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{{Short description|American engineer (1889–1945)}}
{{AFC submission|d|v|declinets=20120306153208|decliner=Bmusician|ts=20120305141348|u=Ron J Dowle|ns=5|small=yes}}
{{Infobox racing driver
{{afc comment|1=References available. Adding three. —[[User:Anne Delong|Anne Delong]] ([[User talk:Anne Delong|talk]]) 17:32, 8 November 2013 (UTC)}}
| name = Fred Clemons
----
| image =
{{AFC submission|d|nn|ts=20120124120030|u=Ron J Dowle|ns=5}}
| caption =
{{afc comment|1=As this submission had no [[WP:REFB|inline references]], help was added to the author's talk page, [[User talk:Ron J Dowle]] [[User:ChzzBot IV|ChzzBot IV]] ([[User talk:ChzzBot IV|talk]]) 12:00, 24 January 2012 (UTC)}}
| birth_name = Frederick Earl Clemons
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1889|02|14}}
| birth_place = [[Greensburg, Indiana]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1945|02|10|1889|02|14}}
| death_place = [[Indianapolis, Indiana]], U.S.
| module1 =
{{Infobox Champ Car driver|embed=yes
| Total_Champ_Races = 2
| Years_In_Champ = 1
| First_Champ_Race = [[1910 AAA Championship Car season|1910]] [[Remy Brassard and Grand Trophy Races|Remy Grand Trophy]] <br/> ([[Indianapolis Motor Speedway|Indianapolis]])
| Last_Champ_Race = [[1910 AAA Championship Car season|1910]] Indianapolis Race #9 <br/> ([[Indianapolis Motor Speedway|Indianapolis]])
| Champ_Wins = 0
| Champ_Podiums = 0
| Champ_Poles = 0
}}}}


'''Frederick Earl "Skinny" Clemons''' (February 14, 1889 – February 10, 1945)<ref name=obit>Obituary of Fred Clemons</ref> was an American race car designer and [[racing driver]]. He was one of the first entrants at the [[Indianapolis 500]]. He designed and built his own cars, engines and created his own Independent wheel suspension which he patented in 1934. An identification letter 'C’ or ‘Cm ' often appears in front of the race Numbers on Clemons' cars. [[Louis Meyer | Lou Meyer]], [[Joe Russo (racing driver) | Joe Russo]], [[Wilbur Shaw | Wilber Shaw]] and many other race drivers drove his cars.<ref name=obit />
----


== Early life ==
'''Fred "Skinny" Clemons''' (14 February 1889)<ref name=obit>Obituary of Fred Clemons</ref> was an American race car drriver and designer. He was one of the first entrants at the [[Indianapolis 500]]. He designed and built his own cars, engines and built his own Independent wheel suspension which he patented in 1934. Lou Meyer, Joe Russo, Wilber Shaw and many other race drivers drove his cars.<ref name=obit />


Clemons was the son of Anna L. Clemons. He attended the Emmerich manual training school [[Greensburg, Indiana]]. His father and grandfather bred and trained race horses.<ref name=obit />
==Early life==
Clemons was born in 1889, son of __ and Anna L. Clemons. He attended the Emmerich manual training school Greensburg Indiana. Both his father and grandfather bred and trained race horses. <ref name=obit />


==Auto racing==
== Auto racing ==
Clemons started his career as a race car designer and driver by building two cars for the Mc Farland motor company in 1910. His workshop/ garage was situated where the present ‘World War’ memorial site in Indianapolis is now located. <ref name=obit /> Clemons cars, built in Indianapolis, have been entered for the Indianapolis 500 in the U.S.A., the Monza Grand Prix in Italy and the Brooklands outer circuit track in England.


Clemons built two cars for the McFarland motor company in 1910 in his workshop/garage, which was at the site of the present [[Indiana World War Memorial Plaza | ‘World War’ memorial]] in [[Indianapolis]].<ref name=obit />
The first known racing record for Clemons is found in the ‘Automotive Racing Records’ of the September 2nd to 5th 1910 race meet, at which Clemons' car No. 24, entered by the National McFarlan carriage company, finished 5th in the 200 mile Labour Day race.


The first race car designed and built by Clemons was driven in competition by [[Wilbur Shaw]].<ref name=shaw>Shaw, Wilbur. ''Gentlemen, start your engines ''. (autobiography)</ref>
One of the first drivers to compete in a Clemons car was Wilber Shaw, who drove the first race car designed and built by Clemons {{citation needed}}


The ‘Automotive Racing Records’ of the 1910 Labor Day Race indicate that Clemons' car No. 24 was entered by the National McFarland carriage company, and finished fifth.
In 1911 Clemons entered the The Indianapolis 500 (then known as the International 500-Mile Sweepstakes) as part of a two-driver team for the Mc Farland car No 22, but they did not qualify that year. Clemons was also the co-driver of car No 6 with Frank Fox. This car was a Pope/Hartford, and it finished 22nd after 162 laps.


