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SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS
NEWSLETTER 100 - February 26, 2009
Editor: Richard Parks [email protected]
President's Corner: By Jim Miller (1-818-846-5139)

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    Some Names To Look For In This Newsletter:
    The 100th issue of the SLSRH Newsletter is dedicated to the Spurgin/Giovanine/Borgh Roadster that is being restored by Ernie Nagamatsu. - ADDITION PICTURES ADDED AT BOTTOM 03-17-09

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President's Corner: 
   The big story in this week's newsletter is about the 1948 El Mirage Season Championship car, the Spurgin/Giovanine Chevy Roadster. When you read the story just think about the many hours it took just to get to where it is, probably over 50 hours with the input of a bunch of folks. Are there mistakes? Yes. Are they on purpose? No. We're interested in saving our history but consider this for a minute. We're talking about a car that won a Championship 61 years ago. All the players aren't around any more. The info we have comes from periodicals of the day and remembrances of the families. Yep, there's bound to be mistakes. Another problem is the racer always having a card up his sleeve and telling half-truths when it comes to what really makes the car run fast. That makes our job difficult in finding out the real facts. There are a couple of us out there that have been trying to put together the mysteries of making the old Chevy 4-bangers go fast for quite awhile. We come up with a lot of dead ends unlike the old Ford stuff that permeates publications everywhere. Besides the engines, most of the chassis were built out of junk yard parts that none of us know anything about. Can you identify a 1924 Dodge chassis, or a Star? How many of you mistake a '32 Chrysler front axle for on of the many styles of Franklin's? I could go on forever.
   As I said earlier these Chevy guys borrowed a lot of their secrets from the circle track cars. Take for example the rear ends. To change a ring and pinion on a Ford banjo type requires a ton of work. The circle track guys used Chevy's because they had a pumpkin like the 9"ers do today. A Model-A ring and pinion will fit in the early Chevy ones with little work and changing the ratios take all of 15 minutes if you had your stuff together. They even went farther and used spools. When you really start looking at the pre-war modified pictures you'll see a lot of runners used this setup. The S&G car used Model-A gears in its tail but we have no clue if they used a spool. All I can say is question anything that is in print in an automotive magazine because half of it is probably untrue thanks to the owner. If you've got any stories and facts about an LSR car write it down so in fifty years the next person trying to restore it won't have to work so hard. Thanks, and enjoy the story.

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Editorial: 
   The 100th issue of the SLSRH Newsletter is dedicated to the Spurgin/Giovanine/Borgh Roadster that is being restored by Ernie Nagamatsu. The roadster, with various parts, owners and numbers, had an illustrious career and involved many men who became well-known at the dry lakes and on the drag strips. Yet, just as important in this story are the men and women who searched for the illusive roadster and brought this race car back to life. Chief among them is Ernie Nagamatsu, who makes his living as a dentist, but who has a passion for history and race cars. He restored Max and Ina Balchowsky's famous Ol' Yeller II, affectionately called the "Junkyard Dog" of road racing. Max was one of the best mechanics that racing has ever had, ranking right up there with Ed Winfield, Bill Stroppe, Ak Miller and many others for their ability to make race cars run well. Balchowsky would tell everyone that he found the parts for his race cars in junkyards, because he didn't have the money to buy the expensive European Imports. But Max was cagy, because the parts that he used and his great knowledge of auto racing mechanics put a very impressive road racing car on the road courses. Max won his share of races with the Ol' Yellers. He was a road racer with a hot rodders heart and he exulted whenever his shaggy looking machines beat the pretty boys and their imports. Hot Rodders everywhere read about the feats of the Ol' Yellers and rooted for them to beat the Europeans. There was something "magical" about a junkyard dog winning against the favorites. The drivers of the imports didn't think that it was so wonderful to hear the crowds cheering for the underdog and then hear the roar of the Ol' Yeller as it bore down on them. 
   The Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster had much the same story, except that it competed against other junkyard dogs and for a few years didn't have much success. But in 1948 the team of Chuck Spurgin and Bob Giovanine found the right combination and the roadster roared to life, winning the 1948 Southern California Timing Association's points championship. Like the Ol' Yeller, the Spurgin/Giovanine roadster had some talented people behind the car, including Ralph Schenck, the members of the Albata car club and Bob Rufi. Land speed racers are always willing to help each other out, even when they are competitors. They had some of the best minds helping them, just like the Ol' Yellers had Max and Ina Balchowsky. You can't judge an old junkyard dog by its looks, but by the roar in its engines. The roadster had lots of competition and the other clubs put forth strong entries. Especially fearsome was the competition from the Lancers and Road Runners, the natural enemies of the Albata. I should say enemies lightly, for though they tried everything they could think of to beat the other clubs, dry lakes racers were friends away from the monthly racing meets. The Spurgin/Giovanine roadster would not fare as well after that great 1948 season, and the car would be sold to Carl W. Borgh, who would race it as the Mothersills Special. Then the car would find another owner in Robert A. Cano. It would go from owner to owner and much of its history would be lost, forgotten or ignored, until Ernie Nagamatsu found it and decided to restore the car to its former glory.
   There is something very special about car restorers. They are historians, mechanics, researchers, artists, and above all else, they are true believers. Ernie Nagamatsu and all the other car restorers who ever bent metal and worked on an engine, are part of a fraternity of brothers whom seem more like knights of honor than car builders. They have a quest, a desire to find, to learn, to bring back to life that which was once great, but is now forgotten. It's not cheap either. It takes time, money, effort, nerve, and above all, passion, for someone to tackle a major restoration project. I've had the opportunity to talk to men like Dennis Webb, Pete Chapouris and many other great builders and restorers and they all have one thing in common; a great love of hot rodding, the cars and the history of automobiles. These men could just as easily buy a ticket and watch a race, but there is something mystical about bringing the past back to life. There is something magical about touching a famous car from the past. There is something compelling about owning a piece of history. They see themselves as not merely the owners, but as custodians and they feel that it is their duty to take care of the heritage of hot rodding and pass it to the next generation in better condition than they found it. They are knights on a quest and they will not stop until they have reached their holy grail. They are men and women whom we can't help but admire, for they rescue and save our very history and heritage of hot rodding and car racing.

