Features Corvette hot rods - picture thread

Did my best ET sunday, 9.54 at 148 mph, still running full length exhaust and DOT drag radials.

jp

 

These shots are SCCA corvette hot shoe Dr. Dick Thompson driving.

 

I saw your runs. Damn impressive how your car comes on at the top end!

- EM

 

posted by swi66 in the vintage thread

 

Baron looks great.

jp

 

Thanks JP. You have to be very happy to be in the mid nines with yours. And through the exhaust and DOT radials.... very impressive ! Congratulations

 

I love the Gates Commando off road tires on the race Vette.

 

Not old got these from HAMB Drags threads

 

Gary Gabelich "The Beach City" Vette A/FC





Gary Gabelich "The Beach City" Vette A/FC ON FIRE

 

Loudbang the red Vette above with the fenderwell headers is the 61 Vette that Quain Stott built for the Southeast Gassers and is being driven by his brother Mitch. I think that picture may be at Darlington. I have asked Quain if he would do a build thread on the car and he may but he is super busy with the gasser group at present. Talked to Quain on the car and he needs to tweak it a bit to make it more competitive. There are a couple of videos of Mitch making a pass with the car-great to see a Vette in action again in a real competitive series.
The white Vette is at the HAMB drags I believe and has it's own cool story as well, I would bet.

 

The red vette is cool, never seen that one before.

jp

 

Here is a picture that I found digging around for stuff to post in the Earliest Willys Racecars thread that that I have going.

 

Funny to see pictures such as this. I remember back in the day being bummed out that these nice old cars were being beat by "stock Corvettes"( and right off the showroom floor, no less). Same thing with all the factory muscle cars that were available in the mid sixties to 71-2. I remember a kid , a friend of mine got a brand new Z28 for graduation and blew the doors off my 55 Chevy ! Another got a 68 Road Runner. Bottom line was they were fast and ,if you had the money , you could have the fastest car in town. Fortunately, I still prefer building my own (as 99% on this site do), and they end up faster than most "store-bought" hot rods.

 

I suspect that some of these pictures of cars from different classes racing might have been class winners racing for eleminator or little eliminator. I agree with you Baron. I prefer the oldies, there is not a new car with the styling to catch my interest like the old ones do and you can make it exactly the way that you want it and know it inside and out.

Here is the thread if anyone is interested

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/earliest-willys-racecars.1024775/

 

Ok I found a special treat for my vette liking buddies.

The Day the Corvette Grand Sport Beat Down The Cobra !!





The 1962-’63 Corvette Grand Sport is the most valuable and sought after collector Corvette that GM ever produced. Only five were built, and all five now reside with private collectors. The Grand Sport saga began in the summer of 1962 when Carroll Shelby introduced a new Ford-powered sports car called the Cobra. This 260-cid V-8–powered sports car was 1,000 pounds lighter than the soon to be released Sting Ray.


Zora Arkus-Duntov knew the 3,150-pound Corvette would be no match for Ford’s new sports car. To meet this threat he decided to build a “lightweight” Corvette. To avoid GM’s 1957 signed AMA (Automobile Manufacturers Association) corporate racing ban agreement, Zora decided to build and sell 125 “lightweight” Corvettes as production cars. The first step was to get them certified by the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) so they could race at Le Mans. With this approval in hand he would be able to sell the completed cars to “privateers.” He believed that this approach would enable him to comply with GM’s corporate racing ban. Bunkie Knudsen, General Manager of Chevrolet, approved Zora’s proposal. He and his engineers began building the “lightweight” Sting Ray. It was fitted with a light fiberglass body, tube frame and a tubular suspension employing Girling disc brakes. The interior was stark, but included straps to pull the plastic side windows up and down. Duntov said, “It was a quick and dirty sledgehammer project that we put together in a couple of months. There were so many compromises and constraints that we made something of which I am not particularly proud.”


