1916 Sturtevant Romano Special

The B.F. Sturtevant Co. was best known as the world's largest industrial fan manufacturer. While the first World War was raging in Europe, the Sturtevant Aeroplane Co. (1915-1918) was formed by the parent company to develop military aircraft. They used their knowledge of blower technology to build some of the first 'supercharged' engines in the world.

Sturtevant produced a number of aircraft for both the Army and Navy, but during an official test flight in front of Army officials in March 1917, the pilot crashed, prompting a cancellation of the contract. The Armistice brought a swift end to Sturtevant Aeroplane, and the subsidiary was liquidated by February 1919.

At the end of production, Sturtevant had hundreds of engines in inventory. These surplus engines found their way into boats, planes, dirigibles, and even race cars such as this one. Their lightweight and high horsepower made them attractive alternatives to the automotive engines available at the time.

Eugene J. Romano of Seattle, Wa. was a brilliant designer and engineer who built several aircraft engine-powered racecars, the most famous of which won the first Pikes Peak Hillclimb in 1916. Romano had previously designed and built an aircraft called the Romanoplane in 1910.

Romano typically built his cars from stock car chassis' and surplus aircraft engines. It is likely that this car was built from surplus parts around 1918-1920, when surplus WWI aircraft engines were plentiful and cheap. The 1916 Auburn chassis was modified with a subframe that only fits a Sturtevant aircraft engine. With only five engines known to exist, and all but 2 in museums, acquiring and restoring this engine took many years.

The only record of the car in competition is a 3rd place finish at Hastings Park in Vancouver, Canada, in 1925, driven by Fred Hirsch. No photos of the car have ever been found, but it has been restored with materials and technology available at the time.

Source - Car Owner