1951 Giant's Despair...first one back...history lesson

[Ron Mann]

GIANT’S DESPAIR
Classic Hill Climb Revived
By John Bently
Motor Trend, August 1951



June 14, 1910 made automobile history in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains. That day, at the fifth annual Giants’ Despair Hill Climb in Wilkes-Barre, PA, Ralph De Palma set up a record in a stripped Fiat powered by a 190 hp engine with four huge cylinders. His time for the 5700 ft. climb was one minute, 28.4 seconds, an average of 46.51 mph helped by a flying start. On Friday, May 11, 1951, 41 years later, De Palma’s record was broken 25 times during practice, 30 more times next day during the official climbs. Fastest time of the day went to Dellevan Lee of Grosse Point, Michigan (Detroit Region SCCA), who set up a new record with his Cadillac-Allard. Lee made two runs, as did every competitor who so wished. On his first, balked by a dog, he clocked 1:8.6. Second time, he thundered up in 1:7.5, an average of 53.18 mph from a standing start over a 5280 ft. course—140 shorter than De Palma’s.

Some 63 cars faced the starter at this thrilling revival of an old time American automotive classic sponsored by the Giants’ Despair Hill Climb Assn. and the SCCA. Despite blustery weather and intermittent showers, an estimated 20,000 people lined both sides of the treacherous, punishing course to view the official runs for the record on Saturday. Scoring, timing and policing were faultless and there were three “casualties” – all mechanical. As usual, the MG contingent dominated the entries. There were 19 of them, blown and unblown, TC’s and TD’s. Next largest one-make entry were Jaguars with 11 XK120’s and two SS 100s—the one driven by Dave Garroway having an XK engine. Logan Hill’s Wade-blown specimen sounded crisp but made only one attempt, clocking 1:15.4. Aston Martin, BMW, Allard, Simca, Morris, LeaFrancis, Jupiter, Crosley, Bugatti, Effyh, Cooper and several “specials” made up the rest of the field, besides the nine vintage cars that tackled the killing climb.

Today, the aptly named Giant’s Despair (most formidable hill course in the coal producing Wyoming Valley) is paved all the way, whereas in De Palma’s time it was a dirt road. However, the camber and the 700 ft. rise with grades of 10 to 22 per cent, together with the dangerous right curve at Devil’s Elbow, spelled tense, hard going. Drivers were kept on the hair-trigger of poise every inch of the climb, with the tachometer needle glued at peak.

Under these abnormal stresses, ignitions faltered with disturbing sounds and exhaust smoke billowed from engines that found no joy in the tough haul.

Several highlights marked this completely successful event. Among them was the terrific battle for supremacy between the XK 120s, which seemed geared about right; the commendable 1:23 of Charlie Addams’s 1928 SS Mercedes; and the quick 1:25 registered by Boris Said Jr. in his bored-out 1440 cc TD. This was nearly two seconds faster than any other unblown MG and almost equaled the low time in the 3000-5000 cc class.

On practice day, a bronze XK 120 bearing no. 17 stood on the timing strip, its driver blipping his engine while the starter’s hand picked up the timekeeper’s count: “one- two-three-go!” there was a squeal of spinning tires and the XK cannonballed to the peak of the first slope, where the driver snap-shifted into second. A rising crescendo of exhaust followed the bronze projectile out of sight as the seconds ticked by. Just 1 minute, 12.7 seconds later, the speakers relayed the roar of the XK as it streaked over the finishing tape. Bob Reider of Schuylkill Haven, PA, had made fastest time of the day and set up a new record—until Dell Lee appeared on race day to win a place for his name on the magnificent John Wills Hollenback Trophy of hand worked silver. Meantime, Richard Irish’s red XK went up in 1:12.9, George Flemming’s XK cut this by seven-tenths of a second and Gordon Lipe’s XK responded with 1:11.6. Irish obtained his license plate (XK 120) only by persuading a Norwalk, Ohio, school teacher to part with the number originally issued to him.

