Sparrow Chassis

H Modified

In the builder's words

"For my home-built, the Sparrow, I used a pair of SU carbs and the gearbox from an MG-TC. The ladder frame was of 3" chrome-moly tubing and a lovely torpedo body of five pieces, held together with Dzus fasteners, and fronted by a nice chrome grill. The Sparrow could be stripped down in a few minutes, which made repairs and modifications easier. The front suspension was planar -- sort of like a Fiat, but upside down. A-arms on top and springs on the bottom. I scrounged a domestic steering rack from a junkyard. The rear end was from a Henry J, far too heavy but durable and cheap, hung on trailing 1/4 elliptic springs. The brakes came from a small Studebaker. The fenders were cycle, of course, and the wheels were Midget mags.

I first raced the Sparrow at Chanute Field in 1952 and didn't have resounding successes, but I had a great time. I had the occasional good placing until the spring of 1953 when I ran into a Cadillac while testing on the road. I broke both legs and was on sticks for the better part of a year. The road-licensed Sparrow wasn't damaged badly, but the Cadillac had to be junked. I was rather proud of the fact that I built a stronger car than the Cadillac Division of GM."¹

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"The newly-hatched Sparrow was described by a friend of Sandy's as 'a Clark bar on wheels'."¹

"The Sparrow-Crosley is pictured above in post-Cadillac form. "¹