Car collectors and followers of vintage racing live for the day that they find a jewel hidden away in the proverbial barn. Or better yet, they dream of someone walking up to them at a race or exhibition and offering to sell them a long-lost car for a fraction of its value.
The story began at Airborne Park in Plattsburgh, N.Y., after the Atlantic Coast Old Timers midgets and sprint cars had run their exhibition race. Bruce Carman decided to wander over behind the grandstand, where four cars that didn’t run were on display. Here he found a stranger showing the ACOT guys pictures of a car he had in his shed.
“He thought he had an Offy,” related Carman. “But I knew right away it was a four-port Riley. None of the other guys seemed interested, so I asked if he wanted to sell it. He said ‘That’s what I’m here for‚’ so I loaded him in his car and followed him home.”
In a shed two miles away, Carman found a race car frame, body and engine.
“I couldn’t breathe,” says Carman, normally the most laid back guy in the world. “I almost had a heart attack. It was a complete engine with four Riley carbs. The body had a nameplate on it, but it was all pitted and I couldn’t read it. Then I asked if he’d take $200 for the whole thing. He acted like I’d offered him thousands of dollars and when he said, ‘yes‚’ I lost my breath all over again.”
Carman’s next move was to get some other ACOT guys to help load the parts in their various trailers to haul home. Bit by bit he got them all to his Shaftsbury, Vt., shop and the search began. After some cleaning, a magnifying glass revealed the words, “Body by Blake – VA” on the nameplate.
“I called photographer Les King, who remembers every race car he’s ever seen. He said there was a guy named Blake who built cars years ago and he remembered one being in Albany for a while before being sold to someone in Plattsburgh. He said that this Blake was from Virginia but he’d gone to England to build bodies for Jaguar, then moved to Alfa-Romeo. Eventually, he came home and built sprint cars and midgets.
“The one I bought was a mile-track car that had never been raced. Later on, it would have been called a champ car‚ or a big car. The hand-hammered body is perfect and the holes had never been cut in the dash for the gauges or in the side panel for the exhaust.”
After two months, Carman is still undecided about what to do with his find.
“I’ve found front and rear axles for it and I’ve been talking with a guy who has the proper wire wheels. But I still haven’t decided whether to restore it or leave it as is. My friend, Allan Wiltse, found the Milt Marion car in Florida and he’s left it the way he found it. I saw another car recently with a Ranger engine in ‘as found’ condition and people seem to love them that way.
“Either way, it sits here in the middle of my shop and I look at it constantly. I may just leave it right there to enjoy looking at.”
With eight other race cars and a few antiques and hot rods in his collection, Bruce obviously has enough to play with already.
“Most guys like complete cars but I love parts!” he says succinctly.
“When I see interesting pieces, I buy them. I’ve seen bare Riley heads for four grand but didn’t buy them because I didn’t know where I’d find the parts to complete them. Now I’ve got an engine with the dry sump system, the mags and the Riley head with the two valve covers, rockers and everything. I love the way the covers have ‘Riley’ written on them in what looks like a six-year old kid’s writing. That lets you know they’re original.
“I don’t think the motor was ever run. There’s no dirt anywhere. You hear about barn finds and I finally got one. I’ve always wanted a Riley and when I found one, I got a car to go with it.”
As we leave, Carman says that there’s one other thing that surprised him.
“I can’t believe that none of the other guys asked him if he wanted to sell it!”
Neither can we.