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Kuebler Mite (.19-size)
Designed and built by Bert Kuebler, Evansville, IN
During the heyday of tether car racing in this country, a number of gas powered miniature race cars were actually one-off, home-built creations ... some which were nicely done while others were fairly crude ... some were very competitive race cars while others were simply built to make some smoke and noise. But each of these cars was a reflection of the person who built it, his motivation, and his skill.
The car shown in the photos is the onlyl original Kuebler Mite, one of one, built by Bert Kuebler of Evansville, IN for his good friend, Rolles Wagner from nearly Versailles, IN. Kuebler designed and built the car, and like all of his work, the car was built to the highest standard of craftsmanship. The car is powered by a McCoy 19 race car engine, and features a cast aluminum pan with a hand-carved wood body, along with one of Kuebler's signature stainless steel fuel tanks and guillotine-style fuel shut-off.
A number of years ago I spent an afternoon with Bert Kuebler at his home in Evansville. One impression that I took away from that conversation was that Bert Kuebler was the consumate craftsman and he took great pride in the quality of his workmanship. Whatever he did had to be done right, and nothing less was acceptable.
That was evident in the Kuebler mite that he had built. He didn't build the car for himself to race, rather he took great pride in building the best possible car for his good friend. And his ultimate pleasure was in his own personal assessment that he had done something particularly well.
In the photo showing Bert Kuebler holding the Kuebler Mite, you will note that the car has no numbers on it . Before I left he told me that the number on Rolles Wagner's car was number 8, and that the Kuebler Mite originally had Meyercord number 8 decals on it. In fact, you could still faintly see the impressions of the original number 8 decals in the paint. He went on to say that they car really should have the correct numbers on it.
When I returned home, I put the correct Meyercord number 8 decals on the car.
That's the way Bert Kuebler thought the car should be.
