This rare 1930’s Indy racecar is the Smith Master Valve Special. The car features a 1928 motor, with a patented rotary valve head, and was built by Harry Lewis. This car never made it to the “Brick Yard”, but exceeded 100 MPH for 35 miles at another race, which was quite a feat back in the day.
When the subject of classic cars,
antique vehicles or collectibles arises, many people envision the Thirties
V12 Packards or early Cadillacs, a stunning Auburn roadster or even a futuristic Cord.
And,
they are perfectly correct.
But there are very specialized American classics of
another ilk. — Race cars!
That’s right, race cars have as much right to be awarded
classic or milestone status as any other vehicle.
Exquisite American
craftsmanship and engineering prowess produced racing works of art to equal the
European masters.
It takes a certain vision to fully appreciate and collect
these icons of early American racing and the Justice Brothers have had that
vision for many years.
Ed Justice, Sr., who passed away in 2008, built and maintained the museum's collection since 1985. He was constantly on the search for new additions to the collection, preserving these rare vehicles for posterity.
In the exclusive world of motorsports competition, the name
Justice
Brothers is famous.
Having been major sponsors of vehicles involved in almost
every kind of racing venue, from mid-west dirt tracks to the Indianapolis 500,
the company has developed a reputation for being true supporters and racing
enthusiasts for more than six decades.
The colorful Justice Brothers logo has
adorned some of the most famous racecars to ever hit the track.
The Justice Brothers
Long before they founded their automotive chemicals company, the three
Justice brothers were budding gear heads and racing enthusiasts.
Having been
raised in Paola, KS, during the depression years, the boys learned how to
fix almost anything mechanical in order to earn a few dollars.
This led to
repairing bicycles and cars, which further honed their mechanical skills. They
even sent away to Clymer Publications for mail order plans on how to build a
midget racer at home.
Ed Justice Sr. made sure Henry Ford was covered by this collection. This line up features some of the most valuable and collectible Ford open cars ever made.
It wasn’t long before they were terrorizing the local
oval dirt tracks (and Paola streets) with their latest creation.
Ed, Lawrence
and Gus Justice were on their way to lifelong careers in the automotive
industry.
Prior to WWII, two of the brothers moved to the west coast and were
hired by the famous Kurtis Kraft Shop in Los Angeles to build midget racecars.
In fact, the first Kurtis racecar ever built is in their museum. In the
evenings they continued their side business repairing all types of vehicles.
When the repair business became more profitable than working at Kurtis, they
went at it full time, as well as starting to build their own midget racecars.
For a time this new business served them well, but they realized that it would
never make them rich.
Many of the display vehicles are as beautiful as they are fast. Such meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail almost seems out of place on vehicles designed for hardcore competition.
Being astute businessmen, the brothers foresaw a looming
decline in the popularity of midget racing and they looked for other
opportunities in the automotive field.
They soon took advantage of an opportunity selling car care products in
Florida. Trusting their luck and experience, they made the move and being
natural salesmen, they quickly became the area’s sales leaders for this major
automotive lubricant company.
With
racing in their blood, they convinced the company to sponsor the Kurtis Kraft
team in the 1950 Indianapolis 500, and the resulting win increased their
business dramatically.
Seeing this, they decided to start their own car care
products business, and founded the Justice Brothers, which remains a family
owned and managed international business today.
And, they continue to sponsor
many race teams across the nation as well.
As a result of their success, the Justice Brothers Museum of Early
American Racing was founded in 1985 in Duarte, CA. by Ed Justice, Sr.
The museum entry not only contains cars and automobilia, but a beautiful Pitts bi-plane hanging is from the ceiling. Eclectic, you bet
Situated
along the famous “Mother Road”, Route 66, the museum is housed in three
buildings, and includes an impressive array of beautifully restored early race
cars, vintage drag racers, street rods, classics and historic automobilia.
A
museum visitor is immediately surrounded by midgets, sprint cars, Indy cars, a
collection of vintage gas pumps, racing engines, movie cars, original event
posters and more!
There is NO admission charge, and the museum is open weekdays
from 9AM to 5PM.
This is a display of American racing history second to none.
So if you find yourself cruising historic Route 66, or just want a great
automotive outing, stop in at the museum and experience this awesome collection
for yourself.
If you do, the next time someone mentions classics or antiques,
you’ll have a completely different vision.
Museum Info:
The Justice Brothers Museum is headquartered in this modern building along the old Route 66 in Duarte, CA. It’s a super collection of automotive history and a great way to spend a few hours on the “Mother Road.”
2734 E. Huntington Drive
Duarte, CA 91010
Ph: 626-359-9174
Fx: 626-357-2550
www.justicebrothers.com