In 1911, Clemons and a team-mate entered the [[International 500-Mile Sweepstakes]] with the McFarland car No 22, but they did not qualify. Clemons was also the co-driver of car No 6 with [[Frank Fox (racing driver) | Frank Fox]], a Pope/Hartford, which finished 22nd.
In his book, ''Illustrated History of Sprint Car Racing'', Jack Fox noted that
:‘Whilst Clemons was a shop-welder and parts-chaser for the Chevrolet brothers they modified his model ‘T’ road car as a test bed for the first eight valve Fronty head’. <ref>Fox, Jack, ''Illustrated History of Sprint Car Racing''</ref><ref>Riggs, L. Spencer, ''Automobile Quarterly'' Vol 29 No 4,</ref>


John ‘Pete’ Schmauch, in his book ''Metamorphosis of the model T Ford'', tells that in 1921 the first Fronty-Ford cylinder head was installed in the ‘Skinny’ Clemons car. (At that time Clemons was shop foreman for Frontenac). Schmauch reported that this was the fastest Ford at the time and that during testing the car turned over at high speed whilst road testing the engine conversion. The cylinder head proving to be so successful it went into production. <ref>Schmauch, John "Pete", ''Metamorphosis of the model T Ford''</ref>
Clemons worked for the [[Chevrolet]] brothers, and they used his model ‘T’ automobile to test the first eight valve Fronty head’ engine.<ref>Fox, Jack, ''Illustrated History of Sprint Car Racing''</ref><ref>Riggs, L. Spencer, ''Automobile Quarterly'' Vol 29 No 4,</ref> In 1921, while Clemons was shop foreman for [[Frontenac Motor Corporation | Frontenac]],<ref name="Collins2007">{{cite book|author=Tom Collins|title=The Legendary Model T Ford: The Ultimate History of America's First Great Automobile|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r61b2-M1zr4C&pg=PA225-IA2|date=19 December 2007|publisher=Krause Publications|isbn=0-89689-560-2|pages=225–}}</ref> the first Fronty-Ford cylinder head was installed in a ‘Skinny’ Clemons car,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Vintage Ford|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j0BWAAAAMAAJ|year=1974|publisher=Model T Ford Club of America.|page=14}}</ref> which was the fastest Ford racer at the time,{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}. Although the car overturned at high speed during the test of the engine conversion,<ref name="Company1973">{{cite book|author=Petersen Publishing Company|title=The Complete Ford Book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OpgQAQAAMAAJ|year=1973|publisher=Petersen Publishing Company|page=28}}</ref> the new head proved successful and subsequently went into production.<ref>Schmauch, John "Pete", ''Metamorphosis of the model T Ford''</ref>


Clemons built both sprint and board track cars, using chassis which he designed and chain drive overhead cam Clemons-designed four cylinder engines.
A newspaper article{{citation needed}} reported a ‘Grudge Fight between Ralph Ormsby driving Clemons car No16. and Sloessman driving the Chevrolets Frontenac Settled at Jackson fair ground Michigan on Sunday’, with the winning car being purchased by Percy Jackson.


The first Clemons chassis was narrow with front cart springs. A photo of this car can be seen in Wilbur Shaw's autobiography, ''Gentlemen, start your engines''.<ref name=shaw /> In 1925/1926 [[Louis Schneider | Lou Schneider]] and Wilbur Shaw both drove for Clemons.
Clemons built both sprint and board track cars. They had chassis and overhead camshaft engines of his design. The Clemons 4 cylinder engines had a 3.8” bore x 4.25” stroke (193 cubic inches). They were chain drive overhead cam, with a cylinder head and block to Clemons own design, with an aluminium chain case, front mounted oil pump, and side drive to magneto and water pump.


Clemons' later four cylinder chassis included deep-sectioned side rails with a raised section over the front axle, which carried the oil tank. The rear section was deep-skirted. The front and rear cross-members were tubular with transverse leaf springs and ‘Hartford’ type shock absorbers fitted length wise along the chassis.
In 1925/1926 Lou Schneider and Wilbur Shaw both drove for Clemons. The first Clemons chassis was slender with cart springs front and the word ‘Clemons’ painted on the side rail. A photo of this car can be seen in Wilbur Shaw's autobiography, ''Gentlemen, start your engines''. <ref>Shaw, Wilbur. ''Gentlemen, start your engines ''. (autobiography)</ref>


The chassis frame and alloy bodies for the four cylinder cars in the 1920s were designed by Clemons and then built by Dreyer of Indianapolis. According to Dreyer records, six bodies were ordered,{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} but all may not have been completed.
The later Clemons (4 cylinder) chassis is distinguished by its deep-sectioned side rails with a raised section over the front axle, which carries the oil tank. This double kick-up in the frame may only have been used by Clemons. The deep-skirted rear section around the rear axle could possibly have been designed to take the ‘Clemons’ independent rear suspension. The front and rear cross-members are tubular with transverse leaf springs and ‘Hartford’ type shock absorbers fitted length wise along the chassis.


Clemons opened and managed the Rushville Motor Speedway in August, 1925. That year the Clemons car won nine of ten races entered, including the Hoosier motor speedway race.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} It also averaged 82&nbsp;mph on the Fort Miami track in Toledo.
Dreyer of Indianapolis fabricated both the chassis frame and alloy bodies for the 4 cylinder cars in the 1920’s to the Clemons design (Dreyer records confirm that 6 bodies were ordered in total but there is no record of how many were completed).


