Zink Cars

Zink Cars is a former constructor of Formula Vee cars among other racing cars. Zink Cars was formed in 1962, as of 1974 all manufacturing of the Zink racing cars was taken over by Citation Engineering.

Ed Zink started his auto racing career at the dirt ovals of Tennessee and North Carolina in the 1950s. In 1962, Zink designed and built his first road racing car, the Zink Petit. The Zink Petit was a racing car built according to SCCA H-Modified class. The car was powered by a 850 cc (52 cu in)DKW engine.^[1] The car made its debut at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs in 1960. Tommy van Hoosier failed to finish at Daytona International Raceway. Bill Greer won the most prestigious SCCA race in the H-Modified class in 1963.

After a short stint in sportscars with the Zink Z-4 the Tennessee constructor introduced the Zink Z-5 Formula Vee. The car was introduced in 1965 and was dominant in its class until 1970. The Z-5 won the Formula Vee race at the Runoffs for five years in a row. In 1967 the Zink Z-5s finished in the first five places. As a measure to counter Zink's dominance the SCCA outlawed stressed-skin metalwork in 1967.^[2] Zink's dominance was broken in 1971 with Lynx winning the Runoffs.

Zink also joined the Formula Super Vee market. With steep competition from Royale, Lola and Zeitler, John Finger was the best driver in a Zink in the 1971 US Formula Super Vee championship. Finger scored one podium finish and ended in fifth place in the championship.^[3] Harry Ingle finished second in the same championship the following year.^[4] Ingle won the 1973 Formula Super Vee Runoffs. It proved to be the only Formula Super Vee Runoffs win for Zink.^[5]Tom Bagley was successful in the Zink Z-11 winning three races in the US Formula Super Vee championship. Bagley was second in 1975 and winning the championship in 1976. Later Formula Super Vee cars were less successful.

شاركت شركة زينك أيضًا في فئة فورمولا فورد الشهيرة . فاز بروس ماكينيس بمركز الانطلاق الأول في سباقات ران أوفز مرتين متتاليتين عامي 1975 و1976. حلّ ماكينيس ثانيًا عام 1975، وتعرض لعقوبة عام 1976 حالت دون فوزه. فاز ديف ويتزنهوف بسباقات ران أوفز في فئة فورمولا فورد عام 1977، متقدمًا على ديفيد لورينغ ودينيس فايرستون، وكان يقود سيارة زينك Z-10. كانت Z-10 أول سيارة صممتها شركة زينك، لكن شركة سايتيشن إنجينيرينغ هي من صنعتها. ^{[ 6 ]} كما قاد ويتزنهوف سيارة زينك Z-16 فورمولا فورد، وفاز بسباقات ران أوفز عام 1981. ^{[ 7 ]}

دخلت شركة Zink سباقات الفورمولا 440 مع انطلاق السلسلة في عام 1984. وقد حققت سيارة Zink Z19 نجاحًا كبيرًا في سباقات الفورمولا 440 بفوزها في سباقات الإعادة في أعوام 1984 و1986 و1987 و1996.

توفي إد زينك عام 2003.