Hollinsworth Racer & Collection
Written by Keith Fudge

The Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah are the home of many of auto racing’s land speed records.  Once upon a time, Ab Jenkins, in both his Ab Jenkins Special and the futuristic Mormon Meteor 3, set the racing world on fire with their heroics.  In this special segment of My Classic Car, we had the chance to visit with Marv Jenkins at Bonneville and talk about his father’s legendary accomplishments, particularly in the Mormon Meteor 3.

Looking more like a rocket than a racecar, the Mormon Meteor 3 was hand built and was designed to run races of 24 to 48 hours in duration.  Marv told Dennis that the high fin at the rear of the car was designed to correct drifting at high speeds.  In addition, while walking around the car, Dennis sensed that something just wasn’t right.  At that point, Marv told him that the car was built six inches offset to the left in order to compensate for the high-speed turns that the car would make on the flats during these grueling runs.  After they walked around the car, Marv raised the hood to show what powered this remarkable vehicle:  a 1932 Curtiss Conqueror airplane engine.  At 1570 cubic inches, the V-12 double-overhead cam engine produced 650 horsepower in its original state.  After being modified for racing, it made somewhere in the neighborhood of 750 horses.  Performance was definitely what this car was all about.  In 1950, when Ab made his last run in the car (when he was 68 years old), he averaged 195.8 miles per hour for a continuous one-hour run!  In addition, he noted that Ab set the record with this car at Bonneville in 1940 when he averaged 161 miles per hour for a 24 hour run.  That particular run included 16 stops!  Finally, Dennis asked Marv if he would fire up the Mormon Meteor 3 and give us the feel of what it is like to see it on the road.  Marv obliged, and it was almost like watching history pass before our very eyes!  We would like to offer Marv Jenkins a special Thank You for sharing this special part of his family’s automotive racing history with us!

Another connection with the legendary Ab Jenkins can be found near Hot Springs, Arkansas.  Not long ago, we had the pleasure of meeting John Hollansworth, a car enthusiast of the highest order.  John is the owner of the AB Jenkins Special, another of racing’s legendary vehicles.  In our previous visit, John told Dennis all about that car, but this time around he took Dennis and the crew through his shop and showed them some of his vintage racers and other classic vehicles. 

First, John showed Dennis a splendid 1958 Jaguar XK150 Coupe!  What an awesome car!  Another rarity was waiting just around the corner in the form of a sweet 1948 MG TC.  Sitting right beside it was a real mini-car-- a BMW Isetta!  Next there was a Citroen 2CV.  Just when we thought we had seen it all, there was a Messerschmitt, a car made by the German airplane manufacturer after World War II.  We then saw some more fantastically restored MGs including a 1934 and a 1951 model.  Then there was a really interesting car—an MG with an Olds Quad 4 motor!  All of these vehicles were either immaculately restored or were in the process of restoration.  Oh yeah, and they all weren’t just on four wheels either as we saw a Norton Commando 850 undergoing the restoration process as well.

John also has some racecars of which he is particularly proud, including a 1960s Midget racer that he drove in the early 1960s.  He really hooked Dennis when he showed him what is referred to as a County Fair Racer.  These forerunners of modern day sprint cars were really perky and provided thrills and entertainment all across the country.  Since it was such a beautiful day, Dennis produced his own set of goggles and asked John if he could take this Ford-powered county fair racer for a spin on the Arkansas backroads.  John was happy to oblige, and soon Dennis was cruising the backroads of the Natural State with the wind in his face.  After he returned to the shop, Dennis noted that it was like stepping back in time, and the roadster provided him with plenty of thrills along the way.

Dennis and the crew had a spectacular time visiting with Marv Jenkins and John Hollansworth as we all learned a bit more about automotive racing history and the cars that were, and still are, so special to the past.  That’s it for this week, so until our next visit, remember: “Honor the timeless classics.  Happy Motoring!”