Isn’t that the ex-Caswell/George Lymber BNC? But it looks, well, restored!
Well, yes, it is, and yes, it was. The history of the little BNC with the flathead Ford was well-told in 2012 by the late Eric Davison. Since then, long time owner George Lymber II died in 2013, and the still unrestored BNC passed to vintage racer Peter McLaughlin*. He embarked upon a four year restoration, something that previous caretakers did not want to do, but if the BNC was to continue be driven, it was soon found that a complete restoration was inevitable. Recently, the restoration project manager, Bob Harrington, contacted us with the details of the rebuild. -Ed
By Bob Harrington
Some time ago, VeloceToday did an article on the BNC. A friend of mine bought the car and at first was just going to get it running, but decided it was too far gone to be able to drive it safely so it was decided to do a complete restoration, which I oversaw.
The present owner, Peter McLaughlin, bought the car in March 2014 and was determined to keep this piece of American racing history in the U.S. With hopes of driving it in the Watkins Gen re-enactment of the 1948 inaugural race, the car was thoroughly checked out to see if it would be safe to drive. Thanks to the article by Eric Davison and research by Otto Linton, we had a good understanding of the history of the car and photos that dated from as early as the 1940s.
A bit of history
No one knows how the BNC reached America. We do know that a legendary figure of the early days of sports car racing, Otto Linton, was a close friend and business associate of George Caswell, who purchased the car from motorcycle dealer George Taylor sometime in the early 1940s. In this photo, the BNC is at an SCCA meet at Darien, Connecticut around that time. Now with the V8 engine, it appears roadworthy. Linton recalls that the cooling was marginal and it would overheat. This resulted in the change to the larger radiator and longer hood seen at the 1948 Watkins Glen Grand Prix. Otto Linton photo.
A Harold Lance photo of the BNC with the longer nose at Waktins Glen, 1948. It was raced there by George Caswell.
Bill Giltzow’s father captured the Caswell BNC at Linden, N.J. in 1949. The original radiator was put back in place and overall, the car appears to be in excellent form. Photo copyright Bill Giltzow.
Circa 2008 as John Gianella gets the BNC ready to be passed on to George Lymber. Gianella owned the BNC for 48 years! George Lymber photo.
The crowds enjoying the car at an event in 2012 when owned by George Lymber.
Restoring to save
Unfortunately, years of not being used and some stop-gap measures including such things as a plastic jerry can for a fuel tank and only the dash panel separating the passengers and the engine compartment as there was no longer a firewall, rendered the car unusable. At this point, the decision was made to do a full frame-off restoration. (All photos of the restoration work are courtesy of Jim Lowry’s Restoration.)
The 16” wheels, on the car when it was at the Glen in 2012, were put on the car in the early fifties, probably to take advantage of the popular 6.00X 16 size of the day. Seen here, in 2021, with period correct wheels and tires sourced in England.
At the Fall 2021 Watkins Glen re-enactment event, the car was given a “shake down” on the roads within the track where various deficiencies came to light and the decision was made that it was still not quite ready for prime time. After its four-year restoration the car was shown, but not judged at the March 2022 Amelia Island concours in Florida where it drew considerable attention.
It was faithfully saved and stored in near original condition…Note lack of any firewall.
The dash had to come out…it was full of holes!
Original dash.
A new one was fabricated.
Chassis in restoration. When Peter got the car the front shocks were missing. Charlie Blais, a friend of Peter’s and a great machinist, fabricated new ones for us from the photos. He also did some work rebuilding the rear end.
New brakes all around.
Getting the body back in shape. The original metalwork just needed smoothing out.
Almost there.
Bonnet off at the Glen. The original aluminum heads were not serviceable, N.O.S. Offenhauser heads, still in the box, were sourced from California.
At the time of writing this article, the car is back in the shop awaiting some changes, updates and adjustments. The goal, once again, is to be able to have this historic racer take part in the Watkins Glen re-enactment in the fall of 2025. Hopefully, we’ll be able to see this venerable piece of American racing history back in action again soon.
George Caswell, Otto Linton, John Gianella and George Lymber II all worked to maintain the BNC as is, minus of course, the original Ruby engine. It had a history, a patina, a presence that made it special. Peter McLaughlin realized that a major restoration was necessary for the car to continue to be appreciated by owners and fans alike. We’d like to think that the previous owners would approve of Peter’s decision. I know we do! -Ed.
At left, George Lymber’s son Tony with John Gianella, who sold the car to George Lymber and had so carefully and thankfully preserved the Caswell BNC. George Lymber photo.
*Peter McLaughlin
Peter McLaughlin’s fascination with racing started in 1959 when he discovered Road & Track magazine and read the biography of Rudy Caracciola. He instantly became addicted to Formula One racing and in 1968, he attended his first F-1 race at the Glen. In 1993 he discovered vintage racing as he drove a 1955 Lincoln in the Carrera Panamericana. Vintage racing has become a lifelong passion. Peter has enjoyed racing at Vintage and Historic events all over the world and meeting other drivers who share this love. He has won a number of enduro races driving cars that include a Cosworth Spice, Ferrari Spice, a Chevron B-26/36/DFV, a March/BMC Center Seat Can Am car.
Peter McLaughlin after winning the 2002 Sebring Vintage Enduro.
I am delighted to see this. I might even be able to see it myself next year. It made a lasting impression on my parents long before I did.