Our trip to the public race car collection of Mr. Marty Himes of Long Island, New York, was a privilege the likes of which most people born after a certain age are liable never to experience in their lives. But of all the cars in his remarkable collection, only one of them can claim to be 100% one of a kind in the entire world.
You may not recognize this particular sprint racing car as being any different from the other stock cars, midget racers, and sprint cars the former racing champ has on his Suffolk Country property. The only thing that may lend a clue is the large, laminated photograph of what one can only assume is the same engine inside this car.
You'd be right for thinking that, but it's not from the company you think it is. You'd be forgiven for not knowing their name, but there's a fabled fourth major racing engine manufacturer unrelated in any way to Ford, Chrysler, or GM.
If you're unfamiliar, say hello to Offenhauser. A brand mostly unknown by modern gearheads but deeply respected by the people still around who raced with them. Even if it was ever such a long time ago
In far of racing past, Offy, as they're often called, supplied engines for everything from sprint and midget racing all the way to Indy 500 competitors. Even dipping their toes into turbocharging in the late 1960s, two decades before they became prominent on passenger cars. Some cheap General Motors knockoff brand they certainly were not.
Photo: Benny Kirk
As we've said, the people back in the golden age of American motor racing absolutely loved Offy engines. Be it the 97 cubic-inch (1.6-liter) four-banger famous in midget racing to the 220 cubic-inch (3.6-liter) sprint car motor and the iconic 270 cubic-inch (4.4-liter) Indy 500 special. The boutique racing engine maker found themselves the champions of the Indy 500 nearly 30 times.
All this said, Offy wouldn't build a custom engine for just anybody. You'd need to be someone of profound circumstances for that privilege. But of all the people you could think of, Long Island entrepreneur, sportsman, and legitimate gentleman racer Briggs Cunningham certainly fits the bill. Cunningham excelled at just about every racing discipline. Be it sailing, rowing, stock cars, and even a few tries at the famous 24 Hours of LeMans.
If there was anybody in the world to build a racing engine for their own use, it was Briggs Cuningham. Dubbed the Cunningham Offy, this engine was a full 40 cubic inches short of the maximum three-liter displacement limit imposed by most sanctioned American sprint car races. Even so, it was a gem of an engine that Marty Himes himself described as " one of the smoothest revving engines I've ever worked with."
Cunningham would go on to sell the engine to fellow aristocrat race car driver Frankie Callandrillo. Better known as Frankie Cal in his day, Callandrillo raced the engine in a custom sprint car chassis by designer Ernie Casale to victory at the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Los Angeles's Gilmore Stadium in 1950. The car would go on to race competitively until 1963, when it retired to the pits in Phoenix, Arizona, with drivetrain trouble.
Photo: Benny Kirk
At the event that early 1960s afternoon was the owner of the eponymous Marty Himes Museum. A few good looks at the car was all Marty needed to know he wanted it. He'd go on to purchase the car years later and transport it back home to Long Island. The now elderly Himes claims the one-of-a-kind Cunningham Offy engine could fire right back to life today with a little bit of basic maintenance. Oh, how we'd love to be around if and when he decides to do this.
If you're wondering, the engine in this car alone is worth $50,000. Even more with the rest of the car attached. But good luck trying to get Marty Himes to sell it. You'd be preaching to the choir the whole time. Check back for more auto racing goodness and so much more on autoevolution.
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