Porsche Pup

2010-07-22T21:21:00.001-07:00

We have seven videos posted below but the blog only shows dark squares with play buttons, etc. on bottom of each video. Just click on the play button on the lower left side of each to play. For older postings with photos etc. click on the "older posts" button at the bottom of each page. Hope you enjoy the blog.

2010-07-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Below is one of my runs up the hill via the in-car camera.

2010-07-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

Dunlop Tires invited me to bring the Pup to their Goodwood Festival site for an internet interview. During the discussion prior to the interview, they mentioned that 170,000,000 people were logged onto their site that morning. The interview was too long as a video to upload as one unit. This is the first half of the interview.

2010-07-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Below is the second half of the Dunlop Tires interview.

2010-07-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Travis' first run up the hill viewed from the in-car camera. They stop him briefly at the start line because the Birdcage Maserati ahead of him crashed. Note the finish line is about three quarters of the way up the hill, but drivers have to cruise up to the top and wait for everyone to finish before they all come back down. Unfortunately the in-car camera did not record his second run.

2010-07-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

My last run Sunday morning. They show entire run on the MegaTV after I drive past Marla.

2010-07-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

One of my earlier runs.

2010-07-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

Travis makes his first run up the hill. Announcer continues to talk about him and the Pup after he drives past and they are showing the next car on the MegaTV.

2010-07-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Travis takes his last run up the hill on Sunday. Everything went really well for both of our runs the entire weekend. We have in-camera videos that we will post as soon as possible.

2010-07-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

I take my last run up the hill on Sunday morning shown via video camera and MegaTV. Best run of the weekend.

2010-07-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

Adrian Newey, Mark Weber and Sir Jackie Stewart prepare to go on track.

2010-07-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Rick Hamlin, our friend from Wellington, drives Richard Morrison's 1964 MG Liquid Suspension Special Indy car.

2010-07-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Travis on the pre-grid and on the track for his first run. Good run.

2010-07-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

Bobby Unser.

2010-07-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

Travis takes Richard Morrison's 1964 MG Liquid Suspension Special Indy car to grid.

2010-07-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

Paddock sign.

2010-07-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

My second run; first good run up the hill.

2010-07-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

Birdcage Maserati on the track.

2010-07-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

On the pre-grid for second run with Birdcage Maserati in front of Pup and an Aston Martin DBR2 behind.

2010-07-02T05:08:00.000-07:00

When you are on the track, they show your car on the mega tv screen, just like the Pup is shown here, so the crowds can see the cars further up the hill. After my first run, I was then interviewed by the Goodwood people, which was also shown on the tv screen. More to come after next run.

2010-07-02T04:59:00.000-07:00

Alright! Finally out on the track. They send a car out to go up the hill approximately every 30 seconds. Unfortunately, a car ahead of me had problems and stopped on the track, so they red flagged me to stop until they moved him out of the way and then I had to just drively slowly to the top. Hopefully run two this afternoon won't have any problems.

2010-07-02T04:52:00.000-07:00

Cars in my group are lined up, ready to go out on the grid. Thousands of people are here watching and taking photographs.

2010-07-02T04:41:00.000-07:00

Arrived at Goodwood. Car arrived safely and I'm getting ready to go up the hill for the first run.

2010-06-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to head for Great Britain next Tuesday, arriving Wednesday morning; can't wait. Will spend one night in London and then head to Goodwood on July 1st. Will update blog when we arrive.

"The Pup" Goes to Goodwood

2010-06-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

Bob Howard was delighted when he and his 1954 Porsche Pupulidy Special were invited to participate in this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed in Great Britain. The event takes place from July 1-4, 2010. Watch here for updates from the event!

The Pup - History

2010-06-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

1954 Porsche "Pupulidy Special" History
(The "Pup")

An impressive survivor from the early years of sports car racing in the United States, the Porsche Pupulidy Special, aka the "PUP", is a one-of-a-kind vintage racer. Originally designed and built in 1954 by Emil Pupulidy of Long Island, this fendered monoposto looks sleek and fast even when parked on the grid, and it is competitive on the track.

