1937 Buick Shafer 8

General Motors employee Phil 'Red' Shafer built a reputation from 1931-1939, with his famous Buick straight-eight powered race cars. Seven of Shafer's Buick-powered race cars qualified for the famed Memorial Day Classic from 1931 until 1936.

This two-seater Shafer 8 recreation provides a fearful insight into racing's dangerous past, and is equipped with a Rigling and Henning special-built chassis fitted with a Straight 8 engine from a Buick Series 60. The 344 CID engine develops 200 horsepower, is equipped with four Stromberg 97 carburetors, and is backed by a GM three-speed transmission. Suspension components include heavy-duty shocks from a Buick Roadmaster of that era. The vehicle rides on 6.00-20 Firestone Indy Racing Tires. The top speed is 130 MPH.

Sitting almost straight upright in the car, the rider's head and shoulders are open to the wind, which can whip by at an impressive velocity. In-the-day there were no seat-belts, no padded dash, and no airbags. The riding mechanic could only hope for good driving and good luck. And in most cases, good weather.

Sold for $128,800 at 2023 Broad Arrow Group : Amelia Island.
Phil 'Red' Shafer was an engineer for GM who built, campaigned, and raced cars from 1925 to 1936 but is best known for his seven Buick Straight 8 powered Indy race cars that were built and competed from 1931 to 1936.

Years later, Tom McRay, the founder of The Great Race, commissioned a recreation of an original Shafer 8 that was built for the 1932 season to be built by Charlie Glick over a period of five months in 1999. The recreation received a bespoke chassis with leaf springs attached to solid axles front and rear, and a slightly newer 320 cubic-inch Buick Straight 8-cylinder engine fitted with four Stromberg 97 carburetors and an open header exhaust. The low-slung bodywork featured a cut-down windshield providing minimal protection for its two occupants.

The Shafer 8 was later acquired by David Coker from Tom McRay and was campaigned across America in at least three Great Races. His brother Corky still retains his Buick Shafer 8 Indy Racer and uses it regularly around the Chattanooga, Tennessee, region.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2023