Federal Engineering #4 Racer Found In North Texas

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:40:00 EDT

Reader Jeff emailed us yesterday after our post about the very cool collection of the starting grid of the 1952 Indianapolis 500. As a paid "can you hear me now" guy, he roamed huge swaths of North Texas and one day managed to see the tail end of this beauty poking out the back of a garage. Despite our ~~laziest~~ best efforts to figure out the history on the car, we couldn't find anything on this particular Federal Engineering car. More pictures, and Jeff's story about it below.

I used to have a job like Murilee mentioned he had. I drove literally every street and cul-de-sac in the northern half of the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex for a place called "Skyhook Wireless" for WiFi mapping. Being a paid "wardriver" is great! I had a chance to take pictures of interesting cars I saw along the way.
One day, I passed by an shop and saw a race car sticking out, so I stopped and asked permission to take some shots. He told me that it was a former Indy car, and that a driver was actually killed in the car during a race (not the 500 however). He couldn't remember the details of the car, however. I was hoping you might recognize it.

Well, we don't recognize it, but somebody might. The most fascinating part about these pictures is the parts you don't often see. Looking at the drivers cockpit, you get an idea of the stone these guys must have dragged around. We also think modern designers should take notes from this car, imagine hopping into a car and being greeted by a row of toggle switches and a spoked steering wheel — and that's about it. Awesome.

Zagato Creates Perfect Lancia Aprilia Sport Replica Using Only Photos

Mark Arnold — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:45:00 EDT

Sometimes a classic car is just so unattainable that you have to resort to replicas. That's easy if you want a fiberglass Cobra-esq roadster, but what about when the car you want doesn't have a kit readily available for you to order? What about if that 1937 Lancia you want doesn't have any documented engineering plans, and there's not a single original car remaining, anywhere? Well, back in 2006, Zagato decided they would take on such a challenge; building a perfect replica of the 1937 Lancia Aprilia Sport using only a few photographs.

This is the end result, but don't think it's just a one-off. Zagato says they plan on building up to nine units of the classic beauty at a price of $235,000. Don't plan to go Enzo-hunting, because the little streamliner only has 48HP. That means top speed is only 79 MPH. Our first thought is to swap in a turbocharged 'Busa motor (or maybe a modern Ducati engine), but you don't need speed when you've got hand-beaten body panels. Besides, those guys went through all the trouble of constructing 3D models from faded old black and white photographs. You'd think the least we could do is respect the craftsmanship.
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Jalopnik: vintage race cars

Federal Engineering #4 Racer Found In North Texas

Zagato Creates Perfect Lancia Aprilia Sport Replica Using Only Photos