WILL IT RUN After 60+ Years? Miniature Racecar with 2 Stroke Engine 

Dad built two of these for me. The first one I started racing a few months before turning 5 years old. That was in 1954. He was very good at getiing the most power out of those small engines. I believe the second one had a Continental engine in it. Everybody ran a four stroke engine, no two strokes. We lived in Newton, Kansas and I primarily raced at Joyland park in Wichita. The track was a 1/20th of a mile oval, and our cars would go about 45 miles an hour. We raced for points, and in 1957, I got second in the state with the second car, which was lighter and faster. There were a few store bought cars, but most were handmade by guys that worked at the airplane plants in Wichita. My dad was a mechanic and then became an aerospace machinist. One year mom even made us all matching shirts for the racing, and they used them for their bowling league also. After my brothers were born, we didn`t go racing anymore, but my closest competitor kept racing for about fifty more years. I used to have a couple of hundred trophies, which my youngest brother has now. I am 72 now and still have that 1957 trophy up on the mantle, it is one of my most cherished possessions. Thanks for the memory!

Awesome, small race car with serious engineering , not a toy..Must be a blast to drive...Thanks...

Man, that's brilliant.!that little racer deserves to be restored and used, then preserved for your future grand children!

My cousin has one that he inherited from his dad that is all original and it has a triumph motorcycle engine in it, i think it's a 650cc or 750 cc Bonneville, great video, thanks 👍🏆.

What an awesome find. Loved hearing the old two stroke run. My son and I raced micro midgets in the 70's with 250cc motorcycle engines in them. Ron

In England we called priming to. "tickle it" until the bowl floods.

Thank you for ALL your efforts and sharing these fantastic finds with Us. This one struck a nerve with me. I CAN NOT wait for future vids on this project. You have a GREAT channel, and again Thank YOU!!!

Music to my ears… I love it when old engines come back to life….. OUTSTANDING!!!

I had a neighbor back in 57 that had 2 of these 1/4 midgets 1 was 2 cycle ,the other one was 4 cycle brigs &straton .This was in Independence,Missouri.

I'm 59 years old . My grandfather raced go carts I the early 60s . I still have 2 carts , 4 or 5 west bends , and lots of parts . He owned a cart shop back then and I ended up with his inventory. We ran them on the ice alot when I was a kid , grew up on a lake .

This is an awesome find! glad to see you were actually able to get it running, the rest should be pretty doable, it would be awesome to see your girls to be able to drive this thing around some day soon.

This is fantastic!!! Great find my friend. I hope to catch up with you sometime this year now that life is coming back to normal even a little bit. Thank you for all your hard work and love of the sport.

This brought back some fond memories from the late 50's. My dad raced go-carts then. I remember him racing 1 or 2 times. When I was about 5, we were at home and my dad was watched midget racing on TV . After the race was over I picked up a pencil and paper and drew my first race car. My mom couldn't believe that I could draw something that accurately. That was the first time I remember drawing anything. She always wanted me to be an artist.

I bet that was a awesome feeling when that thing fired up, a great story and content, thanks!

I have a 3/4 midget My Father Built in 1950s he raced in NASCAR 1956-57 #756 owner/driver..plus run 40 plus years of open cockpit cars,Sprints,Midgets,3/4 Midgets...have his photo albums and all his Race Car Parts too...

That is a quarter midget car , When I was a kid we used to watch them run on the Sacramento Raceway track , They had a dirt track for these cars Nice fine mann

My Dad & Mom bought a Kurtis-Kraft 500 "bathtub" for me in 1960. The man selling it pulled into my Dad's wrecking yard, talked to my Dad, money exchanged hands & we were in the 1/4 midget racing sport. My Dad raced stock cars earlier in the 1950's against Unser Sr., A.J. Foyt, & Parnelli Jones, and everyone run what they had, mostly flathead Fords. We raced from the fall of 1960 until 1967 when I turned 16. The worlds record track was Fresno, CA and we held the modified class record for a year in 1963. You mentioned San Diego, we lived in Oxnard, CA, and also raced at El Cajon, right next to San Diego. Any where a race was going to be held, we tried to make it there. Went all over the U.S.A. ( except for the north east) and I enjoyed racing as much as my Dad did. Mom was the movie taker & cheering section, Pop was chief mechanic & technical support. Those years were wonderful and I had a very rare opportunity to be the beneficiary of their time & involvement while we raced. I'll never forget how great those times were. We lost some, but won some, and sometimes didn't finish the race, but we always tried our best. Good luck on your project, you've got a fantastic start for some lucky child to drive that race car!

