Several years ago, a loyal Times' reader emailed us with this: "A recent visitor at the Saline County Museum, seeking information on memories of childhood visits with his Dorchester relatives, asked about the famous Dorchester race car from the 1930s."
The car, as he remembered it, was built and raced by Henry "Heinie" Sehnert, Dorchester's longtime Ford dealer, garage owner, and mechanic.
Te retired race car "hung from the rafters of Sehnert's Garage at 8th and Washington for many years." This particular Times reader, "History Buff," along with the visitor at the Saline County Museum wanted to know the rest of the story.
Where was the car raced?
Was it a winner?
Does anyone have a photo?
What became of the car?
Pictured in this story is Heinie Sehnert and his race car. Today, in 2022, the car is showcased in the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, sponsored by Speedway Motors.
Sehnert's S7 Race Car was built in 1927 in Sehnert's South Side Garage -- which today is known as the yellow building on main street just north of the car wash. The S-7 had Ford Model T frame rails with a Frontenac overhead valve conversion on a Ford Model T engine, all re-engineered and built by Heinie.
Sehnert's S7 Race Car was built in 1927 in Sehnert's South Side Garage -- which today is known as the yellow building on main street just north of the car wash. The S-7 had Ford Model T frame rails with a Frontenac overhead valve conversion on a Ford Model T engine, all re-engineered and built by Heinie.
Pictured above is Heinie at his South Side Garage, which operated from 1925 until late 1930, when Sehnert purchased the building at the corner of 8th and Washington Avenue to expand his Ford dealership. (The South Side Garage building would later house Floyd Beck's John Deere dealership, a roller skate rink, and Wanek's furniture warehouse.) Sehnert's dealership and garage were in operation until 1974, when Sehnert retired, according to the Dorchester Centennial history book.
The car itself was actually raced by a young man named Chris Petersen. Petersen would eventually go on to make a sizable fortune at his father's Petersen Manufacturing facility in Dewitt, where the Vise-Grip was produced and patented. Petersen drove the S7 car in a successful racing career at several area tracks.
Both the engine and the body of the car are reunited at the museum of American Speed. This was a true barn find, according to the museum's social media accounts.
The curators of the Speed Museum decided to not restore the S7, but to leave it in its natural state.
For the record, the Saline County Museum visitor who inquired about the car was Wayne Panter of Lubbock, Texas. His Dorchester relatives were John Panter (Dorchester's first real estate agent in 1884-1885); Dr. S. G. Panter (Dorchester's medical doctor from 1909-1933); and Dr. R.G. Panter (Dorchester's pharmacist from 1888-1911).
Both the engine and the body of the car are reunited at the museum of American Speed. This was a true barn find, according to the museum's social media accounts.
The curators of the Speed Museum decided to not restore the S7, but to leave it in its natural state.
For the record, the Saline County Museum visitor who inquired about the car was Wayne Panter of Lubbock, Texas. His Dorchester relatives were John Panter (Dorchester's first real estate agent in 1884-1885); Dr. S. G. Panter (Dorchester's medical doctor from 1909-1933); and Dr. R.G. Panter (Dorchester's pharmacist from 1888-1911).
