Soap Box Derby Warren, OH Champion (1960)

Last crawled date: 1 year, 10 months ago

A Soap Box Derby racer built and piloted by Allen Franz, 14, of Bristolville, Ohio. Allen won the local championship in nearby Warren, OH which qualified him to compete at the All-American Nationals in Akron that year. This design was a tapered cigar-shape with cab-forward cockpit and narrow axletrees. Requiring nine months to complete, young Allen used dimensional lumber and fiberglass to build it. He sat crouch forward, his chest almost touching the floor. This was in fact Allen's third racer, competing the two years prior, each year using a different car. After storing the deep blue racer for 55 years, it went on permanent display in 2015 at the End Of The Commons General Store in Mesopotamia, OH, in the heart of Amish country. Mr. Frantz was kind enough to donate it to the store so it could be seen and enjoyed by others. This model shows how the car looked when it raced in Akron, created from color photographs I took from all angles, including the interior. I also took measurements. The All-American Championship wheels, set #46, are identified by the 1960 decals. Official Championship wheels issued from 1958-1973 were usually painted silver or gold, with 1960 and '61 being the exception: 1960 was a robin egg blue, '61 was a darker mid-tone blue - see my 1961 racers. The livery shows the driver's sponsor, The Warren Tribune, the car's entry number in the All-American, and the driver's name. Special thanks goes to Peter Schaden, owner/manager of the End Of The Commons, who was kind enough to let me photograph and take measurements. The car can be seen on display high above the retail floor along with another Warren racer from 1961 raced by James Chadwick. Dimensions (actual) Overall length: 80' (note: regulation maximum) Overall width: 34 1/2' (note: regulation standard) Overall height: 18' Wheelbase: 66 1/2' Body height: 14 3/4' Body width: 14' Ground clearance: 3 1/4' Cockpit opening length: 24' Cockpit elbow length: 10' Triangular rear hatch: 25' x 9 1/2' This model is geo-located at the following coordinates: 41.458636N 80.955023W #AASBD #Akron #All_American #Bill_Wrigley #boîte_à_savon #caisse_à_savon #gravity_racer #seifenkiste #Soap_Box_Derby #Warren #ソープボックス