1961 Dolphin America

The Dolphin Engineering Company of El Cajon, San Diego, California, was formed in 1958 by Budd Hull and British chassis designer John Crosthwaite whose résumé included working with Lotus, BRM, Mickey Thompson, and Cooper Cars Limited. Over a five-year period, the company produced nearly fifty cars and three distinct models. Although the company was short-lived, its vehicles were very successful in their respective categories. Factory driver Ken Miles handled the development of the cars, resulting in capable vehicles that were competitive with the best contemporary European designs.

The first Dolphin car was the Mk. I Junior is powered by a Fiat engine and transmission. It was competitive, but the latest designs from Cooper and Lotus required the West Coast constructors to raise the bar further by re-designing the rear-engine layout. This led to the Dolphin International of 1961 resting on a tubular design by Crosthwaite and elegantly coachwork by Dick Troutman of Scarab fame. An International equipped with a Ford 105E was driven to notable success by Ken Miles.

In 1961, Dolphin developed a new car for the popular sports racer class, and since Crosthwaite had left the company, development was handled by Don Maslin. The spaceframe of the Formula Junior was widened and the track increased from 47 to 51 inches. It was a full-bodied car known as the Dolphin America and retained the nose-cone of the International with added wings that gave it similar styling to the Ferrari 250 Testarossa. The rear section was formed from a mould taken from Maslin's own modified Lotus Eleven, known as the 'Wotus Bwossomi.' It was offered without engines or gearboxes, allowing customers to tailor the vehicles to their specific needs or intended racing classes. Various engines were used, including those from Abarth, Ford, Coventry Climax, and Porsche. Approximately 12 examples were built before the Dolphin Engineering Company closed its doors in 1964 due to financial difficulties.

The first Dolphin America Sports Racer employed a 750cc Coventry Climax engine and was shown in August 1962, tipping the scales at just 775 lbs. A 1100cc Climax FWA-powered car followed and was campaigned with great success by West Coast driver Ron Cole. The Abarth-powered Dolphin, raced by Dan Parkinson, won two H Modified USA National Championships in 1964 and 1966. The 1,700cc RS61 Porsche-powered Dolphin was an 1100-pound special that weighed 160 pounds less than the Porsche RS Spyder. It was commissioned by Otto Zipper and driven by Ken Miles to a number of successes in 1963.

by Dan Vaughan

Roadster
Chassis number: 12

This Dolphin America is chassis number 12 and is powered by an 850cc engine.

English racecar designer John Croswaite and aerospace Industry craftsman Bud Hall began producing racecars in 1958 in San Diego, California. Over the next several years, they built approximately 25 Formula Juniors and 12-14 Sports Racers. Most of the cars were built to race with 1100cc or smaller engines to compete in the SCCA Modified classes. The Formula Juniors were called Internationals and the sports racers were called Americas.

An Abarth-powered Dolphin America, driven by Don Parkinson, won SCCA National Championships in 1964 and 1966.

This car was originally owned and raced by Bill Glore of San Diego, California. The car was then purchased by Terry Stringfellow, who also raced the car in Southern California. In the mid-1970s, the car was converted to a Suzuki motorcycle engine to compete as an SCCA DSR. John C. Furlow Sr. of Oak Point, Texas, purchased the car in 2002 and has restored it back to the H-Modified configuration with an Abarth engine.

by Dan Vaughan

Roadster
Chassis number: 2

This Dolphin America is chassis number 2 and is powered by a 1098cc engine.

by Dan Vaughan

Roadster
Chassis number: 9

This Dolphin America is chassis number 9 and is powered by a 1588cc engine.

by Dan Vaughan

Roadster
Chassis number: 004

This Dolphin America Sports Racer was constructed at the El Cajon/San Diego Dolphin Works during December of 1961 and fitted with a 4.7-liter V8 engine and given chassis number 4. Its early history is not known, but around 1975 it appeared at local vintage race events using a nearly-stock 215 Oldsmobile V8 engine and a Citroen transaxle.