Available Indianapolis Records show that both four and eight cylinder Clemons cars were entered, including cars in 1927 and 1930 entered as ‘Hoosier Pete’ specials.<ref name="Reed2005">{{cite book|author=Terry Reed|title=Indy: The Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500|url=https://archive.org/details/indyraceritualof00reed|url-access=registration|year=2005|publisher=Potomac Books, Inc.|isbn=978-1-57488-907-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/indyraceritualof00reed/page/65 65]–}}</ref><ref name="Reed2011">{{cite book|author=Terry Reed|title=Indy: The Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dxAig9jh64YC&pg=PT105|date=1 September 2011|publisher=Potomac Books, Inc.|isbn=978-1-59797-391-5|pages=105–}}</ref> In 1931 the cars used the Clemons independent rear suspension One of these, entered as ‘The Wonderbread Special’, also had a Clemons engine. This car has survived and has been restored.
Clemons opened and managed the Rushville’ motor speedway on Saturday August 1st 1925 and that year the Clemons car won nine of ten races entered, including the Hoosier motor speedway race. It also averaged 82 mph on the Fort Miami track in Toledo.


A group of Indianapolis businessmen in the early 1930s commissioned Clemons and [[August Duesenburg]] to build a single seater eight cylinder Clemons powered car for the Indianapolis 500.<ref name="Yates1991">{{cite book|author=Brock W. Yates|title=Enzo Ferrari: the man, the cars, the races, the machine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=be8JAQAAMAAJ|date=1 May 1991|publisher=Doubleday|page=420}}</ref> That car was bought in 1933 by [[Carlo Felice Trossi | Count Trossi]], the president of [[Scuderia Ferrari]], who drove the car in the [[Monza Grand Prix]] of 1933. [[Whitney Straight]] also ran it at [[Brooklands]], lapping at 138.34&nbsp;mph, with two Winfield carburetors and a three-speed gearbox. Jack Duller later bought it and raced it at Brooklands. [[Paul Emery]] later used the engine in his [[Emeryson]] single seater race car. The car and engine were later re-united and are now at the [[Brooklands Museum | Brooklands museum]] in the U.K.
An identification letter 'C’ or ‘Cm ' usually appears in front of the race Numbers on Clemons' cars.
The Indianapolis Records that are available show that Clemons cars entered for the Indianapolis 500 were both 4 and 8 cylinder powered cars.


== Later life ==
::One car in 1927 driven by Wilber Shaw ( No 29)
::One car in 1930 driven by Rick Decker ( No 48 ) The Hoosier Pete special
::Two cars in 1931, Driven by Billy Winn (No 55) and Herman Church (No10). Both entered as ‘Hoosier Pete’ specials


Clemons spent the last eight years of his life in Indianapolis running a restaurant called ‘Grandmothers Kitchen’. He died at the family home in Indianapolis, after suffering a heart attack, aged 55 on February 10, 1945.<ref name=obit />
In 1931 the Clemons independent rear suspension was used on two cars entered for the Indy 500.
The 5th placed car in 1934 No16 Driver Joe Russo entered as ‘The Wonderbread Special’ also had the ‘Clemons’ independent rear suspension with revised chassis and a Clemons engine.


== Patents held by Fred Clemons at the United States patent office ==
A consortium of Indianapolis businessmen in the early 1930’s commissioned 'Skinny' Clemons, assisted by Augie Duesenburg, to build a single seater 8 cylinder 4.4 litre Clemons powered car for the Indianapolis 500. That car was subsequently bought in 1933 by Count Trossi, the president of Scuderia Ferrari for European road racing. Trossi drove the car in the Monza Grand Prix of 1933. Trossi loaned the car to Whitney Straight, who ran it at Brooklands, lapping at 138.34 mph. This was after removing the centrifugal supercharger; the engine spec was 88.4 by 89 mm. 4,376 c.c. straight-eight twin overhead camshaft engine. This engine now had two Winfield carburettors and the three-speed gearbox had ratios of 5.0, 4.0 and 3.0 to 1. Jack Duller subsequently brought it from Trossi and consistently raced it at Brooklands until the very last race meeting ever held at Brooklands in 1939 where it was 2nd. That car was eventually sold to Paul Emery who removed and used the engine in the Emeryson single seater race car. That car is now kept at the Brooklands museum in the U.K after 'Jenks' managed purchaced the car and finally re-unite the car and engine.


{| class=wikitable
The second 8-cylinder car with Clemons connections is the two seater ‘Wonder Bread special’ this car ran at Indy in the early 1930’s. This car has also survived and has been restored.
|

!Registration Date.
==Later life==
!Reg No.
Clemons spend the last eight years of his life in Indianapolis running a restaurant called ‘Grand mothers Kitchen’. He died at the family home in Indianapolis, after suffering a heart attack, aged 55 on February 10th 1945.<ref name=obit />
!Title

|-

|1

|11 August 1934
==Race card designed, built and/or driven by Fred Clemons==
|1142

|Independent wheel suspension.
The following list of Indianapolis records show that Fred Clemons was involved or another with the following cars.
|-

|2
Year. Car No. Driver. Car listing. Owner.
|11 August 1934

|2104736
*1911. No 22. Fred "Jap" Clemons. McFarland. McFarland Motor Car Co.
|Independent wheel suspension.

