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Unusual Sports Car Venues circa 1956

November 7, 2022 By pete

Moretti

Photography by Glen Glendenning courtesy of Dave Rex

Sports Car Trials

While most professional photographer chose to spend their time and film on real racing events with the big cars and big names, Glen Glendenning also set his lens on the minor events around the extremely active Wisconsin sports car scene, from rallies to trials to ice racing and hillclimbs. It was club racing at the grassroots level.

We are not sure when or where this event was held. Glendenning listed it as “Sports Car Trial, Milwaukee SCCA Region, 1957.” We do have a note that it maybe called the Cowpasture Slayum, which fits, as does the date of January 20, 1957. But the results, while complete, only led to a possible identification of the Doretti driver as Wm Tannhauser, and that is only because the car is so rare. The Aston Martin and Moretti were not on the results list so we are left wondering. Perhaps our readers can help.

Everything that goes up….

…including Porsche Speedsters, must come down.

An early Porsche 356 does not fail to launch.

Hey Honey, lets run the new Aston Martin through the woods for trophies and jollies…

A Doretti tackles the bushes.

The MG guys were there as well, here with a new MGA.

And the MGTD was part of the mix. Oh, did you hear that it is a TF not a TD?

Ice Racing

Here is another mystery event. All we know is that it was an ice race on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in 1956. We should be able to guess the driver of the Deutsch Bonnet but we will not try.

Deutsch Bonnet

A new Lancia takes to the ice.

One of those die hard sports car nuts who drive in the winter with the top down.

On the other hand, have you ever seen an Arnolt Bristol with the top up?

Mercedes Gullwing in a two tone color scheme.

Tagged With: Glen Glendenning, Ice racing lake geneva, Milwaukee SCCA events, moretti, SCCA trials events, Trials events sports cars, Wisconsin ice racing 1956

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bob Plass says

    November 8, 2022 at 12:04 am

    The MG is a TF. Faired headlights and slightly raked grill.

  2. Earl Gandel says

    November 8, 2022 at 12:45 am

    Try again. The MG is a TF, not a TD.

  3. Ron Shaw says

    November 8, 2022 at 1:06 am

    I think the MG identified as a TD is actually a TF, either a ’54 1250 or a ’55 1500.
    I have a similar set of photos from a trials event held in the Boulder, CO area in January of 1955. They were hearty folk in those days. I don’t believe there was a single car with the top up.

  4. simon klein says

    November 8, 2022 at 1:17 am

    The MG TD is a TF.

  5. Bill Giltzow says

    November 8, 2022 at 10:56 am

    Note the New York plate on the Aston Martin. Tourist or local??

  6. John Shea says

    November 8, 2022 at 1:05 pm

    Thanks for the lovely photos. TF’s came late to the table, thus the confusion, few actually whiteness’s one compared to the TC’s and TD’s that started the craze. The Lancia is the gem in this collection. Very few ever made it to the states.

  7. pete says

    November 8, 2022 at 1:09 pm

    Good question…the event was no doubt somewhere in Wisconsin so the plates are from out of state.

  8. Bob Birmingham says

    November 8, 2022 at 4:02 pm

    Will ramble for a moment or two on both events. Bill Tannhauser’s Doretti finished second over 1600cc behind Baldy Meyers mult-icolored 300SL Other notables included Bill Wuesthoff in his racing Alfa third under 1600, Augie Pabst 9th under in a DKW, Dick Vogel in MG with side curtains up, also Chicago’s Bud Seaverns in a VW competed. The second group of cars were competing in 1956 Lake Geneva Ice Trials. Clarence Graham is driving his Lancia, Bill Kimberly in an XK140 and Bill Wuesthoff in Karl Koffler’s hopped up Austin Healey. Tannhaeuser by the way gave Jim Jeffords his start in the advertizing business who finished first over ahead of Tannhaeuser. Great story about a second 300SL at ice trials driven by Jeffords, Wuesthoff and Paul Van Antwerpen.

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