1937 Big Car - Those Were the Days

These are vintage Ascot-style 18-inch tires which sport small knobs to aid in traction. The period Rudge wheels carry aluminum rims along with steel center and spokes.

Driving one of these early machines required a lot of the driver. Fuel pressure was pumped up using the red handle. It had to be pumped at speed about once every lap. Also visible is the longer brake handle which is attached to the rear brakes. There was no brake pedal so this handle had to be pulled back in the turns to slow.

The plumbing for the engine’s supercharger is outside the engine compartment. It was laced there for cooling reasons. A standard item on the Miller engine, the supercharger was gear-driven all the time the engine was running.

A view of the right rear suspension shows the beefy radius rod and the rear cross spring which came from a Model T. Also in view is a Houdise lever shock, one of four on each corner of the car.

The four-tube headers exit on the right side of the car only, a tell-tale sign that the motor is a four-cylinder.

Safety was not a high priority on these early cars. Notice from this view that there are no protective nerf bars between the wheels. There were no rollcages, no seatbelts, and there was no structure in the tail.

A view of the Miller engine looking to the rear. It’s a dry-sump 220ci four-cylinder supercharged engine with an amazing 350 horsepower. The engine was lubricated by 3 gallons of oil. The rounded object against the firewall is the actual supercharger. This advanced engine has a double overhead cam and 16 valves. The rearend consists of a center section from a ’28 Ford passenger car. With that technology, you would swear that its decades newer.

This car competed with the Central States Racing Association (CSRA) as identified by this emblem, one of the top Open Wheel groups of the period.

The cockpit is simple and functional but a bit of a tight squeeze. Note that there were five gauges, something that you might not expect for that time period. The handle with the red knob is part of the Miller in-out box which enabled the engine to be engaged or disengaged with the driveshaft. These cars were often pull started with a rope attached to a vehicle in front.

The tail was quite flat on the top which was common during this pre-war time period. Later, though, many were modified with protective headrests. Ct