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THE SPURGIN/GIOVANINE/BORGH/CANO/LAWRENCE/NAGAMATSU ROADSTER; A Legendary Dry Lakes Champion racer. The following story was a composite of stories and articles written by Ernie Nagamatsu, Jim Miller, Curt Giovanine, David Lawrence, Kent Borgh, Karin Edla Spurgin, Richard Parks and other researchers. Special thanks to Terry Baldwin, Bill Erickson, Will Kalbermatter, and all of the many individual historians of the Dry Lakes Racing era. Edited by Richard Parks, photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz. A special disclaimer is made here. Often the original owners and drivers would tell people that they used this or that part, when in fact they were using something entirely different. Every effort has been made to be as factual as possible, but new research constantly brings to light facts which we did not know at the time of publication. The car is referred to as the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster during the 1940's and after that date, as new owners are added, so are the full names of all f the owners. Also, race cars are modified on a continuous basis, so that what was on the car one month may be changed the next month, totally altering the accuracy of the article at any given time. The final results of the article are therefore the sole responsibility of the editor alone.
   The Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster had a dominating performance in 1948 to take the high points championship in their class and set a standard that has rarely been matched. Chuck Spurgin and Bob Giovanine and their roadster left a memory that has been a favorite among dry lakes racers to this very day. Here is their story. Click Here For PDF

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My name is Kent Borgh. While researching an old Albata car club plaque of my father's, I came across a land speed racing website and saw a picture of the Spurgin roadster. I recognized the Spurgin name and the year of the car and called up and left a message. Shortly after, I got a phone call from Richard Parks. I then told him that my dad had purchased that car in 1953 or '54 and had raced it in Bonneville and some Southern Cal drag strips. My father passed away in 1998 and my brothers and I have finally gotten to cleaning up some of my father's old Bonneville artifacts. I have some pictures before the car was converted to rear engine and some pictures after the conversion. I would love to talk to you some time about the car and possibly pass on some history to you. I'm in Folsom, California. I look forward to talking to you soon.
Kent:
The rear-engined drag car is normally credited to Don Garlits, who developed the car after a terrible accident. Other racers have raced rear-engined cars before Don, but very few of them set the trend. We would like to know more about your father's adaption of the S/G roadster into a rear-engined drag car to add to our knowledge of this modification. Garlits deserves credit for developing a rear-engine car that changed the way drag cars were raced, but he wasn't the first to develop this style.
To Kent Borgh: What a thrill as we are right now finally gathering all the history to put all the pieces together regarding the critical and correct history. We have a great team of networking historians
. We are trying to include all that were connected with the car and get comments from those of that great Dry Lakes and Bonneville period. I have received help with great family scrapbook type images from Curt Giovanine as his father raced with Spurgin and I would appreciate every bit of information you can share with us to pay proper tribute to the legendary car. I lived just down the street from C.J Hart who started the Orange County Santa Ana Drags and the Old Yeller II is a Hot Rod that raced Sports Cars. I own and race the Old Yeller II Buick Special and Max Balchowsky gave me all of the incredible lot of photos, trophies, dash plaques, race programs, time sheets and invoices, before I even bought the 1959 Old Yeller II so my work was easier and I was a long time friend of Max. We have presented the importance of the legacy of the OYII globally as it gets invited to many places and I tell them that I have the keys to race the car! You can check out the web page at www.oldyeller2.com, Old Yeller II race car, or Google me - Ernie Nagamatsu or Ernest Nagamatsu, etc. We raced the OYII at Goodwood UK in September and the Tasman in Sydney (Australia) in late November. I would love to talk to you as I have helped the Oral History Program at Cal State University Fullerton and Richard and I agree, we must take oral history from everyone connected to a historic event or project. The rear engine GMC 6 was really innovative and we are documenting what changes were made as we can see the weld changes, but chassis same. I am willing to pay for anything related to the Spurgin/Giovanine/Mothersills Special and I feel like being at the start of when I bought the OYII and piecing everything I had from Max and searching for missing items or photographs as I have had the car for over 18 years. At Xmas someone gave me a great photo of Ina and Max (Balchowsky) working on the carbies (as they say Down Under) and I had not seen ever before and it was an original Press like image with pencil writing on the back, a treasure to go to the archives. So please stay in touch and thank you so much. Ernest Nagamatsu

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The Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster, By David Lawrence. 
   The person that I got the car from came up to me at a booth I had at the Long Beach Convention Center during an exhibition called "Toys for Big Boys." The exhibition was such a waste of my time, so I decided to see what kind of cars I could ferret out, so I put two small signs on the edges of my booth table. The only thing I could find to make these signs was two mustard stained napkins, and a fine point pen to boot. A man who was around seven feet tall in biker garb came up to me and said he had something and that was an old race car that had raced at El Mirage, it peaked my interest. I drove to his house and I took along with me the 200 mile hour club member, Edward Crummy (his real name was Cummins) who had driven the Chuck Porter Body Shop Special in 1950 and was there in 1948 and '49 when the Spurgin-Giovanine car ran. He instantly identified and verified the car and I bought it on the spot. The gentleman I bought it from whose name I do not remember had purchased it in the early 1970's with a potential drag race condition, but desolate format in trade for a Model A. When he met me he had finally come to the realization that he could not ever be able to restore the car and thus sold it. Several big collectors had been looking for this car for years. Provenance; pre-war, car owned by Spurgin, engine owned by Giovanine. Post WW2; they came together with Duke Hallock and legendary hot rod guy Bob Rufi. Raced 1948 El Mirage; Season Champion. Raced 1949 at El Mirage once, broke on second qualifying run at 148. 1950's; Raced at Bonneville several times in the middle fifties, under the Mothersill's banner and was pin stripped by Von Dutch when he was drunk at a party. See 1956 Hot Rod Magazine for details of the Von Dutch paint job. Thus we know the car's ownership from the beginning up to the late 1950's and then from that point we lose knowledge up until the early 1970's to the present. I did hear that it was advertised in Hot Rod Magazine in the late 1950's or early 1960's by the second owner.

