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Thompson home-built
Designed and scratch-built by Virgil Thompson
This Class A tether car was designed, built and raced by Virgil Thompson, who lived 60 miles south of Chicago near Kankakee, IL. Thompson was a skilled craftsman who, in addition to being employed as a tool and die maker, also owned a bicycle shop in Watseka, IL and built houses on the side (including his family's home on the Kankakee River).
The car was entirely hand-built. The only off-the-shelf items used to finish the car were the pre-war .275 cubic inch Phantom "Bullet" spark ignition engine, the Peerless wheels and tires, and a drive unit from a Matthews Silver Streak. The car features a hand-formed sheet aluminum body, fully sprung front and rear suspensions, and fully functional steering via the steering wheel and a steering box.
Thompson built the car in 1940-41 and raced it inside his bicycle shop and also inside a hobby shop in Bradley, IL. Ultimately the car was put away and stored in a closet of the family's home where it remained for over 80 years..
