Charles F Keene
Charles Keene, Indianapolis 500, 1915. Photo is part of the Bruce R. Craig Photo collection at the Stanford University Library Collection, however photo taken pre-1923, so copyright lapsed. JPEG copyright, Richard Jenkins, 2016.
Born: |
23 Mar 1881 |
Died: |
6 Dec 1963 |
Nationality: |
United States |
Indy 500s: | 1 (1914-1915) |
Boisterous individual, one of the first to sign a commercial deal. Co-owner, builder and driver of the Beaver Bullet, a car with a 450 inch engine that he entered for Indianapolis and other events, but the well-publicised project never really succeeded, despite an eighth place at Indianapolis and he also steered the car to a fourth place at Galveston, Texas in 1914. A varied racer, he attempted a lot of speed records. Keene also worked for the Pope-Toledo car company in Ohio and also as a test driver for the Mercer Car Company in Connecticut. Charles Franklin Keene also worked for the Ensign Carburettor company in Chicago. Based for a while at Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.
Biography last updated 9 Apr 2024