Rigling and Henning Wonder Bread Special, 1931 Wonder Bread Special | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Pricing, Information, Wallpaper, History

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Chassis Num: 0113S

This 1931 Rigling & Henning 'Wonder Bread' Special crossed the auction block in 2005 and found a buyer willing to part with $125,000 for this wonderful piece of history. Herman Rigling and Cotton Henning were based in Indianapolis and renowned for their race winning chassis and proven 'Specials.' Their specialty were using Buick straight-eight engines mounted in steel-rail frames. A Special driven by Phil Shafer of Des Moines, Iowa piloted his Rigling & Henning Shafer 8 to a very impressive 12th-place finish at the 1931 Indianapolis 500 race. The car proved it had the endurance and the speed to compete in major competition. It was brought back to the Indy 500 race in 1933 where it finished in fifth, by far its best accomplishment.

Racing Specials were promoted by the Indy racing officials during the early 1930s as a way to rekindle public interest in the sport. During the 1920s, the race had become dominated by prominent marques and many were loosing interest in the sport. As The Great Depression came into focus, the racing officials introduced new regulations which allowed the home-grown mechanic with their racing specials an opportunity to enter the race and compete for overall victory.

This 1931 Rigling & Henning 'Wonder Bread' Special is a result of those regulations. It has seating for two; the driver and the mechanic. It is not entirely known why rules required a riding mechanic during this time. It did double the chance for fatal accidents, and the Indy 500 saw many tragic accidents during the 1931 through 1937 period. During the early period of racing, the mechanic serviced two primary duties. The first was to change the tires, fix the car, and to keep a close watch on the vehicles temperature gauge, oil pressure, and other dials. The second purpose was to serve as the mirror; the early cars did not have side or rear-view mirrors, so the duties of the riding mechanic extended to watching rear traffic.

1931 Rigling and Henning Wonder Bread Special
Year	1931
Make	Rigling and Henning
Model	Wonder Bread Special
Engine Location	Front
Drive Type	Rear Wheel
Combined MPG	0.00

Chassis / Engine Numbers Shown
Chassis Number	0113S

Engine
Engine Configuration	V
Cylinders	8
Aspiration/Induction	Normal
Displacement	4244.00 cc \| 259 cu in. \| 4.2 L.
Fuel Type	Gasoline - Petrol
Fuel Feed	Carburetor

Standard Transmission
Gears	3
Transmission	Manual

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1931 Rigling and Henning Wonder Bread Special