Soap Box Derby World Champion (1938)

Last crawled date: 10 months, 2 weeks ago

This is a Soap Box Derby racer, designed, constructed and driven by Robert Berger who won his local Soap Box Derby Championship in Omaha, NE in 1938. His victory qualified him to compete at the All-American World Championship a month later, which we won against 112 other entries. Berger's car comprised a sheet metal skin over wooden floor and substrate, aerodynamic discs over the wheels, and axles running underneath the body, a common sight at the time. Unique was the brake, which was actuated by the occupant pushing his body against the rear deck lid, which slid backwards, forcing the brake mechanism downwards. The steering featured a vertical column with pulley belt connected to the kingpin flywheel. Atop the fore apron was a small windscreen. This model is created from blueprints and historic photos showing the car from various angles. It is quite detailed, comprising the brakes and steering assemblies. Livery on the car shows the sponsor, weight certificate and race number.