Mystery Foto #24 Solved: The 1911 E-M-F Racer Shown at the 2019 Elegance at Hershey
This weekend's Mystery Foto featured a wonderful race car shown at this year's Elegance at Hershey.
Answers to the Mystery Foto questions:
- Identify the racer: year, manufacturer and model
1911 E-M-F Model 30 Racer. The EMF was named for its founders Barney Everitt, William Metzger and Walter Flanders.
- Link this racer to the Vanderbilt Cup Races
This racer participated in a preliminary race to the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race.
- Which significant race did this racer participate in? Who was the driver in this race and how was he linked to the Vanderbilt Cup Races?
The #33 EMF finished third in the Tiedeman Trophy Race held in Savannah, Georgia. It was driven by Jack Tower averaging 58 mph over 170 miles. Tower was the mechanician for the #4 FIAT which raced in the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race. Tower drove the #26 Jackson to a 24th place finish in the 1911 Indy 500 Race.
Comments (7)
Congrats and kudos to Steve Lucas, Frank Schaeffer and Dick Gorman for identifying the 1911 EMF and its driver Jack Tower.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
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Comments
Great car , but am I being to critical in the restoration thinking someone got a bit over zealous in the pin striping to the chassis, hood, body, front axle wheels etc etc would this actually been done to the car being a race car when new?
The #33 Columbia in the 1909 Wheatley Hills Sweepstakes, driver RW Wilcox
The race was run simultaneously with the Massapequa Sweepstakes over the
Short partially completed LIMP course.
Howard
The history reflected by your collection is indeed impressive,
Wondering what the next selection might be,\
Phil Lukens
That’s a 1911 E-M-F Model 30 Speedster. E, M, & F are the initials of the last names of the three owners of the company: Everitt, Metzger, & Flanders. This racer finished third in the Tiedman Cup which was a preliminary event for the Vanderbilt Cup Race held on November 27, 1911 at Savannah, GA. The driver was Jack Tower who was a member of the Buick Factory Racing Team from 1908 to 1910 that participated in several Vanderbilt Cup Races and Sweepstakes events on Long Island. I think Jack Tower may have been a mechanician for Bob Burman at some point also. The E-M-F Company was absorbed by Studebaker in 1912. I believe the current owner of the racer is Dale Critz, Jr.
Is this the answer and connection? The #33 Car was a Columbia, driven by R.W. Wilcox. He finished 2nd in the Wheatley Hills Sweepstakes which was run the same time as the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup.
1911 EMF 30 chassis
Tiedeman cup race [for smaller cars] Hosting Vanderbilt cup race- Savanna.Ga
driver Jack Tower????
Mystery Foto #24… The car shown here is the ever popular 1911 EMF “30” two seat racer. This car ran in the Tiedeman Trophy Race as well as Vanderbilt Cup Race in Savannah, GA. in November 1911. The Tiedeman race was, at the time, a more important event than the Indy 500. The EMF driver in both the Tiedeman and the Vanderbilt Cup was Jack Tower.
During the time that the EMF road cars were manufactured I have read that they were second only to the Ford Model T in number of units sold. I believe that the company was bought out by Studebaker.
can anybody connect me with frank schaeffer? Many thanks, renald