The duel between the 500 cc Swedish Effyh and British Cooper resulted in an easy victory for the former. Best time of C. F. Wheaton’s blue Cooper was 1:17.2, against 1:12.8 by John Fitch in Chuck Kotchan’s silver Effyh which had a whiplash exhaust crackle. Second fastest time of the day went to Bruce Stevenson, who took John Meyer’s Meyer Special up in 1:10. Most immaculate vintage climber was the gleaming yellow 1914 Stutz Bearcat of A. J. Koveleski; prize for the slowest time went to D. C. Wilson’s white Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost roadster which climbed in 2:52.3. It was fitting that 1908 winner Willie Haupt would scale the hill, though this time in a LeMans Speed Six Bentley when he and Mayor Luther Kniffen officially declared the event open. An interesting touch was that the watches used were those that timed Lindberg’s epic flight to Paris in 1927.

Next Year’s Giant’s Despair Hill Climb will be an even more terrific event, will be followed by a full scale road race.


1951 GIANT’S DESPAIR CLASS WINNERS

CLASS I (over 8000 cc): Arthur J. Hoe; J-type Duesenberg, 1:12.5
CLASS II (5-8000 cc): Dellevan Lee; Cadillac-Allard, 1:7.5
CLASS III (3-5000 cc): Gordon Lipe; Jaguar XK 120, 1:11.6
CLASS IV (2-3000 CC): Briggs Cunningham; Aston Martin, 1:18.4
CLASS V (1500-2000 CC): Charles Moran Jr.; Supercharged MGTC, 1:23
CLASS VI (1100-1500 cc): Boris Said Jr.; MGTD, 1:25.7
CLASS VII (750-1100 cc): Jack E. Ingham; supercharged Crosley, 1:38.9
CLASS VIII (500-750 cc): Ellsworth Hall; Crosley Supersport, 2:10.4
VINTAGE CLASS: Phil Moore; 1934 2.3 Alfa Romeo, 1:16.9
UNRESTRICTED CLASS: W. F. Milliken Jr.; Type 54 Bugatti, 1:12

[Ron Mann]

Dell Lee in his Allard

Dave Garroway

[Devil's Elbow Fan]

Hey Ron!!

Nice article ! Nice pics also! Rollbars? WHAT rollbars!!! Amazing!

I have an orig 1953 program . I showed it to John Fitch. He remembered it like it was yesterday!! Told some storie sof those early climbs. I wish I had a recorder with me .

What names on that list! Boris Said, Del Lee, Oscar's father, John Meyer, Briggs C., Millikan, like a Who's Who of auto racing early years.


Great job with the history, keep it coming!!

Best ,
Rich

[Ron Mann]

thanks Rich,

I should have slapped this on this thread!?!?

[timurf]

Kudos Ron, great post.

I wonder if Devils Elbow was populated by colorful, inebriated characters back then as it is today!

[Mel Horn]

Kudos Ron, great post.

I wonder if Devils Elbow was populated by colorful, inebriated characters back then as it is today!

We have reliable information based on DNA evidence, astrology and FBI photo analysis that the 1950s denizens of The Elbow are in fact ancestors of the current ones!

[Ron Mann]

Cone top beer can salute in 1959!!

[Devil's Elbow Fan]

.....the driver of the Porsche is Roger Penske, the guy "offering" the beer is "Buddy" Helpagirlski. Founder of the "Buddy System!"

Great Pic!!!

[Ron Mann]

Rich, You are correct on the driver...it is Roger Penske! and the beer salute is actually, Joe Tierno.

[timurf]

Cool, so we know the driver and the spectator. But is that a Lions Head or a Stegmaier!?

[Ron Mann]

well...you certainly are on the right track Tim!!

Question now:...who remembers drinking Gibbons?!?!?

[Mel Horn]

As an occaisional visitor to that area, I did...