Bob Wilson
And his Gillette Specials
From Kansas City, Kansas
Bob Wilson in his Riley in 1935
Larry Sullivan photo from the Roy Eaton collection
Bob Wilson’s 2 Port Riley in 1936
Roy Eaton collection
Bob Wilson’s 2 Port Riley in 1936
Roy Eaton collection
The Gillette Special
Bob Lawrence collection
Wes “Feather Foot” Johnson with the Gillette Special 2 port Riley at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, Kansas in September of 1937
Charles Pauley photo
Bob Wilson worked for Railway Express and was also a distributor in the Kansas City area for the Wisconsin based Gillette Tire Company so he named his racing cars Gillette Specials. Bob’s wife, Alice, was the Kansas City area correspondent for the “Bergen Herald” newspaper which was the major source of auto racing news in the 1930s. When Bob and Alice started their family, Bob gave up driving the car so Wes Johnson assumed the driving duties.
It should be noted that this car has also been found reffered to as being a “Bowen Riley” in some records but no reason for that name has been found.