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I bought the Spurgin-Giovanine Roadster from my friend David Lawrence. He found the car and verified that indeed it was the lost car that people were looking for. He tried to sell the roadster at the Monterey Auctions and he wanted more money than the price went up to. David had it for several years and I knew that he would not complete the car as it takes a lot of research and work, so that is when I bought the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster from him. David was a part time art dealer and for the last years has been in the business of selling Motorsports posters, photos, etc, and he would go to automobile and memorabilia shows from time to time. Ernie Nagamatsu

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Mary Ann Lawford: We are now finally re-building the Spurgin/Giovanine/Borgh Roadster and we hope to present the car at the July Ventura Concours. We are getting incredible support and help from the networking of your group among others who know of the history of the car. Curt Giovanine is the son of the Giovanine team and he shared the photos with us so we could be as accurate as we can with the 1948 configuration. Curt has been so very helpful to us and others needing special historical information of the great "Golden Years" of Dry Lakes racing. Bobby is my crew chief and he was in communication with Curt and that is why his name appears, but rights go to Curt and you will find him very helpful and supportive. Keep up the great work for all of us. If there are any other questions, you can contact me at any time.  Ernie Nagamatsu

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We have the Bonneville stickers and the Mothersills Special decals on the sides from the Bonneville configuration and one can see that the body/chassis is intact. It is clear that one can see the weld modifications along the way that were made. Did you see the great images from Kent Borgh as he has provided more images of the front engine configuration prior to the "Jimmy" 6. Terry Baldwin has been helping as he is a good historian of the Dry Lakes. Maybe you can give some guidance for proper provenance even though everyone is sure that this is the car so far. Also, as mentioned and you are aware, Curt Giovanine has been aware that we have had the car unrestored for about 3 years and has provided us with incredible images for us. The wood struts are still intact on the inner panels and we can provide close ups of the original welds etc. Kent provided an image of the bill of sale from his father and I am trying to gather as much historical background as I can. We can take a close up of the chassis and details that can tell the story as well, before we get too far along. Yes this is an exciting project and we want to be correct with "respect," so to speak. I have the Old Yeller II and that comes with a lot of responsibility and we keep it with its racing patina and historically correct. We will continue discussion and you can advise me as well, and we listen. Ernie Nagamatsu
Ernie: Provenance or documentation is subject to interpretation. You often hear the word provenance in museums, art houses and valuable collectibles. The more valuable the object the more likely the history or provenance will be researched. The reason that I stress the continued search for knowledge is that professionals are sometimes fooled by forgeries and fakes. With classic cars, this is not as common, but in the art and relic world, this is a major concern and experts are fooled often. For the car collector we are dealing with a different set of problems. Unlike art work that goes back thousands of years, cars have only been in existence for approximately 12 decades and there are still primary witnesses that can render testimony. Plus, we have well written books, photographs and other records to give us assistance. So the car restorer has lots of help and one more important advantage; leverage. Often, even if the car that is found has suspicious background, the amount to restore it will run around $25,000 up to a million dollars or more. That is a small amount to pay considering that great art masters could run an investor as much as 100 million dollars or more and they have less provenance than car restorers do. But a famous name or championship pedigree on a car can mean the difference between spending $100,000 to restore a car worth half that cost or worth twice that amount. While the Society doesn't pay honor to the dollar value of objects, we do have to equate cars in dollar amount terms in order for the average person to see the value that the average fan understands. Thus the advantage is this, the amount that a car collector invests in a rare automobile or race car is small in comparison to old masters and therefore the risk is less.
The other advantage is that there is far more history with the automobile than with other kinds of collectibles. Owners want to prove beyond a doubt that the car that they are restoring is an "original" car. But as we have discussed on numerous occasions, that is hard to do, because parts, engines and even bodies and chassis are put on and taken off and the question will always be, "How original is this car?" There is also the tendency for restorers, re-creators and rebuilders to add more chrome and pretty parts than were originally on the car. I am blinded by some of these chromed restorations. I don't remember as a child at the lakes that any of the cars had any chrome and if they did, most of it was pockmarked and corroded. Perhaps guidelines have been established, but if they haven't, then it should be the collectors of hot rods, classics and race cars that set the standards by which they will judge. Cars that have at least 40 to 50% of the original parts, or parts that have been known to belong on the car, should be considered original. If there are more than two restorations, then the car with the body, chassis and engine should be "The Original," and the car with the lesser original parts can be designated a re-created original, or a reproduced original.
It is very important that we do not malign the name of any person or object. In law, it is a grievous breach to impugn a name. Every person and their possessions have a right to their name and title. To lessen a person's name or object's title is to lessen its value. No historian would do that unless the object is not what it claims to be. So we work hard to make sure that every document available backs up the good name and reputation of a person or object. Each eye witness, first hand, second hand, or circumstantial piece of evidence helps to give this car substance and worth. When you get to what we call the tipping point, which is where the weight and quality of the evidence is unassailable, which it appears you have done, then the whole process enters into what we like to call, "The popular knowledge." Once everyone says, "That's the car," the paper trail and witnesses are complete. But as historians, we love to keep digging to add more evidence, because we're always curious.

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Thank you so much. The car I'm building is a '34 3-window Ford coupe with a Potvin blown Chrysler hemi. Also, I thought I'd share with you a picture of my favorite chair -- 1950s dentist chair. Thank you for the info -- I had not seen the March 1949 issue of the car so I had to look thru my dad's HR mags and found it -- what a wonderful issue. I was unaware that the car had a track T nose already. I thought my dad made this nose, these pictures prove me wrong. My dad's nose configuration is quite a bit more pointy. There's so much great info you sent and I'd really like to see the Old Yeller in person some day. I am currently working on the bio of my father and the info on the Mothersills Special.  Kent Borgh
   From Ernie Nagamatsu: Here is an e mail from Kent yesterday and so great as he is on board to do the bio' on his father to include in the final history. He has some items associated with the Mothersills Special/Bonneville configuration, but has to check with his brother as it is part of their father's collection. We are getting close-up images and videos of the S-G Roadster including all of the holes, welds, changes and original parts such as spindles, wheels, rims, body, wood inside cockpit struts, decals, painting of Mothersills Special and original Bonneville stickers with dates on decals, etc for documentation and validation. It is a rolling chassis and body intact as it was and we have a pile of parts and some match. I will keep you posted and thanks.  Ernie Nagamatsu