Amazing craftsmanship in that little engine. An engine that old and sitting that long it was willing to run again. You made the find of a lifetime and as you uncover more history of the car, it will be an invaluable gem. Please keep us updated. Nice to see a find Close to home. I live just southwest of Knoxville.

My Dad raced those when he was a kid in the early 50’s around the Akron, OH area. Thanks for posting the video. Very cool.

What an amazing piece of racing history! Your Dad was wise to get it @ the estate sale, he saw that there was something special about it. When we think the Web has all the answers, it's hard to imagine there is so little about these cars. I think I heard about them as a reference in an article, like" so and so used to race Offeyettes". Fantastic thing that you connected with the son of the designer, and I wish you all the best in the restoration.I am subbing and look forward to more of the journey!

In the early sixties my best friend's uncle had a building he leased to a man who left town town owning a lot of money to him. The only thing he left was a quarter midget with the number 26 painted on the side. It was powered by a Triumph Motorcycle engine and transmission. I was about 16 and my buddy was 16 and already a good mechanic as his father was a mechanic and taught him. We dumped the old fuel and cleaned the carbs and for several months had a blast driving it on the street and running from the lone policeman in the town. Out on a country road we saw 110+ mph runs. We never knew all that had been done to the engine but is was a screamer. We had to push start it with pickup at first and it would smoke the tires as it pulled away from the push vehicle. Seeing this video brought back great memories.

That is the coolest midget racer, and I can't wait until the next video on this racer , thank you for sharing it.

Congratulations! That is a great find. I hope you are able to restore it to some degree so it it around for years to come. That 2 stroke sounds really good!

WOW ! That is just too cool ! I remember back in the late 50's a neighbor kid having one of those that his dad and he would take racing on some saturday mornings. It had the 4 stroke engine which sounded differant and did not have the mixed gas. I had a lawn mower with the 2 stroke engine that I had to mix gas for. At that time I was already too tall to be able to sit in the little race car but I sure wished I gould have driven it. What a great find you have there ! Thanx fur sharing.

All I can say is cool. The best part was your Dad's reaction when it Lit up 👍👍my brothers had one in the early 60's my older brother has it on 8mm I was young thanks for bringing back this memory my Dad was pretty cool always bringing home horses dirt bikes ponies you name it we had it he was always trading for something for us great memories thank you

OMG that’s. Cool as hell!!! Thanks for sharing this with me!!!

Nice! Beautiful car, and what cool history. Can't wait to see what all you do with it.

Love that car. Your kids will have a blast.

In 1958 the Jacobus Fire Company in Pennsylvania had a 1/4 midget track behind the fire house hosting Sunday afternoon races. A youngster from Harrisburg successfully drove a black with red to orange/yellow flamed nose Offyette by the name of Hill, I don't remember his first name. Get a Feb 1958 copy of Hot Rod magazine for an article for additional information on all the major manufacturers. York County had a second track in Rossville beside a Triumph and Jaguar automobile dealership. A local resident produced the Aceracer 1/4 midget. Both tracks ran sanctioned 4 cycle motors some with Solt speed equipment. I don't remember anyone running a clutch, parents just pushed on the rear body to start. Outside hand brake levers were common. Many early racecars had a full belly pan, rules changed to stop the pan just past the seat so leaking fuel couldn't collect and run forward into the cockpit. Another brand was Kurtis Kraft styled more like an Indy roadster with torsion bars suspension, they too were fast! Midget - TQ or Three Quarter or 3/4 Midget - 1/4 Midget. (They are all different racecar types) May your family enjoy your Offyette treasure after restoration.

Great find! That will be a fun project. What a great history too!

Very kool. Can't wait to see it in action !!!

When I was about 8 years old and living in Colorado my dad built a quarter midget for me. My dad raced at a local track named englewood speedway. They actually use to let quarter midgets run on the track a few times a season. This brought back memories. Ours was a 4 stroke engine. That deserves a full restore.

What a brilliantly narrated video . So clear , so EXCITING. How I envy you . I had a Motus Mk5 kart -based hillclimb vehicle .I wish I still had it .Thanks.

Wow that is a Great find can’t wait to see it restored

So cool man, what a score!

This brings back memories. My older brother had a metal flake blue one back in the 1970's. no engine in it tho. we used to push each other around the yard lol It also had the "B" on the front, the guys he got it from last name was Barnes .

Man that is a fantastic little racer. Congrats on finding it and all the info. about it.

Gday from Australia. Great channel you have . Enjoy the history of the old race cars. This midget car would look awesome restored. Am building one from scratch for my son.

