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MESOPOTAMIA – The soap box car Allen Frantz of Bristol raced to victory in the 1960 Trumbull County Soap Box Derby, which he then raced to compete in the national championship in Akron has a new home at Ohio’s oldest general store.
After 55 years of holding onto the car he built when he was 14 years old, Frantz decided to let it be displayed publicly at the End of the Commons General Store in Mesopotamia.
“Back then you built it from scratch. And at that time, the contestants were required to do all the work themselves,” he said.
Frantz said he was given a rulebook that included diagrams and other information, including specifications. One was the maximum weight of the car, including the driver, which could be no more than 250 pounds.
“I weighed about maybe 110 pounds. And I exceed that extremely today,” he said with a laugh.
Frantz, 69, raced in the first Soap Box Derby in Warren in 1958. He won the first round the first year, and the second year he won four rounds. The third year, he won the local race, which qualified him for the race in Akron.
In Akron, he made great time in his first heat – 27.97 seconds – but he lost in his second race. The fastest car of the day was 27.64 seconds.
“So they split one second, which is very tough competition. So my car was quite fast. And at 35 miles per hour, less than a second isn’t much space,” he said.
The racers were made out of wood, and the axles and wheels were purchased directly from the Soap Box Derby, Frantz said.
“You purchased your own wood and fasteners and everything, and then you cut it out of wood and assembled it. And you tried to build it as streamlined as you possibly could,” he said.
Once the car was built, drivers needed to find sponsors.
Frantz, who said he wasn’t at all nervous about approaching businesses to sponsor him, pursued the North Bloomfield Banking Company, which sponsored him all three years. Other sponsors included the Warren Tribune Chronicle, Martin Chevrolet and the Warren Jaycees.
Frantz fondly recalled his time at the Akron race. He said the Kenley Players visited the races and also did a little racing of their own.
“They would go down the hill in what they called oil can racers. It was very fun to watch them come down and they were very gracious to the local contestants,” he said.
Several years later, after Frantz had been drafted into the U.S. Army, he had the opportunity to attend the German Soap Box Derby in 1967, “which was a very nice experience,” he said.
Frantz called the Soap Box Derby a wonderful experience and said he would encourage other families to get involved in the hobby.
“In today’s world, there’s just not a lot of family interaction, and families will definitely reap the benefits of such involvement,” he said.
Frantz also called the End of the Commons General Store a wonderful home for his treasured racer, which to this day is still in pretty good shape.
“I am very honored to have it up there and I hope people will go up there and view it and enjoy such a wonderful establishment. End of the Commons is something we’re very blessed to have in this area,” he said.