|-
*1911. No 6. Frank Fox / Pope-Pope. Hartford. Pope Manufacturing.
|3

|19 August 1921
*1927. No 29. Wilbur Shaw. Miller. Jyn Fred Clemons.
|1463574

|Vehicle suspension.
*1930. No 48. Rick Decker. Mercedes-Clemons. Hoosier Pete.Clemons Motors.
|-

|4
*1931. No 55. James Patterson. Rigling-Clemons. Billy Winn.
|10 January 1938

|2216907
*1931. No 10. Herman Schurch. Rigling-Clemons. Hoosier Pete F.E. Clemons.
|Independent wheel suspension.

|-
*1932. No 39. Fred Clemons. Hoosier Pete-Clemons. F.E. Clemons.
|5

|10 January 1927
*1933. No 54. George Barringer. Wonder Bread-Clemons. F.E. Clemons.
|1839832

|Internal combustion engine.
*1938. No 56. Johnny Seymour. Clemons ‘Indep’ Suspension. H. Jack Petticord.
|-

|6
*1942. No Race. Jack Dixon. Clemons / Dixon.
|15 June 1931

|2062778
*1946. No 55. Joe Langley. Jack Dixon.
|Independent wheel suspension.

|}
*1947 No 55. George Metzler. Dixon-Clemons. Jack Dixon.

*1948 No 47. George Metzler. Glessner Motors-Clemons. Lee S. Glessner.

'''Race meeting results for Fred Skinny Clemons race car ‘The Dixon’s Graphite special'.''' <ref>[http://greensburgdailynews.com/columns/x2055655384/Pat-s-Potpourri/print "Pat's Potpourri"]. ''Greensburg Daily News''</ref>

*Date. Location. State. Driver. General Information.

*August 1930. Evansville. Indiana. B Saulpaugh.

*July 1930. Lexington. Illinois. B Saulpaugh.
*August 1930. Springfield. Illinois. McCombs.

*1930. Cedar Rapids. Nebraska. McCombs.

*1931. Ord. Nebraska. Red Campbell.

*1933. South bend. Indiana. Ted Hartley.

*7th June 1925. Fort Miami Toledo. Ohio. Fred Harter. Broke the track record.<ref name=GDN1>[http://greensburgdailynews.com/columns/x1340811277/Something-to-brag-about/print "Something to brag about"]. ''Greensburg Daily News''</ref>

*3rd June 1928. Wisconsin state fair. Milwaukee. GeorgeYoung. 4th place 10 Lap race.
3rd place 5 Lap race.
2nd place Feature race.

*July 1929. Evansville. Indiana. B Saulpaugh.

*October 1929. Bloomington. ?? Wally Butler. Winner 50 miles race.<ref name=GDN1 />

*4th July. ?? ?? Fred Harder . Winner Hossier speedway.

*9th August 1926. Hawthorne. ?? Wilber Shaw. Winner ‘Red grange’.
*9th August 1926. Hawthorne. ?? Fred Harder . Second.

*19?? Roby. ?? Wilber Shaw. Winner.

*19?? Funk’s Speedway. ?? Wilber Shaw. New world record.

*19?? Funk’s Speedway. ?? Louis Schneider.

*1st June. ?? ?? Art Brach. Badgers motor contest club.

*19?? ?? ?? Claude Fix. Crashed on lap 8.

*19?? ?? ?? Ralph Ormsby. Winner.

*19?? ?? ?? Claude Fix. Second.

*4th Sept Akron Cleveland. Ohio. Wilber Shaw.

*4th Sept Akron Cleveland. Ohio. Fred Harder.

*19??. State fair ground. Michigan. Freddie Harder. 150 mile race.
*6th July. Funk’s speedway. Winchester. Wilber Shaw. Winner.

*6th July. Funk’s speedway. Winchester. Jimmy Coppel. Second.

*19??. State fair ground. Michigan. Frank Harder. 120 laps then DNF.

*19??. Bloomington. ?? Wally Butler. Winner.

*Sunday 19?? Springbrook Park. ?? Claude Fix. Winner of Australian pursuit.

*Sunday 19?? Crown Point. Indiana. Wilber Shaw.

*1926. Roby Bowl. ?? Wilber Shaw.

*1926. Roby Bowl. ?? Schneider. D.N.F

*19??. Hawthorne oval. ?? D.D.Morris.

*19??. Hawthorne oval. ?? Wilber Shaw. Lap record and winner.

*4th July. Funk’s Lake. Winchester. Fred Charndler. Winner.

*6th Sept. Akron speedway. Ohio. Wilber Shaw. Second in ‘Buckeye’150 mile race.

*6th Sept. Akron speedway. Ohio. Jimmy Copple. Locked wheels D.N.F

*Sunday . Jackson fair ground Michigan. Ralph Ormsby. AAA rules.

*19??. Fort Wayne Indiana. Ralph Ormsby. Record in the 100 mile.

*Sunday. Jackson fairground. ?? Ralph Ormsby. Winner ‘Ford’ trophy race.

*19??. Central park Shoaff. Indiana. Ralph Ormsby. Winner.

*19??. Central park Shoaff. Indiana. Claude Fix. Second.