GM’s Chairman Frederic Donner squashed Zora’s production plan when he heard about the secret Corvette, he told Zora, “no racing.” Five lightweight Corvettes called “Grand Sport,” were under construction when Zora was notified of Donner’s order. In spite of this setback, Zora completed the five cars. Chassis #003 and #004 were loaned to two “privateers.” Chicago Chevy dealer Dick Doane received #003 and Grady Davis from Gulf Oil Corporation got #004. The cars competed in SCCA’s modified division so they were outclassed and compiled a poor finishing record. Dr. Dick Thompson, “the Flying Dentist,” did claim an overall victory at Watkins Glen driving #004. The new Ford was unbeatable in professional and amateur racing. Corvettes were humiliated at every race they ran against the Cobra. This was having a negative impact on Corvette’s sports car status. Bunkie Knudsen told Zora to find a way to “stick it to the Cobras!”

Zora followed Bunkie’s order by loaning three Grand Sports to racer John Mecom, a 21-year-old Texas oil tycoon. Mecom agreed to let Zora update and care for the cars. Grand Sports #003 and #004 were returned to Chevrolet from Dick Doane in Chicago and Gulf Oil in Pittsburgh. They were refurbished with larger wheels, tires and fender flares to cover the larger tires. Each of the three Corvettes were fitted with a special all-aluminum 377-cid (6.2 liter) V-8 engine. Each one had a 4.000-inch bore and 3.750-inch stroke that powered the updated “lightweights.” The engine produced 485 hp at 6,000 rpm and 435 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. It was fed by four Weber 58 DCOE carburetors, which gave the 2,000-pound Corvette startling performance. Chassis #005 was completed with the same improved specs and all three were painted in Light Cadillac Metallic Blue.


The finished cars were shipped to Mecom in Texas and then sent to Nassau, Bahamas. Each year Nassau held a Speed Weeks event at the airport. Carroll Shelby was very surprised when the Grand Sports arrived at the Nassau docks and immediately began complaining. To compound Shelby’s concern, the Grand Sport drivers included Roger Penske, Jim Hall, Dr. Dick Thompson, Augie Pabst and John Cannon. In addition, many Corvette engineers “took vacation” to watch over their charges. The Grand Sports were almost 10 seconds a lap quicker and whipped the Cobras much to Shelby’s dismay and Bunkie’s delight. Duntov commented later, “even though we designed the Grand Sports quickly and they lacked proper development, Nassau proved they were more than equal not only to the Cobras but the Ferrari GTOs.”

Unloading at the port in the Bahamas



After the big success in Nassau, Zora set his sights on Daytona. He ordered the two remaining coupes, #001 and #002, cut down into roadsters to improve their aerodynamics. But again, it was not meant to be, five weeks after Nassau, GM closed all the remaining loopholes and Zora’s racing activities were stopped. The two remaining Grand Sports #001 and #002 sat at the Milford Proving Grounds until Roger Penske purchased #001 and George Wintersteen purchased #002 in 1966. They raced them briefly and then sold them to amateur racers. Zora’s dream of winning an overall victory at Le Mans in a car of his design was never fulfilled.

I'm pretty sure I posted these two back a ways not knowing the story. I think it was in the Bahamas race story that I got off a HENRY FORD website LOL.

 

Just two today

Gayland Hill’s 1962 model. While details about the car are few, newspapers of the era report the car ran an injected 377-ci stroker motor on nitro and ran a 9.420 at 141.00 mph at Lions in September 1966.



Unknown from a video on 4 speed drivers.

 

I really like this one.

 

A FEW FROM SOUTHEAST GASSERS RACE IN CHATTANOOGA

 

Nice shots, did Rat Sass make any passes?

 

Nope he was just spectating

 

Got to see the Vet up close and personal Sunday at Epping. Love it.

 

This one belongs to a Hamb member

 

Got some more road racing Vettes.

All these from 1960 SCCA Montgomery











These from 1966 Road America 500

The super vette from a couple days ago

















Super vette again