Coldplugs - Sports Car Racing in the fifites and sixties

"Candy" Poole was an institution in Northeast racing during the 1950's. His combination of mechanical prowess and driving skill was hard to beat. Candy had a well equipped shop that included a dynamometer, which was invaluable in modifying and tuning and gave him a leg up on most competitors. He had some secrets, too. In the early sixties he told us he used automatic transmission fluid in his gearboxes to reduce friction and power loss. This is not unusual today but was unthinkable then. I still remember him saying how important is was to be discrete about such things, saying "If you tell folks everything you know, pretty soon you don't know nothin' ". What was most remarkable about him was his willingness to help other folks - he maintained several race cars for others in his shop, and coached and mentored younger guys to make sure they were fast and safe. He was also a bit terrifying at times, although maybe my memory is exaggerated. Candy died in June of 2006.

	Candy looked like someone to reckon with on a race track even in his seventies. [Courtesy of Larry Poole]
The picture shows the PBX at Thompson in 1961. At this time the car had been raced for over 6 years. It exhibited workmanship of a very high standard, better than most specials of the day. Karl Ludvigsen wrote an article about the PBX for Sports Cars Illustrated (now Car and Driver) magazine in 1956. At that time the car had started 35 races, finished 32, and won its class in 26!

The PBX 30 years later, at the Lime Rock vintage event held on Labor Day. As with most vintage racers, it appears better finished than in its racing days. [Courtesy of Larry Poole]

PBX in Nassau in 1954. Note that it carries a Connecticut passenger car license plate.

[Courtesy of Michael Eaton]

Many folks built "specials" back in the fifties, but very few took the next giant step of developing their own line of cars. One of the few who did was Ray Saidel of New Hampshire. Ray built the Jomars, a series of lightweight, high-performance, open and closed wheeled rockets. Oh, and he introduced TVR into the US. And, in his spare time, he built the largest imported car dealership in New England.

Ray entered the sport in the early fifties, when he imported and raced one of the first Allards here in the colonies. Here are some pictures of the early days, graciously provided by his son, Alex.


Thompson on 31 October, 1954. Here, the Allard J2X has a full-width windscreen and a hard-to-see luggage rack! Not all J2X's had cycle fenders - this one had the full width "Le Mans" bodywork.	A year later, and last year's windshield has been replaced by a smaller screen. In a radical effort at reducing weight, the luggage rack has been removed! (When is the last time you've seen a Kaiser-Darren on a race track?)

Also at Thompson in 1955. The headrest can be seen here. There's some pretty exotic cars in the background - a Siata and (maybe) a Bandini.	What a great shot! Worthy of the cover of Speed Age.