The Story…

101 years and 1001 miles to go

Thunder and Fire reunited

UNICORN INVICTUS

Speed…this word means much more than beeing fast to me. It must not be excessive, but in combination with adrenaline, expectation and a open timeline it keeps the desire of freedom and independence. The dream of feeling the unleashed elements hauling like wild spirits arround the motorcar has followed me since I was a kid.

And so, after wandering a lifetime arround cars, sitting as a kid next to my father in his 1969 beetle, driving like hell downhill as no morning ahead… whitnessing the development of iron steeds into docile comfortable vehicles almost everybody could drive…
I wondered… must it stay that way? Could it be possible to recreate the feeling that former motorcar drivers had when hitting those bumpy dusty roads on their machines?

…and then, some years ago on the race track… somebody came along with a into a speedster converted 1926 T model… 8 cylinder flat head…and… This unique sound of an open exhaust, the vibration, the taint of oil and gas…
And so, it was done…the decision was unavoidable. I needed a project, something insane and big!

The truth is…I never thougt it would take me 7 years…I mean, you get a rig and get it done. So easy… But…
So 2011 I relentless started looking in internet for a suitable chassis. The best country to find a project are the USA. Meanwhile I learned much about the 1910 to 1920 US motorcars. Unfortunately world war I almost stopped the civil motorcar evolution. But on the other hand, the impulse the war gave military machines was unprecedentely. Just look at the aeroplanes. And exactly those powerful machines were dumped ending 1918 on scrapyards as no more needed. War was over, and those young, crazy freedom seeking home made engineers started to use these engines to insert them into a truck chassis, or whatever else. But big solid frames were the few to hold the outrageous power of an aeroplane engine…So they started using fire truck rigs and…here it starts to get interesting.

…and, after a year or so looking for the Benz licensed Simplex engine in the American La France fire trucks I ended up with a massive 1929 Seagrave Fire pumper, located in Madison Wisconsin USA. 6 Cylinder, 1013 cci / 16.000 ccm, and well conserved. But…arriving in Queretaro MX this became a problem, as I did not have the courage to strip it down and convert it into a speedster. To precious… So instead I had to satisfy my dreams listening to the loud F6 T head while driving at 2,5 miles per gallon and 55 mph on my Fire truck. So i continued searching in the internet…

2015 I spotted a chassis in internet, a 1919 fire pumper in very bad overall shape laying in the New Mexico desert. Looking closer I saw on the pictures components that let my heart beat faster. The same size as my 1929. With 1 1/2″ path chain drive, 3 speed transmission, original wooden spoke wheels in whatever shape, and apparently for sale. It woult take nerves to rebuild this truck into a speedster. I felt something insided me that pushed ahead….
2017 I was able to bring it over the border at El Paso TX, to Queretaro, México. It turned out to be a 1001 miles journey full of adventures and exiting tales.

years

miles to go

and a story worth to share.

Cleaned with a powerful truck hydrojet and under a thick layer of decade old petrified grease I started to uncover paint. Well preserved parts as the transmission and gear box. The wooden spoke wheels were rescueable, the chassis complete and after a a lift up prepared to receive the F6 engine from the 1929 Fire truck.
It became a lifetime project. I did not expect to go back into the 1920ies where I could study the handmaked parts. Discover a fantastic engineered engine with details we have, almost 100 years after their invention, unchanged. The way solving problems with mechanics is mesmerizing. I enjoyed every single hour beeing in the garage covered with grease.
And now, November 2020, it is so far completed.

Metamotphosis

Keep reading about the steps ahead, the stripdown, design of a new body and refurbishing until ready to leave the cocoon.

The Story…

101 years and 1001 miles to go

UNICORN INVICTUS

and a story worth to share.

Chain Drive & Transmission