19 four-wheeled works of art go on display

19 four-wheeled works of art go on display

Story by Becky Wright , Standard-Examiner staff - May 31 2012 - 12:01am

On display in "Speed: The Art of the Performance Automobile":

* 1957 Jaguar XK-SS Roadster, collection of Margie and Robert E. Petersen, Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles. The "Green Rat" was previously owned by actor Steve McQueen.

* 1937 Cord 812, The National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection), Reno, Nev. Utahn Ab Jenkins drove this car to win the Stevens Challenge Trophy in 1937. The same year, it set a record as the fastest production sedan over a 24-hour time period at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

* 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza, Price Museum of Speed, Salt Lake City. One of only 188 sold during the Great Depression, these cars were known for long-distance endurance racing.

* 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, Larry H. Miller Family, Salt Lake City. The favorite car of Larry H. Miller, who built a large collection of vehicles related to designer Carroll Shelby. This car was the first to beat Ferrari in the GT racing class at Le Mans.

* 1929 Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix, Price Museum of Speed, Salt Lake City. This car was driven by French racer Louis Chiron, finishing in the top five at Le Mans and other European races.

* 1925 Miller 122 Front-Wheel-Drive, Price Museum of Speed, Salt Lake City. Also called the "Outboard Brake car," this vehicle competed in 21 Indy 500 races.

* 1954 Ferrari 375MM, collection of Jon and Mary Shirley, Medina, Wash. This car was once owned by Roberto Rossellini and Ingrid Bergman.

* 1975 "Speedomotive Special" Streamliner, Price Museum of Speed, Salt Lake City. Named one of "The Fastest Hot Rods of All Time" by Hot Rod Magazine, the streamliner was built by Al Teague, known as the "fastest hot rodder of them all."

* 1952 "Beast III" Streamliner, Mark and Newie Brinker, Houston. Designed for speed by Chet Herbert, who worked from a wheelchair because of polio.

* 1916 Model C Stutz Bearcat, Price Museum of Speed, Salt Lake City. These cars were known to be fast enough to race straight from the dealer. This one was previously shown in the Luis Vuitton Concourse in Paris.

* 1927 Ford Modified Roadster, Richard V. Munz, Madison, Wis. Jim Khougaz, who built and drove this car, flipped it in 1957 while going more than 200 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats. He was injured, but put out the fire himself.

* 1931 4 1/2-Litre "Blower" Bentley, Price Museum of Speed, Salt Lake City. Supercharged "Blower" Bentleys are prized sports cars. Fictional characters James Bond and Dirk Pitt both drove them in novels.

* 1904 Peerless "Green Dragon" Racer, Price Museum of Speed, Salt Lake City. Racer Barney Oldfield drove this four-cylinder, 60-horsepower car to national and international speed records.

* 1937 Delahaye Type 145, The "Million-Franc Delahaye," Peter and Merle Mullin, Beverly Hills, Calif.

* 1911 Mercer Type 35R Raceabout, Price Museum of Speed, Salt Lake City. Mercers were known for speed, finishing third and second, respectively, in the 1912 and 1913 Indy 500s. This one has all original parts.

* 1952 So-Cal Speed Shop Belly Tank, collection of Bruce Meyer, Los Angeles. Made from a WWII fighter plane's aluminum belly tank, this car had a lighter, slimmer silhouette for the "lakester" class at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

* 1907 Renault AI 35/45 HP Vanderbilt Racer, Price Museum of Speed, Salt Lake City. One of 10 made for William Vanderbilt to race with friends in Long Island.

* 1935 Duesenberg SJ "Mormon Meteor I," Harry Yeaggy Auto Museum, Cincinnati. Ab Jenkin's first Meteor, at 135.58 miles per hour, set a 24-hour speed record

* 1938 "Mormon Meteor III," Price Museum of Speed, Salt Lake City. Built by Ab Jenkins and Augie Duesenberg, it went 161.180 miles per hour for 24 hours and still holds speed endurance records on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Sources: Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and the Price Museum of Speed website, www.pricemuseumofspeed.org; www.autoblog.com.

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