It made its first recorded appearance under Collier ownership at the Wayland (Massachusetts) Grand Prix in October 1934. It also ran at Briarcliff in November of that year, finishing third in that race. In 1935, Miles finished second in the June meeting at Sleepy Hollow Ring in New York. Also in June, the car finished sixth at the Cape Cod Grand Prix in Marstons Mills driven by D. Cousens. At "The Light Car Grand Prix" at Wayland in November, Jim Baldwin drove the car to a sixth-place finish.

To make it faster and more reliable, the Colliers exchanged the Riley engine and mechanical components for a 1939 Mercury flathead V-8 engine and drive train shortly before World War II.

Watkins Glen Winner:
Following the war, the car was raced extensively by its owner/builders Miles Collier and his brother Sam. In the car's most significant victory, Miles won the 1949 Watkins Glen Grand Prix, passing Briggs Cunningham in a Type 166 Ferrari Spyder (the first Ferrari to race in the States) on the last lap. This race can be considered the first of the "Ford-Ferrari Wars" which was won by this Ford powered car in 1949 and again by Ford in the 1960s.

Collier achieved an average speed of 68.46 mph for the 99 mile race. It bettered the 1948 race average of Frank Alfa Romeo by almost five miles an hour. Miles' fastest lap of the 6.6 mile circuit was 75.38 mph in 5:15.2 minutes. The next year the "Alligator" finished third in the Seneca Cup event prior to the Grand Prix despite the fact that Miles had only high gear for the entire race.

The car was entered in the 1949 Watkins Glen Grand Prix by Miles Collier as a Ford Riley with the "Ardent Alligator" a major highway through the Everglades Swamp. "Ardent" was supposedly chosen to describe the zealous, eager and enthusiastic activity of the Collier's "Alligator."

Other Racing History:
In 1952, Collier sold the car to Cameron Argetsinger who was instrumental in organizing the Grand Prix races at Watkins Glen. He regularly drove the car on the streets in the Watkins Glen area of New York State. Brete Hannaway of Mr. Vernon, NY entered the car in the 1952 Grand Prix; however, the race was stopped at the start of the second lap. In 1954, the car was entered in the Grand Prix by George Rabe of Mamaroneck, NY who also entered it in the 1955 Seneca Cup race.

The car won the Mt. Equinox Hill Climb and set the course record in July 1950, the first year for that event. Driven by Sam Collier, it climbed the 5.2 mile course to an elevation of 3,216 feet in 7 minutes 13 seconds. It was also raced at Bridgehampton in the late 1940s and early 1950s and at other East Coast sports car racing venues. The "Alligator" enjoyed an active racing career up to 1955. It was later virtually destroyed in a fire when a building collapsed on it. Restored rather than being discarded, the "Alligator" is now being used for vintage sports car racing and an occasional drive on the street by its present owners.

In September 1999, the "Alligator" was honored at the Watkins Glen Vintage Grand Prix Festival for the 50th anniversary of winning the 1949 race. In June 2000, the car participated in the Mt. Equinox Hill Climb to commemorate its setting the course record there 50 years ago. In the summer of 2004, we participated in the 100th anniversary of the Mt. Washington (NH) Hillclimb where the car raced in the 1930s. In August 2005, the car raced at the Monterey Historics in California as part of their tribute to "Great American Specials."