1937 Chevrolet Master De Luxe Coupe – Peking Tango

The legendary Argentine enjoyed a fantastic career in racing, and in Formula One he scored 24 Grand Prix victories from just 51 starts. He tops nearly every poll that attempts to name the world’s best, and it is easy to see why Moss refers to him as “the greatest of all time.”

Born in 1911, in Balcarce, a small city near Buenos Aires, Juan Manuel Fangio was the fourth of six children. Young Fangio was soon drawn to the world of cars, and dropped out of school at the age of 13 to start work as an assistant mechanic at a local garage before being enrolled in compulsory military service at the age of 21. In 1932, he was assigned to the Campo de Mayo cadet school near the Argentine capital, where his prowess behind the wheel of a car caught the attention of his commanding officer who appointed him as his official driver!

Discharged prior to his 22nd birthday, Fangio hoped to forge a career in football but was also urged by fellow teammates to work on a hobby of building his own car. A small outhouse was constructed on land belonging to his parents, and work began on a car that would change the direction of Fangio’s life—and the history of motor racing—forever!

Starting out in a 1929 Ford Special, which he spent considerable time rebuilding, Fangio scored some results in 1938 and 1939 in events such as the Necochea Grand Prix, but he is best remembered in the period for driving a Chevrolet. During 1941, ’42 and then after WWII in 1947, the maestro majestically scored a large number of outright victories in events that could in no way be described as easy!

European events could only dream of being as difficult as the titanic South American road races, and it was in these events that Fangio was very often in a class of his own at the wheel of his mighty Chevrolet. Winning countless events such as the Mar del Plata Grand Prix, the Rosario Grand Prix and the Argentine One Thousand Miles, his success in his homeland was huge. So much so that courtesy of the Argentine Automobile Club (the Automovil Club Argentino) and the Argentine government, Fangio was recognized as the best driver the country could offer and they funded his travel to Europe for the 1949 season and the chance to appear on the global stage.

FANGIO’S CHEVROLET

A 1937 Chevrolet is not really the car you think of when you recall the career of Juan Manuel Fangio. If you are like many, you instantly think of Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo or my personal choice, the stunning Maserati 250F. As already charted, Fangio’s career started at home on the rough roads of Argentina, and his skills were quickly honed behind the wheel of a 3.8-liter Chevy.

It might, for all intents and purposes, be an innocent-looking vehicle, but the 1937 Chevrolet Master De Luxe Coupe was the vehicle that delivered success to Fangio’s door. His Chevy started it all and presented him with the opportunity to take on the world.

Fangio’s car was donated to his racing cause by the local branch of General Motors as he was now well-regarded as the up and coming national hero of Argentina. Upon delivery of the car, Fangio and his mechanics set about making modifications to its bodyshell to make it a competitive proposition. The tall chassis looked strange with its fenders cut away to show its narrow front wheels and suspension. It may not have been pretty but it was effective and, in Fangio’s hands, a winner.

With the Argentinian ace at the wheel, the Chevrolet was an impressive winner of the 1940 5900-mile road race from Buenos Aires to Lima and back. Averaging 53.5 mph, covering some of the world’s roughest roads Fangio, now aged 29, was a star! Fitted with a six-cylinder engine, the car was able to trace its power plant roots back to 1925 when Chevrolet switched to six-cylinder engines from four-cylinder units after assisting in a design for their fellow General Motors partner, Pontiac.

The 3.2-liter, overhead valve, six-cylinder was launched in 1928 and Chevrolet lucked in with mass sales after Ford closed its Model T assembly line down to start production of the new Model A.

Chevrolet’s six-cylinder was a huge success, outselling and out-performing Ford during the early 1930s. Changes were made to the chassis that the engine was installed in, and in 1933 the Master and Standard lines of the Chevy Coupe were introduced to the range. The Standard was lighter and slightly shorter than the Master, and as Chevrolet’s budget, bottom-end car it was ideally suited to sell during the times immediately after the Great Depression.

In 1937, Chevrolet made a major change to its car range, phasing out the two wheelbase lengths for the Master and Standard models. Bringing in a single wheelbase, with the long-serving six-cylinder engine also upgraded from three to four main bearings and the capacity upped to 3.55-liters (216.5-cubic inches). This version of the engine produced 85 bhp; hence the Master 85 title. This was the engine used in the Chevrolet that underwent race preparation for Juan Manuel Fangio, courtesy of his mechanics and GM of Argentina.

PEKING TO PARIS

Our Chevrolet Fangio Coupe has recently been in action travelling across some of the world’s most arduous terrain—this car won the 2013 Peking to Paris!

