It's hard to tell if the car was used "competitively" when it was new. (None of the original images included safety equipment -- no rollbar, competition belts, etc.) And the only images of the engine seem to indicate it was a stock Mercury Flathead.
However, this photo seems to show the car lined up at a rally checkpoint, or at the base of a hillclimb.
Ben Shoemaker (designer/builder) was an active member of the Tuscarawas Valley Touring Club. Unfortunately, the TVTC has since disbanded -- but I hope to find someone who may remember Shoemaker or this car.
