Riley Champ Car, 1936 Champ Car | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Pricing, Information, Wallpaper, History

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Racer

This Riley-Ford has its original single seat and is an open wheel Champ car with four-part George Riley head.

The 1935 Riley-Ford Champ car # 16 was fabricated during 1934-1935 by Pete Romcevich at this racecar shop near Roby Speedway with help from Don Lockwood, now 95 years old, who provided history and photos to the current owner. The car was restored almost 40 years ago with little change from its 1935 configuration.

The original Ford B-block engine with a George Riley four-part over head valve configuration with dual Winfield carburetors remains as the power plant. The Riley four part engine is relatively rare and is the only known example currently used in vintage road racing on the west coast. Special 17 inch Dayton dental rims, a hand brake to operate the rear brakes, no front brakes and manual pressurization for the gas tank are other key features.

The car was raced in sanctioned events by AAA, MRA, CSRA and IMCA over the mid-west and central states during the 1930s-1950s. The primary race tracks included Jungle Park, Roby Speedway, Finley Park, Hammond Speedway. Ft. Wayne Raceway and Indianapolis, all in Indiana. Others were Perkini Raceway and Winchester Park both in Illinois. The Riley-Ford has been vintage raced since 2002 with HMSA and VARA.

Early History of the 1936 Riley - Ford Special
The 1936 Riley-Ford Sprint car was originally fabricated in Pete Romcevich's race car shop at 106th Street and Indianapolis Blvd near Roby Speedway (Roby, Indiana) in early 1930s. Donald Lockwood (now in his early 90s) started the frame welding work on the car in 1933 and once completed was sold to driver/owner Paul Craver in 1935-1936. The car was originally raced by Paul Craver from 1936 to mid-1940s and sold to
Ed Jensen in1946 and continued racing until the mid 1950s.

The sprint car was raced on many dirt and oval tracks in mid-west and southern states during 1930s-50s by Paul Craver, by Ed Jensen and others. Paul Craver raced with AAA, IMCA and CSRA under several pseudonyms - Wally Petillo was one.

Number 16 was restored in 1972-75 by B. Plez Nance and sons John and Bill of San Diego to the original configuration using photos and descriptions from an earlier owner, Steve Hackle. Steve hackle bought the
partially dismantled car in 1966. Plez Nance sold the car to Carl Burnett in 1996 who maintained the car in a
private museum. It was sold to J. Dale and Karen Barry in 1999 who further restored #16 for vintage racing.
The race car has been kept in the condition and configuration as it was initially raced almost 70 years ago.
Much of the history of the race car was from Donald Lockwood. A photograph of this Riley Ford is shown in the book, 'The Illustrated History of Sprint Car Racing, Volume One' by Jack C Fox.

Sprint Car

Sprint cars have had a very long history and enjoyed much popularity in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. They are generally considered high-powered race cars with the purpose of competing on short dirt or paved tracks.

sprint Car Racing really came into its form after World War I, when many enthusiasts and armatures raced 'specials' (commonly referred to as 'race cars' and 'dirt track cars') at various dirt tracks, such as at the county fair horse tracks. The Ford Model T was a popular favorite, as it had the speed and parts were readily available.

Within the decades to come, the cars evolved greatly. The Ford engine was still popular, but other custom builders, such as Miller and Offenhauser, offered a very competitive engine that often outclassed the rest of the field.

Up to this point in history, around the 1930s, the cars were still not called 'Sprint Cars'. Midget cars had come onto the scene, and were much smaller than the larger machines, now called 'big cars.'

The post-World War II era brought about many new improvements. Cars were professionally built and competition continued to escalate. Some cars were still using the four-cylinder engines of the pre-WWII era, but many had been fitted with larger units, such as the Ford or Mercury flathead V8. The Chevrolet V8 became popular in the 1960s and soon outclassed other engines.

The name 'Sprint Car' was coined around 1950. As the years progressed, the cars were improved with the addition of safety requirements such as cage roll bars. The engines began producing more and more horsepower, and wider tires were needed to help with traction. Wings began appearing on the tops of car to help with down forces.

In modern times, the Sprint Cars can reach speeds in excess of 140 mph. Many engines have been tuned to produce 750 horsepower and more. The cars have an excellent power-to-weight ratio and are very entertaining to watch or compete in. Famous drivers from well-known racing series, such as IndyCar and NASCAR, have competed in Sprint Car Racing.

1936 Riley Champ Car
Year	1936
Make	Riley
Model	Champ Car
Body Style	Racer
Engine Location	Front
Drive Type	Rear Wheel
	5.10 Rear End
Body / Chassis	Steel frame
Combined MPG	0.00

Engine
Engine Builder	Ford
Engine Configuration	I
Cylinders	4
Engine	Engine based on Ford Model B Block
Aspiration/Induction	Normal
Displacement	2000.00 cc \| 122 cu in. \| 2 L.
Horsepower	50.00
Fuel Type	Gasoline - Petrol
Fuel Feed	Carburetor
	Twin-Choke carburetor
Block	Cast-iron
Head	Cast-iron
Crankshaft	Ford Model C Counterbalance
Pistons	Jans
Connecting Rods	Gerber

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1936 Riley Champ Car