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Short Leash Hosts Pinewood Derby For Adults In Phoenix

Dwight Knowlton's Pinewood Classic entry is a replica of a classic 1911 Fiat called The Beast of Turin.
(Photo courtesy of The Pinewood Classic)
Dwight Knowlton's Pinewood Classic entry is a replica of a classic 1911 Fiat called The Beast of Turin.

For a lot of guys, the Pinewood Derby may conjure up ideas of cub scouts and one of your first major engineering projects.

But for some of us it was a time that, not unlike a science fair, started off as a fun project and ending up being taken over by our dads.

Well, one Phoenix business has decided to change those memories and turn the pinewood derby into an event for adults.

This weekend, Short Leash will host the second annual Pinewood Classic, which they bill as a “grownups-only pinewood derby race in the heart of downtown Phoenix.”

Dwight Knowlton is getting ready for his second race. The Phoenix designer and author creates illustrated books about vintage racing cars, so creating a model car seemed right up his alley.

“Well, I’m a passionate car guy," Knowlton said. "I’ve had a few project cars when I was younger so now I’m getting to build little wooden ones.”

Knowlton wasn’t a cub scout, so last year was his first time in a pinewood derby. But that also means he isn’t bringing any emotional baggage with him to the race.

“You know, I don’t have a history of my dad building the car for me," he said. "My first one was last year and I got to build it with my own skills, which was fun.”

While the contest will award those who cross the finish line first, Knowlton is more in it for style points. Last year he made a model of a 1955 vintage Mercedes. This year he is sticking with the classic racer theme.

“This year I'm building a really interesting car called the Beast of Turin," he said. "It was a 1911 Fiat with a 28.5 liter 4 cylinder engine in it.”

And he’s not just whittling on a block of wood. He’s putting all his design knowledge into the process.

“I actually created scale drawings and, you know, I had to move the wheel base around and transpose a few things but got a really realistic look out of it so that was fun," Knowlton said.

He’s been working on the car in his garage in north Phoenix for the past few days.

“I did the rough cut out on a scroll saw and then I ground down the basic roundness of it," he said.

Knowlton finished the details by hand, including a miniature version of himself and his son as passengers. Now all that’s left is some touch up and a little paint.

Knowlton thinks by the time the car’s done he’ll have put in a full 24 hours.

“But yeah, it’s been a super fun day for me and a nice break from all the heavier stuff that I have to do," he said.

You can catch Dwight and all the races at the second annual Pinewood Classic at Short Leash Saturday afternoon.

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Mark Brodie is a co-host of The Show, KJZZ’s locally produced news magazine. Since starting at KJZZ in 2002, Brodie has been a host, reporter and producer, including several years covering the Arizona Legislature, based at the Capitol.