Woo Hoo I haven't seen anything like that in years👍💪🍻🦅🦅🦅🦅 THNX!

Great find. I have a vague memory of these cars being run inside our cities auditorium at the time. Gonna do a little research. Thanks for the share.

Wow,That is so COOL. Awesome.

Loved this, well done

Excellent video! Thanks for posting!

That's awesome!!

They used to have a 1/4 midget track in San Antonio, Tx, at Comanche Park and we used to go watch them in the day and the go out to Pan American Speedway, and watch our dads race in there 50s model cars. Boy didn't this bring back some memories from days gone by.

Another awesome video my friend!!!

oh so sweet of a find!!! the midget racing was a regular event up here and maybe i can help . midget racing was held regularly at Hinchliffe stadium in paterson n.j. . paterson was a hub of some of the great racer's and top mechanic's in the 50's 60's and 70's and was also home to the original gasoline ally. i met an older gentleman who has one at his shop with picture's of the midget driver's and i think he was one to. can't wait to show him this and bring back the good ol day's. great video and can't wait for more!! 👍

My dad got my brothers and l a quarter midget car in the late fifty's in the Los Angeles area. We would take it to empty parking lots and he would hand push it to start it so we could get some driving experience. We also took it to Ascot park in Gardena, ca., which was owned by J. C. Agajanian who also raced Indy 500 cars, they also raced sprint and midget cars there but on Fridays they raced quarter midgets. We never won a race there as there was a girl racing there and winning all the races from us frustrated boys. My father also bought us a soap box derby car kit which we put together but never raced in Ohio, just pushed it around the block crashing into the neighbors fences, lol.

Love a project--especially when kids are the beneficiary!

My dad raced midgets in the late 50s and early 60s out of Ft Worth Texas and in Oklahoma. The cars were about this size but were called Micro Midgets. He raced with Johnny Rutherford when JR was just starting his racing career. From the stories he's told me, a lot of different engines were used. He used a Harley 45 flathead engine but other guys would use outboard motor engines, Indian 45s etc. I think most of the guys he raced with bought components and built their own cars. I've been looking for one myself to restore. Great story and great research on yours. I'm glad to see these old race cars fixed up and looking like they did back in the day

my son used to race those back in '79. he was 4 years old. they raced at south mountain in phoenix, AZ. had a 15 horse boze engine in it. you just brought back a bunch of good old memories

Maaaan!!! That's beyond cool. I had a old midget, that unfortunately I never got it running. To this day I regret not keeping it. But man that is sooo cool.

I can't believe you got that to run without taking that Amal carb off and cleaning it those carbs are not the most reliable carbs not just this GP carb but all Amal carbs, the slides stick the float bowls leak but you're right that's a Amal GP performance carb. Both of my Uncles used to flat track motorcycles in the 50's and one of their racing buddies after he quit flat tracking he used to take his spare 45 Harley flat head racing motors and cut them in half and make a single cylinder racing motors for these Micro sprints he was a machinist by trade and it really came in handy when doing this conversion.

Awesome little gem😀👍

Ohhhhhh pal that is sweet nice add to collection and the history wow

OMG. Is that just the coolest little car or what. Can't wait for you to do a step by step and see it ripping some asphalt.

I bought one at a yard sale in S C in around 1975. It had a 7hp brigs on it. It was pretty cool I had a friend when growing up in the 60s that raced them so when i saw one i had to have it for my son. it was a blast for many years.

Hot Rod Hoarders...I can only imagine the excitement you feel when researching these vintage race cars, especially when you get to hear one run, I would think twice about restoring this quarter midget, maybe restore it mechanically, it will be in this condition one time!!....these vintage race cars need to be saved...be safe..God Bless!!

I had a friend back in the late fifties who was the New England quarter midget Champion. His car was an Offeyette, It was all black with a gold leaf number 2 painted on the rear cowl and the car was called the Black Deuce. It was powered by a continental single cylinder 4 stroke engine. He used to race in Meriden, Connecticut at the Silver City Speedway which still hosts quarter midget racing to this day. The car had been sold years ago And I often wonder where it ended up my friend died from lung cancer about a year ago.

Very interesting. The tread design was very cool 😎

Gave Coker a shout out today in my 57 Plymouth Plaza video, and I finally used the tires you sent me. I guess I'll stop trying to contact you after this.

The major parts supplier for 1/4 midgets was Solt. Bolens was major lawn mower and tractor brand and is now part of MTD.

My cousins raced quarter midgets in the mid to late 50s maybe even as late as the early 60s. Mike and Cindy Welch lived in Moline, Illinois. I know there was a real nice circle track in Moline. The cars were all beautifully painted, and there dad my uncle Ron was really supportive of the racing.