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Hi Ernie, thank you for including your text on the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster. I intend to sit and read it thoroughly, several times this weekend. Reading it for the first time last night sure did spark the memories. I may send you a few edits for consideration after I read through it a few more times, if that's all right. You included a lot of information on the Hallock throttles which I really enjoyed. Duke was a creative genius that had the unique ability to apply theory and deep thought to a design and then make the transition to raw practicality to make it work. He was one of the very few that I had the distinct pleasure of knowing, that could make that difficult transition. The idea behind Duke's throttles with a sector for a throttle plate rather than a conventional throttle plate mounted to a throttle shaft was to achieve a clean unobstructed passage for the intake air at full throttle. His analysis of a conventional throttle was that the shaft and plate divided the flow front into two smaller flow regions which restricted the amount of air that could flow through a given diameter tube. 
   If you look at the 1948 car dash, there is an Allstate vacuum gauge to the left of the tachometer. This gauge was to measure the vacuum behind the throttle plate at full throttle during a run. The connections to the throttles can be seen in the pictures of the engine. The vacuum connection is at the top of the tube between the cross tube which holds the sector and the engine intake port. Dad used to tell the following story. I'm not sure which meet it was, but it goes as follows: After a particular run, Duke asked Dad what the vacuum reading had been at full throttle in the traps. Dad said it was somewhere around 3/4 of an inch of mercury, maybe a little more. Duke said, "That's it! Those darned dump tubes are restricting the air flow. I don't want to see over 1/4" at full throttle. Where's a hacksaw?" When given the hacksaw, Duke removed the blade from the frame, bent over the front tire and proceeded to cut the dump tubes off.  He then told Dad to go make another run. He did, the vacuum didn't measure over �" and they picked up several miles per hour.  Curt Giovanine

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We just got home from Ventura on January 18, 2009 from 4 1/2 hour professional filming with Michael Rose Productions, experts in automobile filming and featured on the History, Travel and PBS channels. Michael interviewed us on every element of the Spurgin/Giovanine/Borgh Mothersills Special Roadster.  He even made up a creeper and tied a camera on it and with a rope at one end and a long stick attached to the creeper with the car up on high jack stands.  It was a very cool shot panning from one end to the other catching everything under the car and especially half of the original belly pan from 1948. We interviewed a fellow that saw the S-G Roadster race at El Mirage and he talked with them about the car and it was his inspiration to start racing and he recently built a replica of a Miller car from ground up. Ernie Nagamatsu

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Ralph Schenck had been running a Chevy powered car at the lakes and at the track car since '35. He first met Rufi at the track and taught him every thing he knew about hopping up Chevys. (Quote from Bob). Rufi first ran at the lakes in '37 with a Chevy powered car that started life as a track car. In '38 Rufi ran his first Modified with Spurgin. They had known each other since they were six and attended school together and lived on the same street in W.L.A. Rufi ran the liner in '39. Spurgin ran a Modified, probably Rufi's single seater; meanwhile they built a two-man car for the street. In 1940 Chuck Spurgin ran the 2-man Modified he and Bob Rufi had built in '38-'39. It was White with the no. 76 painted on it. Chuck owned the engine and Giovanine owned the Olds 3-port head. It was entered in Chuck's name. In the same year Giovanine rebuilt Babe Ouse's Modified that he had run in '39. It had a Ford-B in it and they ran it in the last two races that year as a team. Bob was a line mechanic at a Ford dealership then. It was entered as Giovanine-Ouse. In '41 a modified was entered once that year as Spurgin-Giovanine car no. 22. In '42 Chuck entered his Chevy in July. The pix attached shows it with the Whippet grill shell half painted white. It was photographed at a workshop near Overland and National rented by Jim Travis-Charlie Beck. Have a '44 shot of the same shop with the Beck car in he foreground before he sold it to Howard Wilson with Chuck's roadster still stored inside. 
   In '46 Chuck entered his car under his name at the April '46 meet. In '47 Chuck ran his car with Bob as the Giovanine-Spurgin entry no. 87 at some of the meets. It was still a three-springer with Chrysler front axle. See pix '47. It gets a little messy now as Rufi said he gave the boys some engine parts from the liner. The Hallock connection goes back before the war. His carbs that were run on Rufi's liner in '40 were run on the Chevy after the war. You have to factor in the Schenck-Harstad-Steel connection also as some of the engine parts went their way. Giovanine and Terry Baldwin have a good handle on some of the engine stuff. See Petersen's The complete Chevrolet book, 3rd edition from 1973 for some engine details. Bottom line Schenck taught Rufi/Spurgin/Giovanine about Chevys. Mix in some track technology like Model-A gears and spools in Chevy rear ends etc., and Duke Hallock and you've kinda got it figured out. By the way the engine used an FB cam from the earlier engine as it was longer. This extra length was used to drive the Jewitt oil pump. The FB was the only Chevy 4 cam Winfield would grind on. Jim Miller

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There are several things in Jim's text that I would like to clear up. The line, "Bob was a line mechanic at a Ford dealership then," is confusing to me. Dad never worked as a line mechanic, if that's the Bob he's referring to. He went to work at Vultee Aircraft in 1937 and worked there until he joined the Navy for WWII. To my knowledge Bob Rufi was always a carpenter. I don't know what Babe did for a living. I do know that Ralph Schenck worked for a Ford agency. Dad used to say that Ralph, a Ford guy, taught them to build the Chevy fours. The #22 modified run in '41 had Dad's Chevy four in it, the same engine that went into the #87 roadster after the war. There is reference to that fact in one of the programs or club newsletters that I have. It says, "With Giovanine's new engine, there will now be two of the potent Chevy fours running on the lakebed," (paraphrased). I can find that program if you are interested.  
   There seems to be confusion that Dad's engine came along after Bob Rufi crashed his car and was made from parts of Rufi's engine or was actually his old engine. They were two different engines. Rufi came up with the OX-5 connecting rods after seeing them at a war surplus store, but Dad cast his own pistons; I still have the casting molds. Rufi didn't run Hallock carburetors on his liner, he ran two Winfield's modified for alcohol. The first homebuilt carburetors for the roadster, seen in some of the photos, used Winfield bowls and were run in 1947. I still have the throttle bodies, but no bowls, (Dad said they never really ran that well). The next iteration was the Hallock design throttle bodies with Winfield bowls. That was the configuration used for most of the championship season. The last configuration was the conversion of the Hallock carburetors to a fuel injection system. That conversion was done the latter part of 1948, I believe. 
   The last addition to the car was the pair of ram tubes run in March, 1949 for a trap speed of 135.13 mph. As far as the FB cam, it was used because it had more meat in the lobe area which allowed Winfield to grind a more aggressive profile. The Chevy model FB was built from 1919 to 1922. The stock cam didn't have enough meat to allow that. The actual length of the cam had nothing to do with it being used. Ralph drove his Jewett oil pump from the front of his cam gear with a custom drive of his own design. I do likewise on the 557 roadster. Dad used the stock back gear generator/distributor drive to drive the oil pump and distributor. He machined the front and rear generator end bells to mate together and made a short shaft to mount the Mallory distributor closer to the rear of the timing cover and drove the Jewett oil pump off of the front. Dad traded his engine to Duane Steele for a brand new Sears Drill Press, (~$150) in 1952. I still have the drill press. Chuck Spurgin sold the car. I bought Dad's old engine and other parts from Duane in 1989 to give Dad for his 70th Birthday and to start our joint venture with the new car. 
   I'm enclosing a picture from that gathering with Ralph Schenck, Chuck Spurgin, Bob Rufi and Dad on his deck at his home in Oakhurst, California. In the first picture from left to right, are Dad (Bob Giovanine), Gary Schenck (Ralph's son), Ralph Schenck, (and then by the Bar-B-Que) Chuck Spurgin and Bob Rufi. I hope this helps. If I can provide any more info please let me know.  Curt Giovanine

