Dropping the H-Bomb on the World of Vintage Racing


Remember the H-Bomb, that manic Mercury outboard powered special, on BAT a while back? Well, my buddy’s uncle snapped a few pics of the minuscule racer at Pacific Raceways, being shown off by the proud new owner, and I thought I’d share them with you.

<i>It's so tiny!</i>
In case you can’t remember or were too lazy to click through to BAT, this special weighs just over 500 lbs wet, and its 750cc two-stroke Mercury outboard make a healthy 65 hp, which was enough back in the day to make it dominate the H-mod class. At one 1964 race at Riverside, according to an article in Sports Car Graphic magazine from that year, it finished a minute and 8 seconds ahead of the closest class competitor, an otherwise competitive BMW 700. The H-Bomb was the brainchild of a couple of college kids in Oregon, who built a light birdcage type frame and stuffed the aforementioned Mercury out back. Note the chain drive to the rear wheels.

This car will be at the SOVREN races on May 15 and 16th, and barring a natural disaster of unprecedented magnitude, I’ll be there with my DSLR snapping away, so look for some photos of the H-Bomb and many others running in anger in about a month!
Thanks to Tim and his uncle for the photos and background!

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18 responses to “Dropping the H-Bomb on the World of Vintage Racing”

  1. muthalovin Avatar

    That is a pretty good power to weight ratio. Plus 2-stroke! I loves me the smell of hydrocloraforbins in the morning.

  2. RJC Avatar
    RJC

    I was in this car's corner during BaT's Best of the Year thread – the Belly Tank Roadster was a great choice but I'd take this little bastard 10 times out of 10.

  3. engineerd Avatar

    One way to add lightness is to subtract size. This isn't a race car, but a go-kart on a cocktail of steroids, meth and espresso.

  4. joshuman Avatar

    I love the nod to safety that is the roll hoop.

  5. lilwillie Avatar

    Death trap on wheels…..I want two….

  6. soo΄pәr-bādd75 Avatar

    That's a grocery sack brown paper lunch bag full of awesome! I love it!

  7. Justin Rajewski Avatar
    Justin Rajewski

    Formula SAE before it's time.

  8. Joe Dunlap Avatar
    Joe Dunlap

    And the winner of the Colin Chapman Award for Obscene Lightness goes to….seriously though if you dont just get all tingly in the nether regions over this, you have no soul whatsoever!! ME LIKEEEEEE!!!!!

  9. Tomsk Avatar

    That's the same power-to-weight ratio as, what, a Veyron with three JATO rockets?
    Absolutely, positively DO WANT.

  10. rovingardener Avatar

    No expansion chambers. You should be able to get at least 100hp out of it.

    1. Han_Solex Avatar

      You should assemble an Expansion Team and relate the importance of Dilated resonance tubes to these People.
      See what I did there?

  11. P161911 Avatar

    So how do they cool the engine? Aren't most outboards water cooled by nature? A lake makes a great radiator.

    1. Han_Solex Avatar

      Probably just run water through the motor, simple closed system. Plus, less algae. Win-win.

      1. P161911 Avatar

        Where's the radiator? I don't think the races are THAT short.

    2. name_too_long Avatar

      Every outboard I've seen that was in that size range has been air cooled, it's not until you get up into the four cylinders that they start sucking water.

  12. PFG Avatar
    PFG

    This takes the word "barchetta" to a whole new extreme!

  13. CptSevere Avatar

    Absolutely sick. I love it. It must be some kind of a wild ride. Hey, that transmission looks suspiciously like the one on my old Norton, down to the inspection plate.

  14. Goingincirclez Avatar

    Am I the only one hitting up Craigslist for old outboards and go-karts right now?
    On a more serious note: the roll hoop doesn't appear to be inline with the steering wheel – whereas the steering is clearly LHD, the roll hoop appears only slightly left of center. What is the driving position like?
    Also, the crotch-mounted gauge must be to evaluate one's sack size as a measure of pilot-worthiness.