Background
Eric Kerman owned, built, and drove the Arachnid IIc, III. Eric called all his sports racers Arachnid.
Arachnid I
?
Arachnid IIc
A.L. "Bud" Byrnes III, who failed to purchase the car in January 2005, reported, "The Arachnid IIc was a re-bodied Merlyn Mk 6 (#57 RS). This car was Tom Yeager's original 1st Merlyn in the USA. Later Eric Kerman acquired the car and changed to a new more aerodynamic body and dubbed the car the Arachnid [like his other cars]."
"Tony Cicale started work on a body for it, but he only got up to a buck and stopped.
His buck was surprising similar to what he later did for 2 litre CanAm." Chris Schroeder, who was working for Eric Kerman at the time, designed and produced the IIc body, which was quite different from what Tony had done. Chris says, "I grew up with Tony and his family as friends. The IIc body was done in foam sandwich/ fibreglass, one of the first cars ever done that way."
Arachnid III
Chris Schroeder adds, "The III was the really unique one. The III was a Kerman creation, using I believe Formula Atlantic bits for some of it.
Eric built the III in, I think, 1972 for the '73 season. I can't remember the exact years anymore. I left his employ in Aug. 1972, the IIc was still in use at that time, I think he started building the III that winter."
Engines
Chris Schroeder says, "It had at first a Yoshimura Honda, then a Vegantune TwinCam, and last 1300BD .... at the end, when it had a wing. That would be 1971, I think it was. The car never had a 105e in it during its heyday." Another source claimed that one of the cars used a 1100cc Ford 105E, and a Lotus twin cam.
Race Results
Eric Kerman of Hempstead, N.Y., won the 1969 SCCA DSR National Championship at
Daytona International Raceway in an Arachnid-Honda chassis. He had finished 2nd in the DSR class in the North East Division Championship.
Eric finished 2nd in the 1971 SCCA CSR National Championship (the ARRC) at Road
Atlanta, in his Arachnid II C.
in 1972, Eric only finished one lap in the CSR race at the 1972 SCCA CSR National
Championship (the ARRC) at Road Atlanta, in his Arachnid-Ford.
Eric Kerman also finishing 1st in the CSR class in the North East Division Championship, then won the 1973
SCCA CSR National Championship in an Arachnid-Ford. This race, the Champion Spark Plug Road Racing Classic, took place Oct. 28 to Nov. 4, 1973.
In 1974, Sam Gilliland of Fairfield, Conn., won the 1974 SCCA CSR National Championship
(the CSPRRC) in his Arachnid III-Ford.
Sam finished 3rd at the 1975 SCCA CSR National Championship (the CSPRRC) in his Arachnid
III-Ford, behind 2 Bobsy SR6 cars.
Other Information
A.L. "Bud" Byrnes III, who failed to purchase the car in January 2005, reported, "The Arachnid was a re-bodied Merlyn
Mk 6 (#57 RS). This car was Tom Yeager's original 1st Merlyn in the USA. Later Eric Kerman acquired the car and Tony Cicale created
a new more aerodynamic body and dubbed the re-bodied car the Arachnid.
The Merlyn originally came with a 1100cc Ford 105E engine and Hewland MK 5 transaxle. Later, Lotus twin cam engines were used.
Somewhere along the line a Hewland FT 200 transmission was installed.
"
Current Owner
He chooses to remain anonymous due the "The information [I am] posting [which] is incorrect and misrepresents the subject for which [I] have no interest". As of January, 2005
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