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As it turns out, my paraphrase based on my recollections was not very accurate. I agree with you that written records from the time in question are much more reliable than recollection, as our recollections get altered by time. My goal is as yours, to present an accurate historical record. Last night, I dug out the old programs and magazines and have scanned the appropriate pages to attach to this email. The December SCTA Racing News indicates that Dad partnered both with Chuck Spurgin in the two-man modified and with Babe Ouse in the Winfield powered modified during 1940 and shows that points were awarded to both teams toward the Albata club points championship that year. Whether or not the entire engine in the two-man modified was Dad's, or just the head as Jim Miller states, I don't know for sure, but the car was definitely entered under both names not just Chuck's as Jim indicated. Also, the May, 1941, Throttle magazine article written by Babe Ouse talks about Dad building an engine nearly identical to Bob Rufi's and that he would be running it in his, (Bob Giovanine's), new modified. Babe also indicates that he would be running his Winfield powered modified. That indicates to me that they were two similar modifieds not one and the same. The engine that Dad built for his modified was the engine that was later used in the '25 Chevy roadster. When the parts that I had bought from Duane Steele were all laid out on Dad's garage floor, I asked Bob Rufi about the main bearing oil supply tube at the bottom of Dad's old block. He said that it had been fabricated from EMT. He said that he had built that tube for Dad as one of his contributions to the engine. I have Dad's old main bearing caps for his block that I will never use. You are welcome to them if you can use them.  Curt Giovanine

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In the latest issue of the Rodders Journal, #42, on page 77 is the picture of my dad's tank car with no caption. I contacted Geoff Miles of Rodders Journal and told him I would send him a few pictures. I just wanted to share these pictures with you guys. Here are just a few pictures of the Mother Sills car. Some are with the engine in front; some with the engine in back. I also just discovered the original bill of sale from Feb. 29, 1956 when my dad sold the car.  Kent Borgh

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I had a long discussion with Kent Borgh and he filled me in with more history of the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster in the Mothersill's Special configuration. He will provide more information as his father ran the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster in the front engine configuration for a period of time and even went Drag Racing, before the final configuration to the rear engine "Jimmy six." Kent's clear and sharp historic photos of his dad and the S-G/Mothersill's Special are just great for us and the great team and helps for more validation. We will carefully take more photos of the key areas in the chassis and body. Thanks for your advice and help in the great research as this very special historic Roadster that started out before the WWII and had the record breaking year in 1948 and then it then continued on racing with the original chassis and body with some changes. This is exciting for sure and we are so grateful for all of the help on the Dry Lakes history side of this project and Curt Giovanine has been so helpful with incredible photo images and we are grateful. It reminds me of the Old Yeller II built in 1959 and continued competitive road racing until 1974 in SCCA, few years in a back yard in Fresno and back on the track replacing the modifications of disc brakes and a Chevy motor, back to Buick and Buick drum brakes. Ernie Nagamatsu

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I'm Chuck Spurgin's daughter Karin and I got a phone call from Ernie this morning about the roadster. What a great talk. Not two weeks ago I wondered if I should contact David Lawrence and see if he had made any progress with the car. I haven't talked to him in probably a year or two. I lost track. So there was Ernie and I guess we're off again toward restoration. I'm so glad. I spent most of the morning going through pictures and found the letter that is attached and thought I'd send it on to you and Ernie. I have a few pictures and SCTA programs I can scan and send to you but I don't have a scanner and will have to use a friends. Let me know what I can provide for you and I'll see what I can do.
The letter talks about a Dodge frame that I think was the beginning of the #15 car. Let me know what you think. Your dad and mine were friends and for me it's so nice to connect with family from this time in his life. My Dad was so special to me and his excitement for life and adventure was a wonderful environment for me to grow up in. Here's how to get in touch with me and I'll be glad to help in any way. Karin Edla (Spurgin)
Readers: The following letter is from Bob Rufi.