*19??. Central park Shoaff. Indiana. Merl Chandler.

*30/06/1946. Langhorne. Pennsylvania. Danny Goss. Ran for 30 miles but DNF.

*02/09/1946. Lakewood Atlanta. ?? Joe Langley. Placed 5th @ 95 laps.

*15/09/1946. Indianapolis fairground. ?? Joe Langley. Retired burnt-out wiring on Lap 7.
*22/09/1946. Milwaukee. WI. George Metzler. No55 placed 11 @ 40 laps hit wall.

*06/10/1946. Goshen. NY. George Metzler. No55 placed 11 @ 59 laps hit wall.

*04/07/1947. Aledo. Illinois. J-Strube. Slides into fence in consolation race.
*05/09/1948. Davenport. Louisiana. J-Strube. Spin in semi final.

*18/09/1949. Farmer City. Illinois. J-Strube. Full race result report not available.

*21/05/1950. Mendota. Illinois. J-Strube. Listed as entrants in pre-race article,but race rained out.

*30/05/1950. Macomb. Illinois. J-Strube. Listed as fourth place in feature,and Third in second heat.

*11/06/1950. Mexico. Missouri. J-Strube. Win consolation & second in feature.

*04/07/1950 Mexico Missouri. J-Strube. Placed third in second heat.

*05/08/1950. Mt. Pleasant. Louisiana J-Strube. Second in car#6 in special race for four slowest cars.

*01/09/1950. Aledo. Illinois. J-Strube. Full race result report not available.

*27/05/1951. Macomb. Illinois. J-Strube. Full race result report not available.

*06/??/1951. Webster City. Louisiana. J-Strube. IMCA sanction race.

*04/08/1951. Mt. Pleasant. Louisiana. J-Strube. Fifth in Car #19 & Second in third heat in car #27.

*09/08/1951. Manchester. Louisiana. J-Strube. Third in consolation and seventh in feature race.

*16/09/1951. Maquoketa. Louisiana. J-Strube. Placed eighth in feature.

*30/05/1953. Princeton. Illinois. J-Strube. Third in first heat, third in Victory Sprint & fifth in feature.

*04/07/1954. Burlington. Louisiana. J-Strube. Fourth in second heat, second in Pursuit race.

*18/07/1954. Burlington. Louisiana. J-Strube. Fourth in heat 2, fourth in Pursuit race.

*31/07/1954. Mt. Pleasant. Louisiana. J-Strube. Pursuit race.

*30/05/1955. Princeton. Illinois. J-Strube. Car No S14 is fourth in heat 1, Second in the Dash.

*03/07/1955. Davenport. Louisiana. J-Strube. Second in heat 4.

*04/07/1955. Princeton. Illinois. J-Strube. Car No S14, Third in heat.
*30/07/1955. Mt. Pleasant. Louisiana. J-Strube. Car No 55, Fourth in Dash race.

*26/08/1955. Fargo. North Dakota. J-Strube. Third in heat 3 & seventh in feature
IMCA sanctioned race.

*27/08/1955. Fargo. North Dakota J-Strube. Third in heat 3, fourth in feature –
IMCA sanction.

*30/05/1956. Princeton. Illinois. J-Strube. Full race result report not available.

*16/09/1956. Jacksonville. Illinois. J-Strube. United Speedways sanction.

*25/05/1957. Mt. Pleasant. Louisiana. J-Strube. Full race result report not available.

*16/06/1957. Moline. Illinois. J-Strube. Full race result report not available.

*23/06/1956. Peoria. Illinois. J-Strube. Second in heat 3.

*29/06/1957. Mt. Pleasant. Louisiana. J-Strube. Full race result report not available.

*30/05/1958. Aledo. Illinois. J-Strube. Full race result report not available.

*28/06/1958. Mt. Pleasant. Louisiana. J-Strube. Full race result report not available.

*08/08/1958. Moline. Illinois. J-Strube. Full race result report not available.

*01/09/1958. Aledo. Illinois. J-Strube. Full race result report not available.

==Patents held by Fred Clemons at the United States patent office==

'''Registration Date.''' '''Reg No.''' '''Title .'''

*1. 11th August 1934 21142. Independent wheel suspension.
*2. 11th August 1934 2104736. Independent wheel suspension.
*3. 19th August 1921 1463574. Vehicle suspension.
*4. 10th January 1938 2216907. Independent wheel suspension.
*5. 10th January 1927 1839832. Internal combustion engine.
*6. 15th June 1931 2062778. Independent wheel suspension.


== References ==
== References ==


{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

====Books====
*Clymer, Floyd. ''Indianapolis race history''
*Fox, Jack. ''The Indianapolis 500''
*Borgeson, Griff. ''The Golden age of the American racing car''
*Gerber, John. ''The outlaw sprint car racer ''
*Sheldon, Bob. ''Speedway Photos''
*Jenkinson, Denis. ''The Batsford guide to Racing Cars''
*Wallen, D. ''Board track Guts, Gold & Glory''
*Dreyer, Mike. ''The Pop Dreyer story''
*Seymour, Miranda. ''The Bugatti Queen''
*Reed, Terry. ''Indy: The Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500''
*White, Gordon. ''Offenhauser: ''
*Paulsen, Ken. ''M.V.A.R.A''
*Riggs, L. Spencer. ''Automobile quarterly'', V29 No 4
*Riggs, L. Spencer. ''Automobile quarterly'', V30 No 4
*Riggs, L. Spencer. ''Langhorne. No Mans Land.''

