Mystery Millers
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Sir,
Inspired by the letter of Mark L. Dees (Motor Sport May 1976 page 497) concerning the “mystery Millers”, which were in turn introduced by Erwin Tragatsch (Motor Sport, March 1976 page 256), I would like to put the following in discussion.
The car in the photograph supplied by Mr. Tragatsch resembles a Guyot-Special. In his own book “Das Grosse Sport—und Rennuragenbuch”(Hallivag. Bern 1968, Mr. Tragatsch gives the following details about this make:
“Albert Guyot, technician and racing driver at Rolland-Pilain, establishes his own firm Albert tiuyot -& Cie in 1924. In 1925 the first Guyot-Special, consisting of a modified Rolland-Pilain chassis and a blown 1,984 c.c. six-cylinder Burt McCallum sleeve-valve engine, is introduced. In 1926 a blown 1,481 c.c. engine appears. In the same year Albert Guyot drives one of his cars, without success, in the Indianapolis 500-mile race.”
A surviving example of this make is on show at the Le Mans Automobile Museum. This one has._ a plated radiator shell, while most contemporary photographs Show the car with a lacquered shell.
The Guyot-Special, although of French origin, was very American in appearance. Albert Guyot drove one of the Duesenbergs in the 1921 French Grand Prix. Many details of this American car were copied when Guyot designed. the 1923 Rolland-Pilain Grand Prix car. So it seems only natural, that this American influence was carried on in the Guyot-Special.
Two similar cars also ran in the 1926 Indianapolis 500-mile race under the name of Schmidt-Special, one of these cars was driven by Lora L. Corum, but they were not successful either.
I will he interested in the comments of other readers.
Rotterdam D. A. PLOEG