LOT 126

1948 Heligus Midget racer

Sold for €11,500 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

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Lot 126

1948 Heligus Midget racer

The Autoworld Sale|13 May 2023, 14:00 CEST|Brussels, Autoworld

1948 Heligus Midget racer

Footnotes

Midget car racing began in the USA in the early-to-mid-1930s and would spread around the world. Typically, Midgets were lightweight single-seaters powered by four-cylinder engines; they had a high power-to-weight ratio, which made for exciting racing. Early Midget races were held on wooden board tracks before dirt tracks became the norm.

One of the sport's biggest names, Hiram Hillegass began building race cars in 1919 while working at the Mack Trucks plant in Allentown, Pennsylvania. By the time he died in 1960 at the age of 65 he was recognised as one of the foremost builders of single-seat race cars in the United States, stature that was endorsed which he was elected to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1997.

Hillegass is perhaps best known for his Midgets, which he began building as the Midget racing boom took off in the 1930s. Making and selling Midgets was a viable business and Hiram Hillegass approached it as such, even going to the extent of investing in cast-iron bucks over which he could accurately, quickly and repeatedly form the complex body panels that clothed his creations. Successful Midget rcompetitors could earn a living from the sport, sometimes racing every evening of the week during the season and twice or more a day on weekends. The cars and their engines had to be quick enough to command appearance money, bring home prize money regularly, and stand up to constant use and competition.

Hiram Hillegass's Midgets met the test, and it is not surprising that the drivers who survived racing his Midgets turned to him for larger cars, which were known simply and logically as 'Big Cars'. These were the sprint cars that carried bigger engines, competed on longer tracks, and each year adjourned for the month of May to Indianapolis, Indiana for the '500'.

Offered from an important European private collection, this Hillegass Midget is powered by a Cragar-modified 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine with a reputed power output of 100bhp. Unfortunately, nothing is known of its history. There are no documents with this Lot.

Additional information

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