====Articles====

*Old car illustrated. Vol 4 & 5
*National speedway weekly. 5 Dec 1934
*Cavalcade of auto racing. Oct 1977
*Vintage Oval Racing The Strubes: A Peoria Racing Dynasty. by Ken Paulsen
*A record of motorsport U.S Racing 1919-1949 by Darren Galpin

====News reports====

*[http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/37779031/ The Indianapolis News › 26 May 1931 › Page 18 – Newspapers.com]

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I have just updated the first part of my article to highlight the significant part of the early history of motor racing worldwide that Fred Clemons was.
Please can someone show me how to link parts of my article to other revenant articles within Wikipedia that also refer to Fred Clemons

ref
I am not sure how to link my artical to referances with in WIKIPEDIA
E.G
There are Articals about the Indianapolis 500 that refer to FRED CLEMONS
BUT I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO LINK TO THEM. Also I do not know how to link my book References
i have read the author's talk page comments but i am still confused
:Hi there Ron. Unfortunately, you can't use other Wikipedia articles as sources. However, if those article have sources that include information about Mr. Clemons, you are free to use them. If you do have sources from outside sites, just copy the URL here and I can help you fix it up. If there's something I've missed (I didn't quite understand everything you said), please let me know. [[User:Nolelover|'''<span style="color:FireBrick;">Nolelover'''</span>]] [[User talk:Nolelover|'''<span style="color:Gold"><sup>Talk</sup>'''</span>]]<sup>·</sup>[[Special:Contributions/Nolelover|'''<span style="color:Gold"><sup>Contribs</sup>'''</span>]] 14:57, 30 January 2012 (UTC)


=== Books ===
Please can someone show me how to
#Link parts of my article to other revenant articles within Wikipedia that also refer to Fred Clemons
#Link my article to the relevant books that formed the bases of my research ( all of which are listed at the end of my article
I have read the relevant help pages but I am still finding it to complicated to understand. <small><span class="autosigned">— Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Ron J Dowle|Ron J Dowle]] ([[User talk:Ron J Dowle|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Ron J Dowle|contribs]]) 11:23, 14 March 2012 (UTC)</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned


* {{cite book|author=Floyd Clymer|title=Indianapolis 500-mile Race History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yP2CAAAAMAAJ|year=1946|publisher=Floyd Clymer}}
:Since this isn't yet an actual article, it doesn't make any sense to link other articles to this one. If and when this is moved to [[Fred Clemons]], all you would have to do is surround the article title with braces like this: <nowiki>[[Fred Clemons]]</nowiki>. As for referencing, the issue is that you've got a lot of references but it's unclear which facts in the article came from which references. A good way to format the references from books would be to use the {{tl|cite book}} template. After a sentence, you would enter the following: <nowiki><ref name="Example Title">{{cite book|title=Example Title|author=John Doe|publisher=Fake Book Press|date=1947|page=42}}</ref></nowiki>, replacing the fake information with the actual information from the book you used. I used "Ref Name" so that you can use the same reference later on in the article by just copying that part like this - <nowiki><ref name=Example Title /></nowiki> (and don't forget to add the slash at the end). If you're using websites or newspaper articles, you can use the similar {{tl|cite news}} template, which I can help you with. Go ahead and post links to the articles and I'll help you put them into reference form. [[User:Ultraexactzz|UltraExactZZ]] <sup> [[User_talk:Ultraexactzz|Said]] </sup>~<small> [[Special:Contributions/Ultraexactzz|Did]] </small> 14:29, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
* Fox, Jack. ''The Indianapolis 500''
* {{cite book|author=Griffith Borgeson|title=The Golden Age of the American Racing Car|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MDMFSp7xTp0C|year=1998|publisher=SAE International|isbn=978-0-7680-0023-8}}
* Gerber, John. ''The outlaw sprint car racer ''
* Sheldon, Bob. ''Speedway Photos''
* Jenkinson, Denis. ''The Batsford guide to Racing Cars''
* Wallen, D. ''Board track Guts, Gold & Glory''
* Dreyer, Mike. ''The Pop Dreyer story''
* Seymour, Miranda. ''The Bugatti Queen''
* White, Gordon. ''Offenhauser: ''
* Paulsen, Ken. ''M.V.A.R.A''
* Riggs, L. Spencer. ''Automobile quarterly'', V30 No 4
* Riggs, L. Spencer. ''Langhorne. No Mans Land.''


