1934 Dreyer Brisko Sprint Car

Sold for $55,000 at 2007 Monterey Sports and Classic Car Auction.
Sold for $33,000 at 2011 RM Auctions at Monterey.
Among the more successful racers during the thirties were the multi-talented individuals who could be a competitive racing car, run at the front of the pack, manage a travel schedule, perform maintenance on the car, and find sponsorship. One of the more gifted and skilled individuals from this era was Frank Brisko. He was born in Chicago in 1900 and started out racing in IMCA and eventually moved to Triple A competiton. His first racing appearance at the Indianapolis 500 was in 1929. His career includes two top 10 finishes at Indy but it is believed that his true passion was with building the racers.

In 1933 Brisko created, what he claimed was, the first 255 cubic-inch Miller. As the Miller Company entered bankruptcy in the early 1930s, Brisko continued to experiment and eventually built his own engines. At least one, possibly two, were used in the Indianapolis 500 from 1936 through 1941 and again in 1946. The engines were based on the Miller design but featured a split crankcase instead of the barrel style Miller was fond of using.

Floyd 'Pop' Dreyer was a record-setting motorcycle racer and a gifted mechanic. His racing days came to a close in 1923 when an accident forced him from retiring from the sport. From there, he would become one of America's more successful and famous designers, tuners, and fabricators.

He was skillful in many arenas of welding and fabrication, particularly with aluminum. By the close of 1927, he had built his first complete race car body out of steel for Jack Gallivan. It was done with such skill that soon others requested similar designs. His shop was actually just a shed outside of his home; it would become a very busy shop for the next several years. His craft led him to build complete cars, especially sprint cars and midgets.

This vehicle has a Brisko 268 cubic-inch engine in a Floyd Dreyer wheelbase sprint car chassis that measures 92 inches. It was built specifically for half-mile and mile tracks. The engine design was derived from a Miller 151 Marine four-cylinder gear tower. It featured dual updraft Winfield carburetors.

This vehicle has been restored since new. Its most recent history involved being a static display in a museum.

This vehicle was brought to the 2007 Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction presented by RM Auctions, where it had an estimated value of $25,000 - $35,000. It was offered without reserve. There was much interest in this vehicle and the high-end of the estimated value was quickly shattered as the new owner secured this vehicle with a high bid of $55,000 including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2007