The Alco-6 Black Beast Racing History

posted on Sunday, December 28 2008 by Howard Kroplick, Image Courtesy of Chicago Historical Society.Chicago Daily News negatives collection, DN-0003451

Below is a summary of the Alco-6 Black Beast's record in major races which included; two Vanderbilt Cup Races, the first Indianapolis 500, two Elgin Trophy Races, and one American Grand Prize Race. In both 1909 and 1910, Harry Grant in the Alco-6 ranked 4th in the AAA National Championships.

1909

• Dead Horse Hill Climb, Worcester Massachusetts, June 12, 1909- Finished 1st in class, setting course record

• #5 Lowell Trophy Race, Merrimac Valley Course, Massachusetts, September 8, 1909- Running first until three laps from the finish when blown tire tore off chain. Finish 7th in field of 17.

• #11 Fairmont Race, Philadelphia, PA, October 9, 1909- Did not start, broke steering in practice

• #8 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Long Island, NY, October 30, 1909- Finished 1st in field of 16, averaging 62.8 mph


1910

• #3 Dead Horse Hill Climb, Worcester Massachusetts, June 4, 1910- Finished 2nd in free-for-all

• #27 10-Mile Race (stock chassis with engines 451-600 CID), Indianapolis, Indiana, July 1, 1910- Finished 1st in field of 3.

• #27 20-Mile Race (stock chassis with engines 451-600 CID), Indianapolis, Indiana, July 3, 1910- Finished 1st in field of 3.

• #27 Cobe Trophy Race, Indianapolis, Indiana, July 4, 1910- Finished 4th in field of 14

• #6 Elgin National Trophy Race, Elgin Road Race Course, Indiana, August 27, 1910- Finished 12th in field of 13. Left race due to twisted clutch

• #18 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Long Island, NY, October 1,1910- Finished 1st in field of 30, averaging 65.2 mph

• #7 American Grand Prize, Savannah, Georgia, November 12, 1910- Finished 12th in field of 15, completing 11 laps. Left race due to gear failure.


1911

• #19 Inaugural Indianapolis 500 Race, Indiana, May 30, 1911- Finished 33rd in a field of 40, completing 51 of the 200 laps. Left race due to bearing failure.

• #1 Elgin National Trophy Race, Elgin Road Race Course, Indiana, August 26, 1911- Finished 2nd in field of 10. Click on the above image and see the Bete Noir (Black Beast) logo on the side of the car at the Elgin Race.


Check out the December 24, 2008 issue of Newsday for an excellent article on the Alco-6 Racer by reporter Bill Bleyer.

Click here for a pdf of the article.

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Comments
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) writes... December 28 2008 2:28pm

Howard:  How Great is this!!!  Be well and Happy Centennial (1909 Vanderbilt Cup).  Tom

(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) writes... December 28 2008 3:55pm

Hi Howard!

Don’t forget the two sprint races Grant and the ALCO won on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 1 and 2. Those were among the earliest races on the Speedway after it was paved with bricks, making it the “Brickyard.” Great stuff, your site is the ultimate on-line source of Vanderbilt Cup racing information!

(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) writes... December 28 2008 8:24pm

Howard, Congrats on your acquisition!  Wishing you, Roz, and the girls a very Happy New Year!

(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) writes... December 28 2008 8:49pm

Hi Howard:
Your articles and photos continue to amaze.  A few questions:
(1) How accurate were the speed measuring devices in 1910?
(2) The article states that the vehicle was “capable of reaching 120 MPH.”  Is there evidence that 120 MPH was actually achieved or sustained in a race?  or a test-drive?
(3) I could be wrong, but it seems that anything resembling a windshield could not offer significant protection from the wind.  If that assumption is correct, than how could a driver withstand winds at or near 120 MPH (i.e. Category 3 Hurricane force), and maintain the skills necessary to operate the vehicle?
Thanks!  Happy New Year to everyone!
Rich

(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) writes... December 29 2008 2:31am

Tom:

Always great to hear from you and the Grant family!

Mark:

Thanks for the additions to the Alco history and your positive feedback!! I have updated the racing record in my post.

Chris:

Great to hear from you!

Rich:

Thanks for the feedback.Some answers to your questions:

-the technology for timing the cars during this era was fairly accurate. I will go into detail in a future post.
-The average speed for the winner during the early Vanderbilt Cup Races was approximately 65 mph. At maximum, they could reach around 100-110. I was told the restored Alco-6 had recently done 120 mph. However, this timing was likely just a guestimate.
-None of these racers had windshields although they were common in touring cars of the era. It is likely they felt that the windshields would slow the car or make them unstable at race speeds.


Enjoy the New Year!

Howard

(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) writes... December 29 2008 9:01am

Howard,

Thanks for the continued support of the Vanderbilt Cup history. You have single handily connected the Marston’s with their Great Grandfather, Harry Grant.  Thank you for this gift.

Happy Holidays to you and yours

(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) writes... December 29 2008 10:10pm

Brooks:

Thanks for the email. It made my day!!

Happy Holidays to you and all the Vanderbilt Cup Race families!


Howard

(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) writes... January 08 2009 10:00pm

Howard, Congratulations on your purchase of the “Black Beast”!  You beat me out..I was taking donations towards the purchase. Just kidding. Its great to know that it will be in a museum. Looks like I need to do a road trip and check it out. A very happy 2009 to you and yours! Jan Lee

(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) writes... January 10 2009 2:40pm

Yowza Howard,

  I trust you’ll be “sympathetic”  to the restoration of this piece of history.

  Looking forward to seeing it at some time in the future.

  Nice to know that it was “saved”.

    Good Health to You and Yours, Bob Lovell

(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) writes... January 11 2009 1:29pm

Hi Bob:

Definitely will! I am speaking to several restoration experts before making any major changes.

Enjoy,

Howard

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Below is a summary of the Alco-6 Black Beast's record in major races which included; two Vanderbilt Cup Races, the first Indianapolis 500, two Elgin Trophy Races, and one American Grand Prize Race. In both 1909 and 1910, Harry Grant in the Alco-6 ranked 4th in the AAA National Championships.

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