=== Articles ===
:The only article I found that mentions 'Fred Clemons' is [[1911 Indianapolis 500]], which is already redlinked. [[User:Dru of Id|Dru of Id]] ([[User talk:Dru of Id|talk]]) 02:12, 15 March 2012 (UTC)


* Old car illustrated. Vol 4 & 5
== I have just updated the first part of my article to highlight the significant part of the early history of motor racing worldwide that Fred Clemons was. ==
* National speedway weekly. 5 Dec 1934
* Cavalcade of auto racing. Oct 1977
* Vintage Oval Racing The Strubes: A Peoria Racing Dynasty. by Ken Paulsen
* A record of motorsport U.S Racing 1919-1949 by Darren Galpin


=== News reports ===
I have just updated the first part of my article to highlight the significant part of the early history of motor racing worldwide that Fred Clemons was.
Please can someone show me how to link parts of my article to other revenant articles within Wikipedia that also refer to Fred Clemons
:Do you mean creating blue links in your text like this [[example]] link? Have a look at the [[Wikipedia:Cheatsheet]]; the full description is at [[Help:Link]]. -- [[User:John of Reading|John of Reading]] ([[User talk:John of Reading|talk]]) 18:16, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
'''Judy Bodwell'''
::Who is the granddaughter of Fred Clemons has generously granted me access to their Clemons family records. From where I have been able to compile the following:- Fred ‘skinny’ Clemons was originally a native of Greensburg, Indiana.
HE WAS Born February 14 1889. Both his father and grandfather bred and trained race horses.
Fred died at the family home 6138 Michigan road, Indianapolis, after suffering a heart attack, aged 55 on February 10th 1945.


* [https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/37779031/ The Indianapolis News › 26 May 1931 › Page 18 – Newspapers.com]
'''From his obituary I was able to ascertain and confirm the following.'''


{{Authority control}}
*1. He started his racing career as a race car designer & driver by building two cars for the Mc Farland motor company in 1910.
*2. He was racing prior to 1916.
*3. He had been involved in over 10 Indy 500 miles speed races.
*4. Lou Meyer, Joe Russo,Wilber Shaw and many other top drivers drove his cars.
*5. His last car was built for the ‘Seagram Distilling' company in 1940.
*6. He held at least 12 U.S.A patents.
*7. The last eight years of his life were spent running ‘Grand mothers kitchen’. This was a restaurant at 14 south capitol avenue, Indianapolis.
*8. His workshop/ garage was situated where the present ‘World War’ memorial site in Indianapolis is now located.
*9. He attended the Emmerich manual training school Greensburg Indiana.
*10. His Wife Mrs Mable A Clemons.
*11. Daughter Mrs. Betty Rust.
*12. Mother Mrs Anna L Clemons.
*13. Brother Mr Joseph N Clemons. Both lived in Miami, Florida.
*14. His other sister Mrs. Alice Fichenor. Lived in Greensburg Indiana
*15. His funeral was held at the Charles R Howe funeral home
*16. He is buried in the South Park Cemetery Greensburg Indiana.


{{DEFAULTSORT:Clemons, Fred}}
::There is a reference in one book that by 1934 ‘skinny’ Clemons had connections with Miami, Florida where he was planning to run midget racing. It is stated that he formed a corporation for the control of cars and tracks and intended to lease cars to drivers. I have not been able to find any connection to Florida apart from his brother living in Miami, Florida. -->
[[Category:1889 births]]
{{AfC postpone G13|1}}
[[Category:1945 deaths]]
[[Category:American automobile designers]]

Latest revision as of 18:27, 7 January 2024

Fred Clemons
BornFrederick Earl Clemons
(1889-02-14)February 14, 1889
Greensburg, Indiana, U.S.
DiedFebruary 10, 1945(1945-02-10) (aged 55)
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Champ Car career
2 races run over 1 year
First race1910 Remy Grand Trophy
(Indianapolis)
Last race1910 Indianapolis Race #9
(Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles
0 0 0

Frederick Earl "Skinny" Clemons (February 14, 1889 – February 10, 1945)[1] was an American race car designer and racing driver. He was one of the first entrants at the Indianapolis 500. He designed and built his own cars, engines and created his own Independent wheel suspension which he patented in 1934. An identification letter 'C’ or ‘Cm ' often appears in front of the race Numbers on Clemons' cars. Lou Meyer, Joe Russo, Wilber Shaw and many other race drivers drove his cars.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Clemons was the son of Anna L. Clemons. He attended the Emmerich manual training school Greensburg, Indiana. His father and grandfather bred and trained race horses.[1]

Auto racing

[edit]

Clemons built two cars for the McFarland motor company in 1910 in his workshop/garage, which was at the site of the present ‘World War’ memorial in Indianapolis.[1]

The first race car designed and built by Clemons was driven in competition by Wilbur Shaw.[2]

The ‘Automotive Racing Records’ of the 1910 Labor Day Race indicate that Clemons' car No. 24 was entered by the National McFarland carriage company, and finished fifth.

In 1911, Clemons and a team-mate entered the International 500-Mile Sweepstakes with the McFarland car No 22, but they did not qualify. Clemons was also the co-driver of car No 6 with Frank Fox, a Pope/Hartford, which finished 22nd.

Clemons worked for the Chevrolet brothers, and they used his model ‘T’ automobile to test the first eight valve Fronty head’ engine.[3][4] In 1921, while Clemons was shop foreman for Frontenac,[5] the first Fronty-Ford cylinder head was installed in a ‘Skinny’ Clemons car,[6] which was the fastest Ford racer at the time,[citation needed]. Although the car overturned at high speed during the test of the engine conversion,[7] the new head proved successful and subsequently went into production.[8]

Clemons built both sprint and board track cars, using chassis which he designed and chain drive overhead cam Clemons-designed four cylinder engines.

