Inliners International Forums General Discussion Bench racing Need info on a 12 port T roadster

I am the very humbled receipient of a Don Mongomery poster that was produced over 25 yrs ago. It is of El mirage in the early fifties.

There is a pic of a 27 T roadster with a track nose and 3 holes on the left side of the hood, and 2 exhausts exiting on the right, thereby indicating that it is a 12 port. It was numbered 230.

I've checked all my books from the era, all to no avail. I can't find whose it was.

All I know that it is not Johhny Hartmans' as the exhausts do not sweep up, and the lourves are different, and it has a roll bar. It appears to be painted a light color.

Can anyone out there shed some light on it??

Cheers

Mark

Mark,

If you can possibly snap a photo of that poster, it would be a big help in ID'ing the roadster. We have lots of old pictures from the "12 Port News" and maybe we can find a match.

Our 12 Port Historian, Pat Swanson, is a font of knowledge on the early 12 Port-powered cars. If anyone in the club can get more info for you, it would be Pat. His archives go back to the very first engines built by Wayne Horning. And of course, Mr. Horning himself is alive and well in Incline Village, NV.

We consider the 12 Port engines and their racing history to be the very core of our club's beginnings, and are hoping to produce and eventually publish a complete history of all of the various 12 port varieties, from Horning, Warner, Howard, Toros, Stevens, Fisher, Baker and most recently, Nick Zaillian and Nick Arias. This history will include all known race cars, and a "survivor" list of heads that still exist. The El Mirage car you mention might help fill in some gaps!

By the way, if you haven't checked out the "Historical" link on the left, we have reprinted some articles from the early years of Inliners International and also posted some photos from Harry Warner's "Memory Book".

Back in 1976 i met a fellow that had a complete Wayne 12 port Chevy engine for sale.He wanted $350.00 for the engine with all the Wayne goodies on it.I had only been married a year and did not have that kind of money to spend.There was also one in a body shop in Sonoma California,but it was not for sale.Mike Smith does not live far from there.Maybe that's the one he has.I met Frank Istice (spelling) in Sparks Nevada in 1977 at a swap meet.He took me to his house to pickup a Offenhauser 235/261 valve cover he was selling me.He had a GMC 12 port head.If i remember correctly,it was a Horning head that did not have the machine work finished on it.I think he had one on a GMC engine also. He also had a friend's Wayne 12 port Chevy head he was storing for him.
EvilDr235

Jack, I have no digital camera, and no scanner, so I can't load a pic of the T roadster for all to see.

I'll email Pat and ask him if he knows anything about it.
I got the poster from Tom Finn snr and he doesn't know whose car it was, so i'm asking the question for him also.

Cheers

Guees I should have asked Pat Swanson first.

Just got a reply back from him, and he says its the Hewitt & Ballanger 27 out of Whittier Ca.

It ran 144.46 @ the 52 B'ville.

Thanks to all.

Cheers

Mark