"Taylor-Guthrie Special" Teardrop Streamliner Gas-Powered Racing Tether Car, 1949

01

Artifact Overview

Tether cars, gas-powered model race cars, were popular in the 1930s and 1940s. They were raced individually while tethered to a central pivot, or against each other on a scaled-down board track. This streamlined model was built by E.L. Taylor and Ray Guthrie of Spokane, Washington, in 1949. Taylor and Guthrie produced about ten tether car models during their collaboration.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Model car

Date Made

1949

Creator Notes

Made by E.L. Taylor and Ray Guthrie in Spokane, Washington. Tires by Duro-Matic Products in Hollywood, California and C&R Products in Hayward, California.

Location

at Henry Ford Museum in Driven to Win: Racing in America

Object ID

2013.47.20

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Eric Zausner and the E-Z Spindizzy Foundation.

Material

Aluminum (Metal)
Steel (Alloy)
Paint (Coating)
Rubber (Material)

Technique

Casting (Process)

Color

Yellow (Color)
Red
Blue

Dimensions

Height: 4 in
Width: 7.75 in
Length: 18 in
Weight: 5.25 lb

Inscriptions

Painted on body: "TAYLOR-GUTHRIE" SPECIAL | Powered by ~ "DOOLING 61" | 111 Cast into inside of body top: "TAYLOR GUTHRIE" Cast into motor: "GUTHRIE" and "TAYLOR" Front tires: DURO-MATIC | HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. C-R | HAYWARD, CAL. Rear tires: DURO-MATIC | HOLLYWOOD, CALIF.