The first Clemons chassis was narrow with front cart springs. A photo of this car can be seen in Wilbur Shaw's autobiography, Gentlemen, start your engines.[2] In 1925/1926 Lou Schneider and Wilbur Shaw both drove for Clemons.

Clemons' later four cylinder chassis included deep-sectioned side rails with a raised section over the front axle, which carried the oil tank. The rear section was deep-skirted. The front and rear cross-members were tubular with transverse leaf springs and ‘Hartford’ type shock absorbers fitted length wise along the chassis.

The chassis frame and alloy bodies for the four cylinder cars in the 1920s were designed by Clemons and then built by Dreyer of Indianapolis. According to Dreyer records, six bodies were ordered,[citation needed] but all may not have been completed.

Clemons opened and managed the Rushville Motor Speedway in August, 1925. That year the Clemons car won nine of ten races entered, including the Hoosier motor speedway race.[citation needed] It also averaged 82 mph on the Fort Miami track in Toledo.

Available Indianapolis Records show that both four and eight cylinder Clemons cars were entered, including cars in 1927 and 1930 entered as ‘Hoosier Pete’ specials.[9][10] In 1931 the cars used the Clemons independent rear suspension One of these, entered as ‘The Wonderbread Special’, also had a Clemons engine. This car has survived and has been restored.

A group of Indianapolis businessmen in the early 1930s commissioned Clemons and August Duesenburg to build a single seater eight cylinder Clemons powered car for the Indianapolis 500.[11] That car was bought in 1933 by Count Trossi, the president of Scuderia Ferrari, who drove the car in the Monza Grand Prix of 1933. Whitney Straight also ran it at Brooklands, lapping at 138.34 mph, with two Winfield carburetors and a three-speed gearbox. Jack Duller later bought it and raced it at Brooklands. Paul Emery later used the engine in his Emeryson single seater race car. The car and engine were later re-united and are now at the Brooklands museum in the U.K.

Later life

[edit]

Clemons spent the last eight years of his life in Indianapolis running a restaurant called ‘Grandmothers Kitchen’. He died at the family home in Indianapolis, after suffering a heart attack, aged 55 on February 10, 1945.[1]

Patents held by Fred Clemons at the United States patent office

[edit]
Registration Date. Reg No. Title
1 11 August 1934 1142 Independent wheel suspension.
2 11 August 1934 2104736 Independent wheel suspension.
3 19 August 1921 1463574 Vehicle suspension.
4 10 January 1938 2216907 Independent wheel suspension.
5 10 January 1927 1839832 Internal combustion engine.
6 15 June 1931 2062778 Independent wheel suspension.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Obituary of Fred Clemons
  2. ^ a b Shaw, Wilbur. Gentlemen, start your engines . (autobiography)
  3. ^ Fox, Jack, Illustrated History of Sprint Car Racing
  4. ^ Riggs, L. Spencer, Automobile Quarterly Vol 29 No 4,
  5. ^ Tom Collins (19 December 2007). The Legendary Model T Ford: The Ultimate History of America's First Great Automobile. Krause Publications. pp. 225–. ISBN 0-89689-560-2.
  6. ^ The Vintage Ford. Model T Ford Club of America. 1974. p. 14.
  7. ^ Petersen Publishing Company (1973). The Complete Ford Book. Petersen Publishing Company. p. 28.
  8. ^ Schmauch, John "Pete", Metamorphosis of the model T Ford
  9. ^ Terry Reed (2005). Indy: The Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500. Potomac Books, Inc. pp. 65–. ISBN 978-1-57488-907-9.
  10. ^ Terry Reed (1 September 2011). Indy: The Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500. Potomac Books, Inc. pp. 105–. ISBN 978-1-59797-391-5.
  11. ^ Brock W. Yates (1 May 1991). Enzo Ferrari: the man, the cars, the races, the machine. Doubleday. p. 420.

Books

[edit]
  • Floyd Clymer (1946). Indianapolis 500-mile Race History. Floyd Clymer.
  • Fox, Jack. The Indianapolis 500
  • Griffith Borgeson (1998). The Golden Age of the American Racing Car. SAE International. ISBN 978-0-7680-0023-8.
  • Gerber, John. The outlaw sprint car racer
  • Sheldon, Bob. Speedway Photos
  • Jenkinson, Denis. The Batsford guide to Racing Cars
  • Wallen, D. Board track Guts, Gold & Glory
  • Dreyer, Mike. The Pop Dreyer story
  • Seymour, Miranda. The Bugatti Queen
  • White, Gordon. Offenhauser:
  • Paulsen, Ken. M.V.A.R.A
  • Riggs, L. Spencer. Automobile quarterly, V30 No 4
  • Riggs, L. Spencer. Langhorne. No Mans Land.

Articles

[edit]
  • Old car illustrated. Vol 4 & 5
  • National speedway weekly. 5 Dec 1934
  • Cavalcade of auto racing. Oct 1977
  • Vintage Oval Racing The Strubes: A Peoria Racing Dynasty. by Ken Paulsen
  • A record of motorsport U.S Racing 1919-1949 by Darren Galpin

News reports

[edit]
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