Originally held in 1907, the Peking (now known as Beijing) to Paris covered a distance of some 9317-miles, with the idea coming from a French newspaper called Le Matin.

On January 31, 1907, the newspaper published an article saying: “What needs to be proved today is that as long as a man has a car, he can do anything and go anywhere. Is there anyone who will undertake to travel this summer from Peking to Paris by automobile?”

Although more than 40 entrants originally signed up to participate, only five cars were shipped to China after the organizing race committee actually decided to cancel the race. Starting from the French Embassy in Peking on June 10, they  proceeded, with victory going to Prince Scipione Borghese, driving an Italia, who reached the finish in Paris on August 10. The 7-liter Italia finished ahead of the Dutch Spyker of Charles Goddard and Jean du Taillis and a De Dion of Georges Cormier.

There were really no rules for the race, with the first car that returned safely to Paris winning a magnum of champagne! The race went through countryside that had not truly been mapped, and cars followed a telegraph route. To make sure cars didn’t run out of petrol en-route, camels were dispatched from Peking carrying fuel. Depots were set up along the way to keep competitors on track, and during these stops they sent back stories from the telegraph stations telling of their adventures.

Interest in the race was huge and hundreds of people stood at the side of the roads and tracks to watch competitors drive past. For many it was the first time they had seen a motor vehicle. Indeed, such was the toughness of the route that one such section from Peking to Lake Baikal had only previously been attempted on horseback! Although not technically a race, the event developed into one because of its pioneering nature. Victory was very important, and Prince Borghese was confident. Such was his confidence he even took a detour from Moscow to St. Petersburg for a dinner organized by his team! After hospitality was enjoyed Borghese returned to Moscow, re-joined the race and arrived in Paris as the winner!

Charles Goddard in his borrowed Spyker was the second competitor to arrive in Paris. He had run out of money, and had to beg from others to reach the finish. Other competitors completing the course had countless tales to tell of their times on the open roads of the world, while one car was abandoned along the way with its occupants lucky to be found alive.

Several attempts were made to re-enact the 1907 event, including an event titled the Great Auto Race of 1908 in which entrants travelled from New York to Paris, but after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the forming of the Soviet Union (USSR) travel through the communist Soviet states became near impossible.

When communism fell and access to Russia became easier than it had been in generations, a race, in a reverse direction, was organized for 1990 called The London to Peking Motor Challenge. In 1997 another running called The Second Peking to Paris Motor Challenge was held with 94 cars taking part on a southerly route through places such as Tibet, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece and Italy. A Willys Jeep was triumphant in the hands of Phil Surtees and John Bayliss. Their machine, manufactured in 1943, was ideally suited to the rough terrain encountered. One participant, Rosie Thomas, a British author, funded her competition by writing a book about her exploits!

Further runs in the spirit of the original 1907 race were made in 2005, by Danilo Elia and Fabrizio Bonserio, in a Fiat 500, who travelled across the width of Russia, while also in the same year five similar cars to those from 1907 set off from Beijing to trace a near identical route to Paris. This run was televised by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which made a documentary about the crews and their travels.

For 2007, ERA (the Endurance Rally Association) staged a rally to celebrate the centenary of the Peking to Paris. Organized by Philip Young and his team, this event was unlike his 1997 rally that used a southerly route, and remained faithful to the roads taken by Prince Borghese and his Italia in 1907. Starting in Beijing, competitors went north to Mongolia and ran to the Russian border at Tsagaannuur. The route then went through Siberia to Moscow and on to St. Petersburg—the location of Borghese’s banquet back in ’07. Cars then drove through the Baltic states and toward the finish in France. One hundred and twenty-six cars set off and 106 finished—a fantastic achievement by crews tackling the near 10,000-mile route.

The 2013 running was the fifth Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, and an arduous route took competitors on a 33-day run from Beijing to Paris—from China to France via Mongolia, Russia, the Ukraine, Slovakia, Austria and Switzerland. At the wheel of “our” 1937 Chevrolet Fangio Coupe, Phil Garratt and Kieron Brown drove their way into the record books to become victors of the latest edition of “the great race.”

FACE TO FACE

The chance to get my hands on this fine car, built in the tradition of Juan Manuel Fangio’s racer, was not in the Argentinian wilderness or the Gobi desert, but instead around the picturesque country lanes of Oxfordshire—some 60 or so miles outside of London.

First impression—a good one! The car’s shiny red coat and impressive stance made it instantly likeable. Apart from a wash and a polish, and a quick clean with a brush, the Chevy was presented in the condition that it finished its 2013 travels from Beijing to Paris. This was a great opportunity for me to drive a car “as raced” across the world!