Pismo Beach, CA
July 13, 1998
Dear Karin,
Thank you for such a nice letter, yes I am sure Charlie's love for his family was first in all his thoughts. Your Dad and I grew up on the same street in West LA, Cardiff, which was called Wenzel a long time ago. We used to turn our wagons over (we were about 10 years old) and take the wheels off, oil everything, then go to the steepest hill in the neighborhood, "Alcott" and race each other to the bottom, good memories.
My folks moved, to find cheaper rent, but the Spurgin's owned their home so Charley went to school in Beverly Hills, through Jr. High, I believe. Later they moved close to LA High on Olympic Blvd. because Chuck and I were in the same graduating class W-1935. I remember I had to borrow his dark jacket for our graduation pictures because I didn't have one, good friends, you bet. After graduation my brother, who was 17 years older than me, got me a job with a framing contractor for $.25 an hour. These were still depression years and I was glad to have a job. Troy taught me how to lay out and cut roofs. I bought the first electric Skill Saw used on the job, paid $125.00, $10 down and $10 a month till paid.
In 1937 (I believe) I decided to build a race car to run on Tweedy Blvd track because if you won the main you got $40.00. More than I made as a carpenter but by the time I got the car built the track closed down. I can't remember but Chuck and I found a 1924 Dodge body in a ravine in Decker Canyon and went there to pull it up and took it home and cut the center out to make a 30" wide body to use on the Tweedy Blvd track. The only place left to race was Muroc (now Edwards AF Base) so we would tow the car there and we broke the existing Chevy record of 111.11 MPH by going 115+ MPH. Your Dad would come to the garage where I was building the car on Sundays and help me which I appreciated of course. I was living with the Robinson family then. Archie the son and I shared a bed room to Mrs. Robinson and her 2 daughters shared another.
Karin, I am sorry there is so much "I, me and mine" in this letter but Chuck and I did a lot of things together with cars. Later we decided to take a trip to Oregon as we heard it was a beautiful place so we went back to Decker Canyon and hauled up another Dodge body and frame rails also, as they swelled where the passengers sat. We narrowed the body to 50" wide, the passenger sat about 6" back of the driver so we had a little more room. The car had a belly pan so we had a place for our feet. To this day I have to realize how lucky we were as we had two oval Model T gas tanks, one under each of us that had copper lines and connections to run gasoline to the carburetors under pressure and if they had failed we would have been sitting in a pool of gasoline. Yipe!
We never got enough money together to go to Oregon but did make a trip to Turlock where my brother had a 40 acre farm. You won't believe this, but it's true. The car (the 2 man we called it) had no registration, no license plates, fog lamps for head lights and we drove over the old Ridge Route at night to Turlock. I also remember I had to stop at Sears Roebuck on Melrose to get a Navy Watch cap to pull over my ears to keep warm. Your Dad had to keep driving around the block as the Chevy had no starter and no fan so it was getting hot and by the time I got back, Chuck was fuming because I took so long. It's crazy how your mind will take a picture you never forget.
I jumped in and Chuck pulled the transmission into low gear and away we went. Got to Turlock at daybreak, stalled the engine at Troy's driveway and I went and got his tractor started and towed us in. I can still see Troy looking out at me from a 2nd story bedroom as I drove out for the car. We had a small compartment in back of the body where we kept a tow rope and some tools. That was the longest trip we ever took. Anyway Karin, your Dad and I were good friends for many years. The last time I saw him was at home and he didn't respond to anything verbal so I took his right hand and said, "Squeeze my hand Charley" and he did. That was our farewell till we meet again. I still miss his friendship and would like to pick up the phone to say "Hello Chuck" but the line doesn't reach……. someday. Much love to you Karin, Bob

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All speeds, entry names and dates are documented. As I've mentioned earlier Chuck partnered with Bob Giovanine in 1940 and also helped Rufi with his car. Without the Albata minutes at hand it can't be determined when Bob Giovanine actually joined the club. I know Bob Rufi and Chuck were friends from childhood. My reference to Chuck owning the block and Bob the head came from an issue of the Racing News from that time period. All the speeds and entry information also came from SCTA materials. Old Photos helped me determine body chassis configurations. Giovanine was also involved with Babe Ouse and Jim White (AKA Harrell) before the war. I have a letter from Rufi saying he learned everything about the Chevy engine from Schenck. This passed from Rufi to Spurgin to Giovanine. In 1939 the only guys running Chevy's at the lakes were Ralph Schenck, Bob Rufi and Chuck Spurgin. For '39 add Ralph Willis (Hot Irons), Gus Rollins (Outriders), Jim Schiefer (Idlers, Lived close to the Chuck and Bob neighborhood). In '38 there was Tony Caldeway, Frank Fontain (Idlers), Lewis Murray, and Rufi. 
   Here's a little extra information about Max Balchowsky before he got into the Old Yeller's. You probably know about the Deuce roadster that he, with Ina's help, road raced with a Buick motor. I've traced ownership before Max got it to the Vogel Brothers who ran at the lakes and circle tracks. Before the Buick the car had a flattie in it. It was built before the war and driven on the street by Customizer Jimmy Summers.  He is credited with some of the first fade away front fenders and even sold kits for them after the war. If I remember right he also did the bodywork on Tony Nancy's Wedge dragster.  Jim Miller

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We thank everyone for the incredible filming session (over 4 � hours) to record the all of the critical details of the Spurgin/Giovanine/Borgh Mothersills Roadster. It was such an important step and it is a good start as we are researching more about the car in the other configurations as well. It was exciting to have all of the creative "shooting" angles included and we thank our "in house Grips." We want to thank Bill for inviting Keith Loomis as he was critical for a historical perspective as he remembered so clearly as a teenager long ago in 1949 seeing the S-G Roadster race at El Mirage and asking Giovanine about compression. Everyone was important to "produce" a good filming result and we appreciate that.  Ernie Nagamatsu

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Here are some pictures and other info on the Mothersills Special. The Spurgin & Giovanine roadster was offered for sale in the June, 1950 issue of Hot Rod magazine. I'm unable to find the date that my father purchased the car. Carl was an Albata club member. He raced the car out of Harbor City, California. He first ran the car in August of 1954 at Bonneville. He called it the Mothersills Special. Mothersills was a remedy for women for that time of the month. There's also a story about a fictitious car, etc., etc. In 1954 at Bonneville, the car turned 140.84. He ran in El Mirage September in '54 at 141.73 mph. At Bonneville August 1955 he ran 149.00. He also drag raced the car in the quarter mile at Colton, Morrow, San Fernando, Orange County, etc. The car appeared in Drag News Magazine, April 15, 1955, page 10, left bottom picture. He changed the steering to center steering, painted the car red & white, put in a roll bar. He raced in the C modified roadster class. In October 1956 Hot Rod, pages 23 & 24, the magazine talks about other refinements of the car. The tubing body braces that resemble aircraft structure. Carl was an aerospace engineer from McDonnell Douglas. Carl ran the car with the engine in the front. In 1955, Carl moved the 6 cylinder GMC to the rear of the car. He made some modifications to the belly pan, built his own quick change rear end, and changed the track T nose to his own pointed version. I found his home made English wheel. He also fabricated his own intake manifold. Carl painted the car light blue, the same as two other future Bonneville cars. And to set the story straight, Carl and his buddy took both their roadsters to Kenneth Howard's garage, aka Von Dutch. That afternoon they bought Von Dutch some booze and he striped both cars and drank till morning. My dad said the sun was already up when they left for home. Carl W. Borgh sold the '25 Chevy roadster to Robert A. Cano of San Pedro, California on February 29, 1956 for the sum of $625.00 and a 1936 Ford coupe. Just would like to give my dad a little credit. I thank you both very much and Jim Miller, also. In the picture of the SCTA timing tags, there are only four of the Mothersills car. Kent Borgh

