Ken Reece's Incredible 3+1

We all know that a car usually has four wheels, so we might find nothing unusual about it if we talk about a car with four wheels, but if we tell you that this car doesn't have two wheels on each side, but three on the right side and one on the driver's left side, then you'll be intrigued and wonder how this car can handle the road? And you'll be even more amazed to learn that it's a racing car!

Don't worry, we'll tell you everything.

The story begins in America in the 70s, when Ken Reece moved to Ohio, where he had his first contact with motorsports, driving a friend's dwarf, and over time he developed his skills as a mechanic, obtaining a certification in TIG welding. During this period, he also competed in several categories, from Kart to Indy. He also designed and built a mushroom preservation plant, which he later sold to finance his project of building a Supermodified with a 3-1 wheel configuration. Supermodifieds are a category with very liberal regulations, for vehicles specialized in short ovals (up to 1 mile), whose regulations allow, among other things, the positioning of the engine to the left, modifying the weight distribution to improve the contour of the curves on the ovals. One of Reece's creations (conservatively designed) had already won at Oswego Speedway under Jim Gray, but Reece had ambitions to reach a new level in the class, and believed that to do so it would be necessary to exploit the second level of the corners, which he theorized could be done by adopting 3 wheels on the right side of the car.

In 1979, Richmond tested Kenny Reece's unusual "3-to-1" Supermodified on a 7.5-mile high-speed oval test track at Honda's TRC facility in Ohio.

The car was unique in that it featured three wheels on the right side for more grip on oval tracks, but only one wheel in the center of the left side, as well as an aluminum Chevrolet ZL-1 V8 engine offset to the left.

The reasoning behind the design was simple: Reece wanted to be able to run the second row better than most drivers wanted to run the first. By loading the tire contact patches to one side and balancing the frame with a fourth wheel in the center of the car on the left, Reece was able to lean more of the vehicle's weight to the right side with less risk of losing traction. A centrally mounted live axle connected to a quick-change rear axle drove the vehicle, with the front and right rear wheels mounted on wishbone suspension systems. Steering was controlled by the front and right rear tires, and power was provided by the engine.

Richmond was able to lap the test track at over 200 mph, but found it slightly disconcerting in a car without a left front wheel. The car was tested but banned before it could actually race.

Richmond tests Ken Reece's machine

The reasoning behind the design was simple: Reece wanted to be able to run the second row better than most drivers wanted to run the first. By loading the tire contact patches to one side and balancing the frame with a fourth wheel in the center of the car on the left, Reece was able to lean more of the vehicle's weight to the right side with less risk of losing traction. A center-mounted live axle hooked to a quick-change rear end drove the vehicle, with the front and right rear wheels mounted on A-arm suspension systems. Steering was controlled by the front and right rear tires, and power was provided by the 427 Chevrolet ZL-1 engine sourced from a Can-Am.

During testing for the 1980 Indianapolis 500, Richmond set the unofficial fastest practice speed of the month, even beating race favorite Johnny Rutherford on the famed Chaparral. His hopes for a pole position were dashed by a crash during morning practice on the first day of qualifying. After repairs, he qualified 19th for the race. He worked his way into the top 10 during the race, led one lap, and was finishing ninth when he ran out of fuel late in the race. To the delight of the crowd, winner Rutherford drove him back to the pits. He was named Rookie of the Year at the 1980 Indianapolis 500. “I wrecked a couple of Indy cars right after that,” he said. “Milwaukee, Mid-Ohio... in Michigan, I cut one in half. I was afraid my racing career was over. So when I got an offer to drive stock cars, I took it, and it turned out I liked driving them better.”

Reece was lined up to take the car to the race when Oswego Speedway caught wind of the freak show and changed some of the rules.

Once Reece learned that Oswego had specified exactly where the car's four wheels should be, he realized the game was up. He salvaged the good parts of the car from the chassis and sent the rest to a crusher.