Photo of the final draft of the cartoon. The original was sent to the customer, and I didn’t take a photo. Just like many old racing machines, I thought that the cartoon had been lost to time, until I stumbled across the above draft while sorting through some papers.
Imagine driving your car absolutely flat out...taking it to the very limits of its speed.....and then trying to coax a few more mph out of her.
It would probably be pretty scary.
Now imagine trying to do that on a beach...mere metres away from the breaking waves....
Terrifying!
And yet that’s what a few daring, speed-seeking souls would do in their attempt to break the Land Speed Record.
The above cartoon came about as the result of a commission from a chap who had a very strong interest in old racing cars. I had previously drawn another land speed record car, and so I was thinking about possible ideas I could pitch him for a follow-up commission.
While researching about land sped record, I came across two very different approaches and philosophies in trying to break the record.
The White Triplex Special
Ray Keech posing beside the White Triplex Special.
This behemoth exemplified the brute force approach. It was backed by Philadelphia wire manufacturer James H White.
The car got the Triplex names due to the fact that it had no less than three war-surplus Liberty aero-engines, one in front of and two behind the driver, totalling 81 litres.
To quote motor racing historian Samuel Hawley:
“That was Jim White’s thing, that was his theory about speed, that the design of a car fancy streamlining didn’t really matter. If you wanted to go fast it was all about brute power.”
It was driven by the very brave, not that any drivers of this era weren’t brave, Ray Keech to a new record of 207mph in 1928.
Flat out along the sands.
Ray Keech wisely decided to quit at this point, deeming the car to be too dangerous, he’d actually been burnt during a couple of the runs, and called it a day on any subsequent record attempts before the car killed him.
The Stutz Black Hawk Special
In complete contrast to the beast that was the White Triplex Special, was the beauty of the Stutz Black Hawk Special, designed by engineer and racking driver Frank Lockhart.
You can the streamlining and small-size in this photo.
Using a small super-charged engine and streamlining, Lockhart relied on ingenuity for his attempt.
Frank Lockhart getting started on a run at Daytona Beech.
Lockhart made an attempt on Lockhart’s record at Daytona Beech, also in 1928. During one of his record attempt runs, one of the tyres burst, most likely as the result of a seashell and the car spun out of control killing Lockhart.
The Cartoon
Although these two cars were never on the sand at the same time, and never met in real life, I thought it would be interesting to have them side-by-side to show the contrast between the two.
The above was a draft of the final picture. I forget the pen I used for th outlining, but the into were applied using Copic sketch pens.
I thought I had previously lost the drafts of the cartoon, and didn’t take a photo of the finished cartoon that I sent to the customer. The other day while sorting through some old papers, I discovered a final draft of the cartoon. The paper was a bit creased, however I felt that the slightly weathered look suited the period of the subject matter in the drawing.
Cartoons as Gifts
Cartoons make great gift. Few things can match an original piece of art for a gift, especially one that has an emotional connection to the recipients interest. Imagine the wow factor when you give it to some as well..
Drop me a mile and let us have a chat about what I could draw for you.