Second impression—even better than the first! Climbing aboard, the cabin was purposeful and I could tell instantly that it had been designed for long-distance rallying—no creature comforts were on offer with competition seats and belts fitted. This car is a racer. Constructed originally by the Autosportif company in Bicester, responsible for the construction of many Subaru Impreza WRC cars, I was keen to get cracking and, wearing a replica Fangio Suixtil shirt, I felt very much the part. Starting the car, the mighty six-cylinder barked into life, and once I had found the balancing point of the clutch I was off for my first drive!

Third impression—what great fun! Despite the car’s obvious height, and size, I felt that the Chevy offered an “in the cockpit” feel. A narrow aperture windscreen presented me with the feeling of driving a car of smaller size and not one of sitting in a “large cabin.” Only the long gear lever and large steering wheel made it feel like a car of size. I found it to be a commanding drive on the road, especially on the small highways of Britain, and approaching cars could be seen to pull over on the narrow roads when they saw me coming. I can only imagine what Phil and Kieron must have experienced in the car at speed across the barren roads of China, Mongolia and Russia!

Meeting oncoming traffic was a problem though, even though cars seemed to move out of my way. I found the steering loose, and the wheel required large movements to swing the Chevy in the right direction, but this was not a problem once I had got used to it. Wear and tear from over 7,000 miles on the world’s roughest roads eventually takes its toll. The car’s brakes were precise and strong, with only a dab needed to bring the mighty Chevy to a halt. The handbrake was good as well—but from my strapped-in position it was a long reach, hence my keenness to establish the biting point of the clutch! Oxfordshire is scattered with lots of small hills and I didn’t want to find myself rolling gently backward….

Dashboard dials were all present and correct, giving me the information on everything I needed to know. Oil and water temperature gauges were well placed to relay any problems back to the crew. Battery levels could also be checked, as well as fuel—all the things you need to know when miles from anywhere in the middle of Mongolia!

Final impression – I loved every minute!

Juan Manuel Fangio raced a car of this type to many of his early successes back home in Argentina, and this 1937 model is a faithful reproduction in the spirit of Fangio. I think the great man would approve! This car—color-matched after Fangio’s original machine that visited the Goodwood Revival a few years back—has been made to enjoy. Taking it across the world on long-distance events evidently gives the car’s owners great enjoyment, I enjoyed driving it, and just a few days after Vintage Racecar undertook this Profile the car was displayed at the Kop Hillclimb event near Aylesbury. Standing proudly on a center display before being driven up the Kop Hill, this Chevrolet Fangio Coupe again gave enjoyment to all—many seeing this type of car for the very first time.

SPECIFICATIONS

Chassis: Chevrolet box-girder frame, Fisher pressed all-steel body with solid steel Turret Top. Constructed with Unisteel construction welds.

Wheelbase: 112.5 inches

Suspension: Solid beam axles with uprated individual leaf springs with modern Bilstein telescopic shock absorbers

Engine: 3.8-liter (235 cubic inch) overhead valve, in-line 6-cylinder. Four main bearings. Twin Rochester carburetors with oil bath air filters

Fuel Capacity: Main tank – 85 liters (19 Imp. gallons) (22 U.S. gallons) Auxilary tank – 36 liters (8 Imp. gallons) (9.5 U.S. gallons) Modern twin electric Facet fuel pumps

Power: 125bhp @ 4480rpm

Torque: 177 lb-ft @ 1960rpm

Transmission:Uprated 4-speed replaced the standard 3-speed syncromesh

Steering: Worm and double roller

Brakes: Drums all round, standard hydraulic operation

Wheels: Replacement 16-inch steel rims. Twin spare wheels (roof and trunk)

Tires: 215/16 Michelin radial tires

Acknowledgements / resources

The author would like to thank Kieron Brown and Phil Garratt for allowing me to drive their stunning Chevrolet Fangio Coupe. It really is a mighty machine and I thoroughly enjoyed driving it around the lanes of Oxfordshire. Thanks are also offered to them for being so accommodating to the Vintage Racecar team during our visit. Thanks also go to John Pearson for loaning me his collection of Juan Manuel Fangio books to enable my studies of the great man—including the chance to read one signed by the Maestro himself!

Fangio – The Life Behind The Legend by Gerald Donaldson (Virgin Books published 2003)

Fangio by Fangio (Trust Books published 1961) Fangio edited by Denis Jenkinson (Michael Joseph published 1973)

Juan Manuel Fangio by Gunther Molter (Foulis published 1956)