Vanderbilt Cup Races

Randy Reed of La Mesa, California has forwarded this information on his 1914 Tahis Special:

"Glad to see that the Alco is getting some exposure as there aren't many survivors from the big races from yesteryear. I own the Tahis Special that participated in the Vanderbilt Cup and the U. S. Grand Prix of 1915 as well as other prominent events in the mid-west and on the west coast during that period. Attached, you will find some photos (see above) and  this brief history  of the car. Good luck with the Alco."

TAHIS SPECIAL

By Randy Reed

Tahis is a Greek word for Speedy

     The Tahis Special has a lengthy history in American speedway and road racing. Frederick Robinson of Chicago, Illinois constructed the car. The first races for the Tahis Special were the Chicago Automobile Club Trophy and the Elgin National Trophy held in Elgin, Illinois in August 1914 and driven by Mort Roberts, a well-known driver of the day. In 1915 Mr. Robinson brought the car to the West Coast for the San Diego Exposition Road Race held at Point Loma in January. The Tahis Special was the first car entered in this race and was featured in a lot of the press articles because of a supposed search for a driver.
     In February they went to San Francisco for the U. S. Grand Prix and the Vanderbilt Cup races. In the Grand Prix, a tire was thrown from a wheel at speed and ran over a U.S. Marine guard who attempted to stop it while doing spectator control duty. During early 1915 Jack Gable drove the Tahis Special. Gable was a riding mechanic for "Wild Bob" Burman in the Indianapolis 500 in 1915 and possibly earlier.
     Burman, who had driven the Blitzen Benz  to the, unrecognised, Land Speed Record of 141+ mph in 1911, may have been instrumental in aquiring the Wisconson racing engine that is used in the Tahis Special because of his close association with the firm and other racing cars that used this model engine. This engine is a 4 cylinder, Type JR of 449 cu. in. and 110 h.p. Burman finished eleventh at Indy in 1913 driving the Keeton with an engine of this same type. In 1914 the two Burman Specials used a push rod, hemi-head version of this same engine built especially for him by the Wisconson factory.
     In October 1915 the Tahis Special was at the center of a very controversial disqualification at the California Raisin Classic held in Fresno, California. After having been driven from Los Angeles to Fresno through the Mojave Desert because of a last minute race invitation by the A.A.A., the clutch needed attention. The repairs could not be completed before the closing of the qualification session. The other entrants were allowed to vote on allowing the Tahis Special to run in the race. These were professional racers in these days with very little sponsorship and everybody needed the prize money. The car was voted out of the race.
     March 1916 found the Tahis Special at Ascot Park in Los Angeles for a 100-mile race on the 1.0 mile oiled dirt oval driven by Clarence Shockley. In April, the car participated in the Corona Road Race at Corona, California driven by Jack Teel. This must have been a traumatic event for the Robinson team because of the death of Bob Burman, his riding mechanic and a track guard, when a wheel collapsed on Burman's Grand Prix Peugeot causing a horrible crash. Five spectators were also injured. Also, in April the car went back to Ascot Park for a 150-mile race driven, again by Jack Teel, to a 5th place finish. There is photographic evidence that the car competed from 1916 to 1919 in what were, probably, minor races in the Southern California area, but locations are unknown. Ascot Park operated through 1919.
     The car was registered for road use in California in 1919. Fitted with a battery, lights and a starter, it was used on the streets by Mr Robinson. During this next period, from 1919 to 1949, the last major mechanical work would have been accomplished as none has been done since. The engine, transmission and rear end have been maintained over the years, but no rebuilds or overhauls have been done to these components since, most likely, the 1930s.
     Harry Johnson, then of San Pedro, California, aquired the car from the estate of Mr. Robinson in 1949 due to the prodding of Herb Royston, a well kown car collector of his day. Herb Prentice of Downey, California, then owner of the ONO racecar, passed on the car because he thought it to be unsafe in the event of an overturn on the track. It then passed to Hugh Darby of Fresno (not a town with fond memories for the Tahis Special). In 1952, Lonnie Reed of San Diego, traded a 1914 Cadillac converted to a truck, for the car and a 1918 Harley Davidson motorcycle. The Tahis Special has been a member of the Reed family ever since.
     During the 1950s, Joe Thomas, who finished second at Corona in 1916 for the factory Mercer team, commented on the car. He stated that while the performance with the powerful engine was good, a problem for the car was its weight. This had caused many problems with the tires then available, particularly in the longer races. There is evidence that Mr. Robinson tried to correct this during the car's evolving race history.
     During 1958, 1959 and 1960 the Tahis Special participated in a series of match races with a modified Fiat S61/Pope Hartford at Alpha Speedway in San Diego. In 1988, the car began competing in various vintage racing events that became popular in the early 1970's. There have been no tire problems. The Tahis Special has been to the Monterey Historics three times, the San Diego Historic Grand Prix three times and the Visalia Vintage Motorsports Festival twice. It is believed that this car is the oldest, unrestored racing car still competing in the United States.