I'd love to find one of those! I missed out on an Offyette locally about 5 years ago. You snooze you lose!

Cool little race car. Would have been a good time for a kid to learn and experience the racing world. Enjoyed the video. Enjoy the weekend and Take Care

What a beautiful little machine you have 😃✨

My son races Quarter Midgets in Tulsa,Oklahoma. This is too cool.

I was maybe 3 yo and drove one of these at my dad's friend's house. My memory of this is limited and the video triggered bits and pieces. Remember being on a track in a huge back yard... he built it and was teaching his kid my age to race. But brings back great memories of early 60s

I had a friend or two in the early 60s with the 1/4s in the garage that they outgrew. I never got to drive them but I did race the minibikes. Most of them were two strokes but the four strokes were showing up. My own had a Clinton on it. Not as sophisticated as your engine. That little rig would be a lot of fun to rebuild. The carb I know very well. I used them on my bikes later in life!

Totally COOL!!!

That’s an awesome little car

Hi love it, look in expansion chamber exhaust pipes with the right configuration it will fly, great stuff mate keep it up cheers

Old 2 strokes never die..

Shout out from Johnson City! Great content.

I had an uncle who saw these in the 50s and decided to build something quite similar. He worked for Cooper Bessemer as a machinist. He was a perfectionist. He built and had the housing cast for a 2 forward 1 reverse gear. 4 wheel drum brakes, Shocks around , and a nifty suspension. I was a pretty big kid at 11 and only got to drive it twice. After he put the front sheet metal on it my legs wouldn't fit. It was actually a little car. When he first put it together ( took over 5 years ) he had a 4 stroke engine and put on it. It wasn't there long, It would run at least 80 mph. He told me later on that it was a 17 HP engine. He raced me up the road in his 53 Chevy ragtop. He said he was doing 80 and wasn't catching me. ( Probably where I got my love for cars and racing). He built it for his daughter who was 9 and a little kid. He took the 17 off and put on a Briggs 3 1/2 hp. After that I didn't even really want to drive it. As far as I know his grandson still has it. Felt like telling that story. That thing would fly on second gear😊😁😂👍👍

awesome little race car

My father was friends with Carl and bought the first production model for me to race when I was 5 in 1954. The one that Doug restored was modeled after mine. I currently have 4, 2 early models and 2 later models. Yours has similarities to an Offyette but the engine cover looks modified and as you mentioned that internal frame was never done in an Offyette. The rear brakes are also different from a stock Offyette. So my guess is someone bought a tub from Carl and built the framework to accommodate the 2 cycle engine. Front leaf suspension would place it as a late 50’s or early ‘60 tub.

My father started racing in one of those back in the 50's and 60's. A Quarter Midget is not a toy at all. They are still raced today.

That's about the coolest things I've seen. I have messed around with similar motors they can be a challenge. Fuel air mixture can be very fickle. Looked like it might have an exhaust leak.

Man that's a beautiful piece

That's a museum find, I'd say. Would definitely be worth restoring...or just fixing up. The patina is great!

Way too cool!!!

A very cool little racer. 👍

Kool vid i have one of these goes back to the 50s

During the 50's my father raced micro midgets in our small Nebraska town.

Wow what a great little car I wish I had one as a kid 👍🇦🇺

I've been a small engine tech for 30+ years. Bolens parts are really tough to find at this point in time.

Pretty neat!

That is a great find

Thats cool !!!

Awesome!

That things is beautiful! I want to know more!

Very cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I was a small boy back in the 60's, I used to go with my dad to the old El Cajon Speedway in the east part of San Diego county. I have a definite memory of cars that looked like this racing there. In my memory they seemed bigger, but then again, I was much smaller in those days.

That liitle two stroke sounds fantastic seeing as its been stood so long

What you have is a Micro Midget. We have two of them now. Man and uncle had them in the 50s an 60s.

Cool project, I've got a issue of popular mechanics from the 50s about these things and I'll see if I can find it........As for the engine. You'll be fine putting it but before you really run it hard make sure the gaskets are good. I've had a older 2 stroke seize because of an air leak in the bottom end. That's when I learned about the different types of 2 strokes the hard way 😆

Just saw your post on 1/4 midget. Growing up in California in the fifties, we could rent these at a local track. I learned to drive these at 7 years old. Have been racing ever since.😎

Sure hopes for a “part 2”😀

We used to race those on the base (US NOTS China Lake) in the 50’s. Ours were single cylinder 4-stroke.