Erwin George “Cannon Ball” Baker was among the best-known figures in American motorsport, remembered for his record-setting endurance drives and long association with Indianapolis. As miniature midget racing gained popularity during the early 1930s, Baker established Cannon Ball Baker, Inc. to build a series of quarter-scale junior racing cars powered by Briggs & Stratton engines. His cars appeared in exhibitions including the “Children's Speed Classic” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where young drivers raced before packed grandstands on a temporary course laid out along the front straight.
According to the consignor, this beautifully restored example retains its original silver-painted wooden frame and period components. Its aerodynamic steel body is finished in an eye-catching shade of blood orange with a louvered rear clamshell carrying start number 7. The clamshell lifts to reveal a Model H single-cylinder Briggs & Stratton four-stroke engine featuring a sophisticated flywheel pressure-plate clutch engagement system, an advanced design detail for a car of its size and period.
The pilot sits monoposto-style in a single seat upholstered in tobacco-colored leather above an engine-turned floor and behind a bright-finished three-spoke steering wheel. Braking is accomplished by a shifter-style lever to the driver's left. It is offered in a custom plywood crate with checkerboard flooring and rolling casters. Rarely encountered today, this Cannon Ball Baker junior racer represents an unusual survivor from the formative years of American youth racing.
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