For the Americans, like the British, French and Italians the inter-war period was the time when the thrill of speed caught on. For the motoring pioneers this meant bigger was better and so in their quest for speed enormous machines were created often built around surplus aero engines. Named somewhat appropriately after the Greek sky and thunder god Zeus, this is a car built very much in the spirit of those early racers. Created by Paul Springer of Vancouver, Washington on a custom ordered 1927 Diamond T chassis the sheer size and presence of this machine creates an impact wherever it goes, whether that’s in the show ground, rallies, sprints or even just a trip to the pub.
The of heart of this beautifully engineered special is the 14. 5 litre Hall-Scott engine. Hall-Scott established their reputation building aircraft engines as well as racing engines for the luxury car maker Duesenberg so they knew how to keep the engine light but robust. It’ll therefore come as no surprise that this straight 6 comes with overhead cam and hemispherical combustion chambers. It breathes through twin updraft carbs and the enormous ‘drainpipe’ exhaust emits an appropriate rasping bellow. Cooling is looked after by the centrifugal water pump which circulates the coolant through the original aircraft radiator. The original figures for the engine were 275 bhp with 850 ft pounds of torque.
That torque and power is delivered to the back axle via a 4 speed gearbox with overdrive built by Brown-Lipe. Perhaps unsurprisingly the original axle only lasted a few miles so was rebuilt using drag racing components and has proved to be amply up to the task.
Often it’s the original breaking systems of cars from this era that can take the joy out of driving them in today’s modern traffic but Zeus has generously sized, externally contracting Lockheed hydraulic brakes front and rear that inspire confidence.
The underside is clean and tidy and free from oil leaks.
The electrical system includes a high capacity generator, starter and fuel pumps and a pair of beautiful Gray & Davis headlamps. The electrical wiring is cloth covered by Bart Ouchida and all is monitored through a full set of beautifully original Hall-Scott instruments.
The 13ft 9inch chassis sits on custom made steel wheels and accommodates a lightweight 2 seater roadster body. In the true spirit of a vintage ‘special’ the body is an amalgamation of a 1916 Franklin, 1918 Studebaker and the boat tail was created from a 1947 Hudson. The result is a purposeful looking speedster that still retains a spacious cockpit which makes those long distance rallies so much more enjoyable. The leather upholstery with beautifully crafted hand stitching gives an element of luxury from a bygone era.
Finished in dark green with pin-striping and a hand painted Zeus illustration on the flank, the paintwork is of a quality rarely seen on a vintage motor and the colour beautifully contrasts with the polished brass fittings.
Whilst residing in the States, this standard of finish and engineering was rewarded numerous times with Zeus taking home silverware from many shows. She’s no ‘trailer queen’ as evidenced by the many rallies entered including a total of 4 stage wins on the arduous 2500 mile ‘Great Race’ rally in 2017.
Price: £95, 000. 00 o. n. o
Built in the States in the 2010's by Paul Springer of Vancouver, Washington the current British owner is only the third owner and imported the car into the U. K. It is currently not road registered.
The popularity of these big engined Brooklands style racers has increased dramatically over the last decade, especially with races for them at both the Goodwood Members’ Meetings and Revival. Many of the multi-litred leviathans like Zeus are temperamental, specialist machines but Zeus provides the same visceral appeal whilst being reliable and user-friendly. Tame enough to use for an enjoyable Sunday drive or even a trip down to the pub.
The owner is a professional in the car restoration business and he has maintained and serviced Zeus regularly. ’On the button’ and ready for immediate use I highly recommend viewing this impressive motorcar at our show room.