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I just bought the Hot Rod Annual that will picture the last configuration by Cano who bought the car from Borgh. I now have all of the photograph images of all of the configurations and we are lucky that the rolling chassis stayed the same and the body also was the original S-G Roadster configuration except for the nose and the hood area. The key and critical element of the multi-faceted Land Speed Racer accomplishments is the beyond the exceptional and rare record breaking year in 1948 in SCTA Dry Lakes racing. The Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster continued the long journey from the Pre-WWII configuration and now with a different paint job and it went Drag Racing as the Mothersill's Special and we have records of that.  Then it went to Bonneville to race the Salt Flats as well with a rear Jimmy 6 configuration and now I am researching the Cano period but the car is same in appearance as the Bonneville racing configuration with it's smooth and slippery roadster appearance, a talented design indeed. Ernie Nagamatsu
   Ernie: This always causes some disappointments with the prior owners of the car and their families who feel that their contributions won't be recognized. To a certain extent, this can be mitigated by two things; 1) creating a history and provenance that completely details in text and photographs the complete history of the car, and 2) possibly recreating another version of the other cars. Point number one is easier, for recreating all 5 of the Spurgin/Giovanine/Borgh car is financially difficult. Although, we have three versions of Dick Kraft's bug, with the one in the Don Garlits Museum understood as the "restored" car and the other two versions being considered as the "re-created" cars, though all three may have a few parts that are original. Letters from Dick Kraft to Don Garlits imply that the greater amount of originality resides with the Garlits car; and an oral statement by Steve Gibbs confirms that. So if it's not possible to create 5 cars, each representing a different phase of the Spurgin/Giovanine/Borgh car, then a complete, thorough and accurate pictorial history is necessary. Ernie Nagamatsu will do just that. I've seen his work with the on-going research into the Max Balchowsky Old Yeller II and it is impressive. He will do the same historical and pictorial work for the Spurgin/Giovanine/Borgh car and he will set the standard for car restorers to follow. The next step is to find someone willing to take on the recreation of the Francisco/Burke/Parks belly tank and the Bob Rufi Streamliner, among many others. We haven't even begun to tap the rich legacy of land speed racing cars and their history.

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Hi Ernie, I have pics of the 15a car and others plus the pictures of the restoration of a Giovanine car he raced (?) back in the day. I remember Dad telling me that Bob was restoring "the car" and going to race it again. His son will know more about that but I'm sure these pics are of that car. You probably know what I'm talking about. When Dad died I stayed in touch with Bob Rufi and I asked if he would be willing to share any stories he remembered about Dad. I got one verbal one on the phone that day and he sent me a longer one by mail. I found the handwritten 8 page letter he sent me and I think it's the story of the 15a car's inception. It's just charming and written with the sweetness of dear Bob. I could just hear his voice coming through. I can scan that and send it to you and you can use it how ever you want. It's really quite special. 
  I also have the March, 1949 copy of Hot Rod Mag with Giovanine in the 15a plus 3 copies of SCTA racing news program dated July 6, 1947, June 5-6, 1948 and Oct. 30-31, 1948. Also two SCTA Speed Trials Programs dated May 7-8, 1949 and Jun 11-12, 1949. I'm supposing the SCTA has copies of these as well but who knows, maybe they didn't save things back then like we do now. I have two award certificates for the #15 car and #87 car, one awarding $15 worth in merchandise or machining from Cannon Engineering Co in N. Hollywood. The other was awarding a case of Sta-Lube motor oil from Laird, Inc. in LA.  What a hoot! No big bucks in it then, huh? But, it wasn't about reward back then really, just the thrill of accomplishment and fun. Dad, Bob Giovanine and Bob Rufi were very humble men who were lucky to have many years doing what they loved together. You can't ask for more.
  I don't have a scanner but a friend will help me send a few things to Richard Parks to start the conversation. I went right away to the web site and have signed up to receive the newsletter too. It's been an adventure this morning and I'm so excited about what you are doing to preserve history. Thank you for carrying the torch further down the road for others to have as part of what went before. Many thanks and stay in touch, Karin Edla (Spurgin)

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We fully realize that with the including of everyone related to the true historical story of the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster/Borgh Mothersill's Special. We do accumulate a ton of material with more coming from Karin Spurgin Edla now on board as she will have some great material and photographs as well. I know writer Steve Havelock of England very well as he is always so very supportive of the Old Yeller II at the Goodwood Events. Steve wants to publish the S-G story in Octane Magazine as it is the best auto magazine on the planet I think and for an American focused auto magazine in Europe as well. I know the Editor of Hot Rod Magazine as he recently included the OY1 into the 100 most significant "Hot Rods" in the magazine. I also know other editors of the Hemmings publications as they have covered the OYII many times and the Rodder's Journal is a perfect match for later as we progress/finish on the S-G Roadster. We are hoping that Curt Giovanine can bring his 557 Bonneville racer built by Curt and his dad in the spirit of the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster. That will be a great "Tribute Car" to the 2009 Ventura Concours d'Elegance as it can be featured alongside of the original Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster in July, 2009!  Ernie Nagamatsu

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I just got off the telephone with the son of Robert Cano who bought the car from Carl Borgh and that is the last person to race the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster and it is the configuration that it is in currently, but same as the Borgh Mothersills Special configuration. Joe Cano was really excited as all he had was the Hot Rod Magazine 1957 Annual which pictured the Robert Cano "Snoot" which is the S-G Roadster. Joe will provide more information to me shortly as his dad lives in Lomita and Joe lives in Harbor City. This is the missing piece at last. Joe works at Tillack Ferrari and I know Steve Tillack and we had a great long talk as I mentioned that we have to get all of the important Oral History from Robert his father. Ernie Nagamatsu

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I've attached to pics of the cars, and 1 of the program, as jpeg files. There are some little black spots in the Car2 picture that are in the picture. When it's reduced though it may not be a problem, or maybe they can Photoshop them a bit to clean them up. Michael Ray

