Even the most gifted hot rodders can use a little help sometimes. Renowned automotive designer and street rod builder Chip Foose learned this recently when he came across the missing link for his most recent project during a visit to the Smith Collection Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Foose was touring the museum with its founder, "Speedy" Bill Smith, owner of Speedway Motors, when he encountered a Drake V8 Indy racing engine on display. Foose is currently working on a hand-built street rod with a similar exotic Drake V8. The engine Foose has utilizes a serpentine belt to drive the dual overhead camshafts on each cylinder head; the Drake in the Smith Collection has a gear drive system. Foose said he would like to fabricate a gear drive for the engine in his project, so "Speedy" Bill and his museum staff are supplying him with the photos and information he needs to make it happen.
"We're happy to be able to help Chip out on his project," Smith said. "It's great to see him using such an interesting engine in one of his hand-crafted creations."
A successor to the dominating Miller and Offenhauser racing engines, the all-aluminum Drake V8 was built in the 1970s and features a dual overhead cam design with four valves per cylinder. Though it displaces just 158 cubic inches, this potent engine is capable of producing more than 570 horsepower at 9500rpm. The Drake is just one of more than 600 rare and exotic racing engines at the expansive Smith Collection Museum of American Speed.
This was Foose's second visit to the Smith Collection, and his first to the museum's current 135,000 sq. ft. facility. He was particularly drawn to the engine collection, which has grown considerably since his first visit in the mid-1990s. In addition to the Drake, he paid particular attention to a 1930 Cadillac V16. He also spent much time studying the 1914 Cornelian, a car raced by Louis Chevrolet that featured a monocoque chassis design and four-wheel independent suspension.
The Smith Collection Museum of American Speed was founded in 1992 by "Speedy" Bill and Joyce Smith. It is located adjacent to Speedway Motors, America's Oldest Speed Shop(r), and is home to the world's largest collection of antique and exotic racing engines and speed equipment. For more information, call 402.323.3166 or visit www.museumofamericanspeed.com.