Monday, May 17, 2010

Part 8- My Humongous Astronomical 2010 Indy 500 Blog Mess: The Sumar Special

I am sorry.

I have been recalcitrant and malingering as your unofficial Indy 500 humorist blogger the last few days.


I have been busy drinking alarming amounts of beer in the Turn Three infield grass in the rain with folks I consider dear friends rather than report on the dramatic goings on at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Now…I’m a little bit tired, and I needed to sleep in.

Do you ever get tired after 2 straight days or beer drinking?

I know I do sometimes.

Maybe it’s because I’m old.

Or something…

Anyhoo…yesterday, I was meandering aimlessly around the grounds and came upon this unusual sight, and I felt a strange burning and stirring in my loins.

It is one of the most beautifullest things I have ever seen which was created by human hands.


It is an exacting replica of the Sumar Special from way back in olden times, and it is cool beyond all reasonable belief!

It was built by a group of highly skilled craftsmen at a company called Auto Hammer Art.


This version of the Sumar was purchased by a high-powered and wealthy Terre Haute, Indiana banker by the name of Don Smith.




Mr. Smith probably has untold trillions of dollars in his savings account, and an awesome set of tools as well. Maybe his dad was a TV repairman and he inherited a set or two of Craftsman wrenches like I did.


I don’t know too much about that, but I do know Don Smith has a spectacular collection of race cars and other related junk stored in a bunch of pole barns.

This collection rivals all the crap in the IMS museum, I bet, and you have to be someone pretty cool and special to see this collection.


Apparently, Don is very proud of his collection, and he won’t let just any douche-bag come on to his property to check it out.

I’m thinking I’ll never get to see it.

Here is a link to a intardent message board which details some of Don Smith’s awe-inspiring and pants-wetting memorabilia collection.

The Sumar Special that I saw at IMS was flawless.

It has an authentic Offenhauser engine.

The brother of the guy who helped build the Sumar said the Offy was a bitchin’ mill they found and rebuilt about 25 years ago at a cost of around $50,000.


I can rebuild a small-block Chevy for a helluva lot less, but that’s not really relative to the discussion, now is it?

They fired up the Offy briefly, and I was in heaven.

I was away from the car when it was started, and I knew I was hearing something special, which I had heard many times back in the good old days, and not some crappy V-8 Honda turd.



I ran over to the Sumar and was able to hear a few precious seconds of it rumbling and smell the lovely burning methanol.


Then they shut it down, and I cried a little.


If you get a chance, stop by and see the Sumar Special.

It is time well spent, I assure you.

The Sumar is currently located in one of the F-1 garages, and the folks who guard it will welcome you in and allow you to drool on it a little.

Maybe.

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