Although Pupulidy's name may not ring familiar among latter day sports car racing fans, in the upper right-hand corner of the United States old-timers will recall a creative multi-talented man who not only claimed a pair of SCCA national championships in 1956 and 1958 in production-class Porsches, but one who designed, built and raced his own unique car. Pupulidy always loved mechanical things. By the time he graduated from high school on Long Island, he was racing his 45 cubic inch Harley Davidson motorcycle on area dirt tracks. After high school, Pupulidy enrolled in an aviation trade school where he learned how to fly and to build and maintain aircraft, and he soon found employment as an airframe technician building P47 fighter planes at Republic Aviation. In 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a staff sergeant with the Engineer Combat Battalion, where he helped construct the pontoon bridge over the Rhine River that enabled the allies to pursue the retreating Nazi army towards Berlin and its inevitable surrender. Upon returning to Long Island and his job with Republic Aviation, he discovered an incredible upswing in cars and racing in full force on the east coast. While traveling in Europe on a regular basis, he visited the Maserati, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche factories and bought a brand-new 356 Porsche coupe, which he shipped home and raced in local events.

When he decided to build a sports car of his own in late 1953, Pupulidy fashioned it after the streamlined racers he had watched in Europe, and possibly the tiny Glockler-Porsche Spyder he saw driven by Max Hoffman at Bridgehampton in 1952. With inspiration from aerodynamic beauties like the Mercedes and Auto Union Grand Prix and Land Speed record cars, Pupulidy built a wooden buck and hand laid a fiberglass body into a sleek racer. Using a square tube chassis, the racer was designed for a Porsche 356 motor mated to a Volkswagen transaxle and 356 drum brakes. The gas tank was mounted up front, with the filler in the wheel well. One unique feature was the layout and design of the Porsche torsion bars extending rearward, stabilizing the swing axles. The ID "PUP 1" was stamped on the rear frame tube. Frick Motors, a hot rod and European race shop on Long Island, completed the engine and results from the May 1956 races at Cumberland credit the "Pup" with a GP class win. Results also indicate the car finished third, behind two Alfa Giuliettas, in a June 1956 race at Road America.

For some unknown reason, perhaps financial, the "Pup" was eventually abandoned behind the Frick Motors shop until rescued by Butch Strunk, who repaired the car and raced it in the northeast United States for several years. Howard Gilmore then purchased the car and raced it for nearly thirty years, including at the Delaware, Duryea and Mt. Equinox hill climbs, and at Thompson and Lime Rock. Gilmore then passed the "Pup" on to Matt Williman, in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, who continued to hill climb and road race the car with the VSCCA.

Vintage racer John Muller, of Kansas City, bought the "Pup" in 2003 from an ad in Hemmings Motor News. The car was in sad shape, so Muller took it to Brian Haupt of Carriage and Motor Works of Kansas City for a complete restoration. Haupt, who has restored cars for the Pebble Beach Concours, disassembled the entire car for the first time in 50 years. The chassis was meticulously restored, replacing several of the lower frame rails and re-welding nearly every joint. After removal of the many layers of paint, the ID "PUP 1" was discovered stamped in its original place on the rear frame rail. The giant jungle gym of a roll bar installed in the '70s was changed to a more fitting design and the original drum brakes were refurbished. Dual master cylinders replaced the original single and the original VW gas tank with the filler in the right wheel well was replaced with a fuel cell. Haupt also fabricated a lighter weight fiberglass body after creating a new buck. Meanwhile, James Cox, of Cox Motorsports in Kansas City, worked his magic on the engine. Starting with a 1600cc 356 engine, Cox enlarged displacement to 1720cc, added Carrillo rods, a Scat crank and installed original twin dual barrel 40 HP Solexes. The gearbox was rebuilt by Vic Skirmants of 356 Enterprises with close ratio gears and the shift linkage was reworked by Greg Welch. Muller drove the car at various vintage races, including the Monterey Historics in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and earned a first place trophy at the Tucson Porsche Club Concours, before selling the "Pup" at the R & M Auction in January of 2009.

Now owned by Bob Howard of Wichita, KS, the "Pup" continues to do what it was created for at racetracks around America. Howard, who is licensed by the Vintage Motorsports Council and the Porsche Club of America, has raced motorcycles and cars at various tracks throughout the United States for over 40 years. After purchasing the "Pup", he took the car totally apart, magnafluxed all the suspension components, replaced what was cracked or items showing their age and basically freshened the car. He finished in time to participate in two vintage events at the end of 2009, racing the "Pup" at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit and at Texas World Speedway. Out of six starts, the "Pup" claimed one overall win and five wins in its class. (The photos included herein under Pup history are of Bob participating in 2009 Corinthian Vintage Auto Racing events at Texas World Speedway and Hallett Motor Racing Circuit.)

On track, the "Pup" exhibits speed, balance and neutrality as a result of the innovative suspension design from fifty-five years ago. The 2010 season is going well and Howard looks forward to many years of great vintage racing with the "Pup".