_Even ... guide2.pdf
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by Ron Mann »

Alright...I was away on vacation with limited access to the internet...so, sorry for the delay.

This car is in fact a Giaur...and the driver is Frank Dominiani.

The name Giaur (jow-er) is a contraction of the names of engine builder Domenico Giannini and, inexplicably, an observatory in Turin named Urania. The cars were built by Taraschi in small numbers and, according to owner and expert John de Boer, only 17 were registered new in Italy from 1950 through 1957. Built upon a lightweight, multi-tube chassis, it used Fiat Topolino suspension and drivetrain parts.
Frank Dominiani, who later became a ranking Corvette driver, raced a Giaur from 1952 through 1956. He describes the car as '. . . about 900 lbs, with the engine hung over the front end. In spite of the engine being so far forward, it had near-neutral handling. I could dirt track it at will - I used to terrorize everyone with it!' Paul Gougleman won a national championship in a Giaur in 1952."1
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by beachfv14 »

Really ????????????
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by Ron Mann »

alright...here is yet another one. What is it?
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by beachfv14 »

Is itn Dave Latshas' ?????
Renault alpine panhard etc, blah blah ???
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Re: Rare birds...errr, cars!

Post by Ron Mann »

Mr. Hartman is correct.

This is in fact Dave Latsha in his Renault Alpine. This is the car that was FTD at the first Hershey Hill Climb in the Fall of 1958. He won it with a time of 70.6178. Now for those of you that didn't know…back then, at Hershey, they had a section of the track where the competitors had to stop at one line, throw the car in reverse to another line. This area was located between turns 3 & 4 and was put in place to slow cars down before turn 4. Back then the largest of the vacation cottages for the Hotel Hershey sat on the outside of this turn (now is just an open flat spot), there was great concern that cars would end up crashing into this cabin!! Later the turn was heavily hay baled!
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