Engine: Ford Mercury Flathead (Side Valve) 8 Cylinder (V8)
Displacement: 4185 cc (255 cubic inches)
Horsepower: 198 bhp @5000rpm, torque 300 ft-lb at 1800rpm
Induction: 3x Stromberg 97 downdraft carburettor, Navarro intake manifold
Gearbox: Ford, 3 forward gears and reverse, Lincoln Zephyr gear set
Running gear: 1936 Ford, scrap yard sourced, Manning tubular ladder chassis,
Brakes: Drum brakes from same running gear (Ford Lincoln)
Normal tyres: Dunlop Racing L 16 inch
Based: California, USA
Entrant: John Streets
Designer: Chuck Manning, a stress analyst at Douglas Aircraft in Los Angeles who became the first Technical Editor of Road & Track magazine, conceived the type and built the first example, a different car to this one. Rob Manson’s Manning Special was constructed by Wally Chapman, from Manning’s plans, in the upstairs bedroom of his grandmother’s farmhouse in Schaghticoke NY in 1952. John Streets helped him finish it, raced it thru 1958, rebuilt it from remains of the wrecked original in 1991 and still looked after the car up to 2017.
