To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Amelia
Island event, 6 - 7 March 2020.
Estimate:
$125,000 - $150,000
- Entered in the 1951 Indianapolis 500
- Commissioned and campaigned by Chicago mobster George "Babe"
Tuffanelli
- Powered by a 270 cu. in. fuel-injected Offenhauser engine
- Recent restoration by noted expert Phil Reilly
Please note that this lot is offered on a Bill of Sale only.
Car racing hasn't always attracted the most upstanding characters.
For Chicago mobster George "Babe" Tuffanelli, who kept things in
check, so to speak, for Al Capone on the city's south side, racing
was a nice place to tuck away some money. The competition was also
a thrill for Tuffanelli, who campaigned nearly half a dozen cars on
his team at one point.
Tuffanelli commissioned Milwaukee race-car builder Fred Tomshe to
build this 1951 Indianapolis race car, which Ray Knepper used in
his attempt to qualify at the famous 2.5-mile speedway.
Unfortunately, the car did not qualify for the big race, but did
nearly finish in the top 10 at the Milwaukee Mile and also competed
at Langhorne, Pennsylvania, that year.
Under its long hood sits a 270-cubic-inch Offenhauser fuel-injected
engine equipped with a Joe Hunt magneto that sends power to the
wheels through an Offenhauser two-speed high-low transmission. A
Halibrand quick-change rear end sends power to original magnesium
wheels by the same manufacturer. Inside, the car is predictably
spartan, and it retains a desirable Jones chronometric mechanical
tachometer.
Following its retirement, the car, which was known as "Tuffy's
Offy," has had a storied history of its own. The car participated
in the 2010 Millers at Milwaukee event at the Milwaukee Mile, as
well as at the Monterey Historics on three separate occasions. A
recent rebuild by Phil Reilly has left the car in excellent running
condition, wearing its original #78 livery, and it stands proud to
compete once again.To view this car and others currently consigned
to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/am20.
