1964 Troutman-Barnes USRRC Special

Dick Troutman and Tom Barnes met in the late 1940s while working at the Kurtis Kraft Company based in Glendale, California. Soon they were building racing specials before going on to build the legendary Scarabs for Lance Reventlow and Hall's Chaparral I.

Troutman was skilled at working with metal while Barnes was an excellent machinist. They continued to fine-tune their skills while working with Kurtis building Indy cars.

The Troutman-Barnes Racing Specials were built in Los Angeles in a garage and used steel spaceframe construction and lightweight aluminum bodies. Power initially came from a Mercury flat-head V8 but was later replaced by a Ford Thunderbird engine.

Lance Reventlow was a wealthy individual who had a passion for racing. In the mid-1950s, he became friends with Bruce Kessler. Together, the two of them began racing sports and formula cars in both Europe and the United States. After spending time on both sides of the pond, Reventlow was certain he could assemble a team of talented individuals to build a competitive racer.

Warren Olsen was an experienced mechanic who had worked on preparing and maintaining Reventlow's racing cars. He was tasked with assembling a team for the newly formed Reventlow Automobiles Inc. based out of Olsen's shop in California. He recruited Dick Troutman and Tom Barnes, along with mechanic Chuck Daigh. Phil Remington was hired as a fabricator and Emil Deidt worked as their metal shaper. Other talented individuals recruited include Jim Travers, Frank Coon, and Ken Miles.

By 1957, the team had built the Scarab MK.1. It had a space frame chassis designed by Miles. Power was from a bored-out Chevy small-block V-8 fitted with a Hillborn fuel injection system. The body was designed by Chuck Pelly and built by Deidt. Upon completion, the car was painted pearl blue and pinstriped by Von Dutch.

Another wealthy racing enthusiast also called upon Dick Troutman and Tom Barnes to help build a conventional racing car. That individual was Texan oilman Jim Hall. Along with the first car, four additional cars were built by Troutman and Barnes. They had a larger wheelbase measuring 90 inches.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2013