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I thought this came out great because you can read everything on the plaque. Had a great email from Curt and a scratchy old picture of the guys BBQ'ing for Giovanine's 70th birthday. Just hangin' around the BBQ. Something we did all our lives in So Cal. It is so nice to connect with Curt after all these years. Ernie, you have no idea how this project has touched all our lives. What an absolutely wonderful flooding of memories, re-connections and good will this has brought to all of us. It's bringing the next generation (us) together in the bond our fathers shared and you and Richard and the rest of your spectacular crew are the keepers of the flame hopefully to be passed on and on. We have gathered so much information for the history of this little car it really feels like a good full circle. Don't know if it could have been done 30 years from now and too bad we couldn't have had the main players stories while they were alive but they're grinnin' from ear to ear right now. Bless your hearts.
   Thanks Ernie for all the info in OYII and the Year of the OX. Reading what symbolizes the Ox describes how my father was and the others too. Growing up in tough times with the depression, they had little money but parents who guided them to persevere and survive. These men were as you wrote, logical, imaginative, had a sense of beauty, caring souls, positive and filled with common sense and were hard workers till the end. These men had the tenacity of the Ox and the gentleness of the dove. Thank you for everything. You bring many layers of integrity and kindness to your passion and this project. We are all very blessed for your efforts and everyone else that is involved. This project goes beyond restoring a car and I'm sure all who are involved have been touched by the magic these men made in their back yards and garages. "Just tinkerin' around" my dad used to say. Richard will you let me know if these pictures are coming the way you need them to? I don't want to send a bunch if the format is not right. I think we're doing it as Susanna suggested but give me the OK if you don't mind. Karin Edla Spurgin

Click All Images for Larger Pictures

Dads70tha
Dry Lakes 001
Dry Lakes 002
Dry Lakes 003
Dry Lakes 004
Dry Lakes 005
Dry Lakes 006
SCTARacingNews12-40a
Throttle5-41

Bob Giovanine's 70th..... I'm enclosing a picture from that gathering for my dad's 70th birthday party, with Ralph Schenck, Chuck Spurgin, Bob Rufi and Bob Giovanine on his deck at his home in Oakhurst, CA.  In the first picture from left to right, are Dad, Gary Schenck, (Ralph's son), Ralph, (and then by the Bar-B-Que) Chuck and Bob Rufi.  From the collection of Curt Giovanine [email protected]  

Dads70thb

This is my second favorite picture and I just think the title "The Little Roadster that Could" is fitting. 15-A car at El Mirage in 1948. From the files of Karin Edla Spurgin.

#15-A car being towed to and from the lakes in 1948. Bob Giovanine lifts the hood while chuck is behind him. The tow vehicle is Bob Rufi's new old military work truck. From the files of Karin Edla Spurgin.

Two photographs of the #15-A car at El Mirage in 1948. One photo shows the car unpainted and the other one is painted. From the files of Karin Edla Spurgin.

The top photo is from late '48 when the car had its new Blue paint job. The bottom photo shows the car at its only 1949 appearance with the Duke Hallock ram-tube setup. From the files of Karin Edla Spurgin.

The top left photo shows the car in early 1948 when it still had the cut-down Whippet grill shell. The top right photo is Stu Hilborn's car. The bottom left shot is the same as 002 so is redundant. The bottom right shot shows the car in mid 1948 with the new yet unpainted nose made by Chuck Spurgin. From the files of Karin Edla Spurgin.

Three photos. The top left and top right photos show the two man car Bob Rufi and Chuck Spurgin built in late '38 for a never to happen road trip to Oregon. For the 1939 season they added a tail of fabric over wood to run it in the newly created Streamliner class. The bottom shot is the Bob Rufi Built Streamliner shot in the middle of 1940 after they painted the new rear wheel pants, but before adding a new canopy. From the files of Karin Edla Spurgin.

The December SCTA Racing News indicates that Dad partnered both with Chuck Spurgin in the two-man modified and with Babe Ouse in the Winfield powered modified during 1940 and shows that points were awarded to both teams toward the Albata club points championship that year. From the Curt Giovanine collection. 

SCTARacingNews12-40b

May, 1941, Throttle magazine article written by Babe Ouse talks about Dad building an engine nearly identical to Bob Rufi's and that he would be running it in his, (Bob Giovanine's), new modified. Babe also indicates that he would be running his Winfield powered modified. From the Curt Giovanine collection. 

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Newest Pictures Added After Original Publication.

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Hi Jim and Hi Richard:
In the latest issue of the Rodders Journal, #42, on page 77 is the picture of my dad's tank car with no caption. I contacted Geoff Miles of Rodders Journal and told him I would send him a few pictures. I just wanted to share these pictures with you guys. More pictures to come.
Kent Borgh

CW Borgh Tank Car 30001 CW Borgh Tank Car 30002 CWBorgh Tank Car 1 CWBorgh Tank Car 2
CWBorgh Tank Car 40001

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car1
CAR2

Captions:

Car1... Spurgin / Giovanine 15-A roadster at El Mirage. Karin Spurgin collection.

Car2... Spurgin / Giovanine 15-A roadster at El Mirage. Karin Spurgin collection.

Program... May 7-8, 1949 Program for the SCTA Time Trials at El Mirage. Karin Spurgin collection.

pROGRAM1

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6 cylinder drawing

Captions:

6 cylinder drawing... drawings of the engine

Albata car club plaque... Albata car club plaque

CW Borgh 1... Borgh's 131C Mothersill's Special roadster

CW Borgh 2... Borgh's 131C Mothersill's Special roadster

Albata car club plaque
CWBorgh0001
CWBorgh0002

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Mothersills

4 pictures of the Mother Sill's Special 131 C

5 pictures of the Mother Sill's Special with the number 67 C

Mothersills 001
Mothersills 002

4 pictures of the Mother Sill's Special 131 C

3 pictures of the Mother Sill's Special 131 C

Mothersills 003
Mothersills 004

Picture of the roadster with Carl Borgh driving listed as 131 C, with 67 C superimposed

2 pictures of the Mother Sill's Special 131 C at Bonneville

Mothersills front engine
Mothersills timing tag

2 pictures of the Mother Sill's Special 131 C, with timing tag at Bonneville signed by Jimmy Khougaz

8 car dash plaques for the Mother Sill's Special

SCTA tags 2
Mother Sills Ad

Ad by Spurgin and Giovanine to sell roadster

Bill of sale of the roadster, Carl Borgh to Robert Cano.

Mother Sills Bill of Sale
Mother Sills Bill Pix

4 pictures of the Mother Sill's Special at Bonneville

An SCTA Race at Colton

Mother Sills Bill Pix 001
Mother Sills Bill Pix 002

SCTA timing slip for the roadster

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IMG_0103

Spurgin / Giovanine High Points trophy for 1948. Karen Spurgin collection

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