RACE HISTORY FOR THE TAHIS SPECIAL

1914 

  1. CHICAGO AUTOMOBILE CLUB TROPHY,  ELGIN, ILL.
  2. ELGIN NATIONAL TROPHY ELGIN, ILL.

1915 

  3. SAN DIEGO EXPOSITION ROAD RACE AT POINT LOMA, SAN DIEGO, CA.
  4. UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX SAN FRANCISCO, CA.
  5. VANDERBILT CUP  SAN FRANCISCO, CA.

1916 

   6. GEORGE WASHINGTON SWEEPSTAKES, ASCOT PARK  LOS ANGELES, CA.
  7. CORONA GRAND PRIZE ROAD RACE    CORONA, CA.
  8. ASCOT MOTOR DERBY, ASCOT PARK   LOS ANGELES, CA.

1958

  9. MATCH RACES, TAHIS vs FIAT S61, ALPHA SPEEDWAY  SAN DIEGO, CA.

1959

10. MATCH RACES, TAHIS vs FIAT S61, ALPHA SPEEDWAY SAN DIEGO, CA.

1960

11. MATCH RACES, TAHIS vs FIAT S61, ALPHA SPEEDWAY  SAN DIEGO, CA.

1988

12. MONTEREY HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE RACES  LAGUNA SECA, CA.

1989

13. SAN DIEGO HISTORIC GRAND PRIX, JACK MURPHY STADIUM  SAN DIEGO, CA.
14. WRA VINTAGE RACE, CAJON SPEEDWAY EL CAJON, CA.

1990

15. SAN DIEGO HISTORIC GRAND PRIX, JACK MURPHY STADIUM  SAN DIEGO, CA.

1991

16. SAN DIEGO HISTORIC GRAND PRIX, JACK MURPHY STADIUM SAN DIEGO, CA.

1992

17. MONTEREY HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE RACES  LAGUNA SECA, CA.

1994

18. VARA VINTAGE RACE, WILLOW SPRINGS RACEWAY ROSAMOND, CA.

1998

19. VISALIA VINTAGE MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL VISALIA, CA.

2000

20. VISALIA VINTAGE MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL VISALIA, CA.

2005

21. MONTEREY HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE RACES  LAGUNA SECA, CA.

2007

22. CORONADO SPEED FESTIVAL, NORTH ISLAND NAVAL AIR STATION CORONADO, CA. (WITH URA RACE GROUP)

2008

23. CORONADO SPEED FESTIVAL, NORTH ISLAND NAVAL AIR STATION  CORONADO, CA. (WITH URA RACE GROUP)
 

Randy, thanks for the email, comments and documents on your beautiful Tahis. As provided in your race history, the Tahis was driven by Jack Gable in the 1915 Grand Prix in San Francisco and finished 11th. One week later, the racer with Gable competed in the 1915 Vanderbilt Cup Race on the same course and finished 22nd after cracking a cylinder. The 1915 race, won by Dario Resta in a Peugeot.