Years ago, the car joined the Judge DiLoreto collection and was used in vintage competition at events around the world. In 2003, DiLoreto obtained FIA paperwork and then brought the car to the Goodwood Revival motorsports event in the UK in 2004. Currently, this Dolphin America Sports Racer is powered by a 4.8-liter Chevrolet V8 engine prepared by engine builder Ed Pink, and backed by a durable Hewland FG 5-speed manual transaxle. The 302 cubic-inch overhead valve Chevrolet V8 engine has a mechanical fuel injection system and delivers 300 horsepower at 6,400 RPM. There is an independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes.

by Dan Vaughan

The Dolphin America Sports Racers were produced for only a short period of time during the early 1960s with around 16 examples produced. They had a track that was widened from the Dolphin Junior design from 47-inches to 51-inches. They wore a fiberglass body similar to that of a Ferrari Testarossa or Cooper Monaco. The first example was fitted with a 70cc Coventry Climax engine and soon a 1100cc Climax engine began available for order. The most successful Dolphin America racer was powered by a 750cc SOHC Abarth engine which, in the capable hands of Dan Parkinson, earned an H-Modified National Championship in both 1964 and 1966.

by Dan Vaughan

Dolphin Engineering was formed by Bud Hull and John Crosthwaite. Crosthwaite was an English race car designer whose resume includes names such as Lotus, Cooper and Jay Chamberlain. Hull was an aerospace industry craftsman. The company was formed with the intent of creating suitable racers for the newly formed Formula Junior racing series. Their design was based on a space frame chassis and powered by a Fiat 11cc engine. The future models of the cars continued to evolve and the design was perfected. In the hands of drivers such as Ken Miles, and Kurt Neumann, the vehicles enjoyed moderate success.

Crosthwaite later left the company to work with Mickey Thompson on Indy car projects. He was replaced by engineer, Don Maslin. Maslin's modified the design by increasing the track and adapting a sports racing body. It was dubbed the Dolphin America. The prototype model was fitted with a 750cc Coventry Climax engine. Later versions of the car were equipped with an 1100cc Climax unit. The chassis were sold to customers in varying sizes and lengths to accommodate the buyer's engine choice and preferences.

The third car constructed was for Otto Zipper, a Porsche dealer, for his driver Ken Miles. Zipper had approached Porsche with a request to replace his aging RS Spyder with one of the highly developed Bergspyder Hill-climbing cars. The RS Spyders were nearing the end of their career as more sophisticated racers were being created by marques such as Cooper, Elva, and Lotus. Miles, who was familiar with Dolphin Engineering from his time racing in their Formula Junior, asked them for assistance. Dolphin created a lightweight sportscar racer designed it to accept either a 1600cc or 1700cc Porsche Carrera unit. Special Dolphin 15-inch tires were added to all four corners, as were the aluminum Girling calipers and Triumph disc brakes. It was nicknamed the 'Porphin'.

The Porphin's inaugural race was at Santa Barbara in May of 1963. Miles was unable to attend the race so Lew Spencer was commissioned to handle those duties. The car ran well before it encountered brake and clutch problems which resulted in a sixth-place finish.

The following month, Miles was at the helm as he negotiated the car to a second-place finish at Riverside behind Ron Bucknum in the Old Yellar III racer. In July the car was raced at Pamona and was retired prematurely from the race. Miles left Zipper to race for Shelby America.

The Porphin was raced one last time in 1964 at the American Road Race of Champions, with Davey Jordan as the driver. The car experienced clutch problems but still was able to finish the race in an impressive third position and second-in-class behind an Elva-Porsche.

The Dolphin Sports-Racers were constructed from 1961 through 1964 and their specifications vary. The Coventry-Climax and Abarth 750 engines were the typical engines of choice, though this varied as well. The body was constructed of fiberglass and sat atop a space frame chassis. It is believed that around ten sports-racer kits were constructed and possibly six complete cars.

by Dan Vaughan