"J" Car to Mark IV: A Rough Road to Victory.

[snakeeyes]

Cal is MY hero. The "GT40" is a replica that his overcrowded garage could no longer handle--what with one of the three original Echidnas, Bob Johson's independent comp Cobra, the NHRA record-holding "Pizza Man" Corvette, etc. taking up space. Most of the occupants of my garage are "wannabees"--reproductions of famous cars. Cal's, on the other hand, are the real deal...

When you gonna pick up that Scarab, Cal?

Slightly Smaller (I refuse to call myself "Little") Bob

[snakeeyes]

Mirage 001--the sole remaining Mirage in original form--was owned by an acquaintance of mine a few years ago. I have a couple of other pictures of it which I would love to post, if I could just figure out how to do so...

[JimsGems]

Snakeeyes

The Mirage is the the most beautiful and the very pinicle of the GT40, alas, only one left, how many were produced?

[snakeeyes]

Jim, there were three. As stated earlier by Thorin, serial numbers 0002 and 0003 were rebuilt as "standard" GT40's and the chassis renumbered accordingly. 0001 is the sole survivor, but what a beautiful survivor she is. I don't know why I cannot post the pictures I have, but if somebody wants to try posting them I will be happy to send them by e-mail, as I am in agreement that the Mirage is the most stunning variant of the GT40, and the more pictures that get put up of it the better.

Bob

[JimsGems]

Bob;

Thanks for the info. I obviously didn't read the whole thread.

Bob Evans seems to have the posting problem taken care of, I haven't figured it out either, maybe he can enlighten us at the same time.

Be well, have fun. Jim

[Robert Evans]

Bob and Jim,

Go ahead and post the pics in your gallery, tell me which ones you want posted and I'll take it from there....

[snakeeyes]

Thanks, Robert. I just posted two shots in my gallery. I particularly like the one of the car sitting in somebody's driveway--it really shows off the attractive lines and the narrowed cockpit area--

Bob

[Thorin]

Slightly Smaller Bob,

I just went to your gallery to look at the Mirage - beautiful automobile. Also looked at the Lister-Corvette; I agree, absolutely the most sinister looking vehicle I have ever seen - almost looks like a computer drawn "bad guys" car! Does that vehicle ever make it to vintage races/showes etc? If so, what part of the country?

Thanks

Dave Lowell

[Robert Evans]

WHOOPS!! HOW'D THAT GET IN THERE???!!!

[Thorin]

Thanks Slightly Taller Bob

Dave Lowell

[snakeeyes]

Thanks, Oh Large One, for putting up all three shots.

Dave, that particular car can often be seen at events on the West Coast. I saw it a few years back at Monterey, and it's a good bet it'll return this year (Corvette featured marque + Corvette-powered Lister, etc.). The car looks absolutely beastly in person and has the largest hood bulge of any Lister I've ever seen. I don't know what the story is behind it--the owner was nowhere to be found when I saw it at Monterey--but I hope to find out. From the bulge to the gills to the polished rivets all over a pretty flawless black paint job, it's clear that somebody has gone over it with an eye for style. I don't know how the car looked when it left the Lister factory all those years ago, but it's a safe bet it was nothing like the way it appears now.

As an aside, Brian Lister must be a pretty nice guy. I wrote him in Cambridge, England a while back. He recently sent me a handwritten reply, along with a set of about a dozen cards depicting various Listers, with a small historical write-up on each one on the back. Neat stuff--

Bob

[Cal Metal]

If that Lister were a mammal, it would be the meanest beast in the jungle. Might be something for Spielberg to use in Jurassic Park IV. Brutal is the only description that comes to mind. My Echidna would run and jump up a tree if it saw that thing coming down the road. Hopefully, we will see a couple at Elkhart this summer. Bartlett, one of the Echidna owners, is a good friend of one of the drivers (sort of owner) on the black car Bob posted, I think.

[Thorin]

Cal,

Which events at Elkhart would you recommend for this type of automobile watching?

Thanks

Dave Lowell

[snakeeyes]

Dave, if I might be so bold as to offer my two cents' worth, the Brian Redman International Challenge, held at Road America, is one of the finest vintage events in North America. Last year there were something over 400 cars entered, including 50+ Can Am machines, 60 + "big bore" production cars (i.e., Cobras, Corvettes, Shelby Mustangs, Camaros, etc.), and many sports racers (including the three original Scarabs, the fourth Scarab continuation car, and the sole Scarab mid-engined car). For some reason there were no Listers, although you typically see one or two. There were a bunch of Devin-based cars, including two of the three original Echidnas. Since our esteemed Cal Metal has since acquired the other Echidna, you might reasonably expect to see all three there this year (July 19-21, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin).

Road America is a fantastic circuit, 4 miles in length through the rolling hills of Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine region. The town itself has had an affair with road racing since the Fifties, and sits on a picturesque lake with restored resorts from the Twenties, a la the movie "Dirty Dancing". There are race and street car concours held right on the town streets, an auction at one of the hotels that goes on all weekend long, drinking and dancing at night, and the best track food in North America, IMHO. See this month's Road & Track magazine for a really nice article written by Peter Egan on last years vintage race there.

And, of course, you can't go wrong attending the Monterey Historics. This year the featured marque is Corvette, ensuring lots of neat stuff from Grand Sports to the SR-2 to Lister-Chevrolets. That takes place August 16-18. Cal, Big Bob, yours truly, and others from CC will likely be in attendance (don't let that dissuade you, though).

Bob

[Robert Evans]

Dave,
I've been to both events (last year being my first time at Elkhart), and by far the best place to watch real live, wheel-to-wheel, tradin'-paint racing is at Elkhart. Monterey is nice if you like watching cars with wooden wheels from 1910 or a bunch of pristine Ferarri's taking some spirited parade laps in California's very beautiful northern coastal area, but for my time and money, Elkhart is as close as you will get reliving the 50's, 60's and more. None of this pre-WW1 stuff, just thundering vintage racecars with battle scars. You might even see a circus act, as we saw what looked like a bunch of guys impersonating Circe-de-Sole on a golf-cart!

In addition to the three guys mentioned above, there is a pretty good chance that we will have our own special guest as a tour guide. Keep your fingers crossed.

You certainly won't see this type of racing at Monterey:

[Cal Metal]

One non recurring act that we were able to witness last year at the Elkhart Historics was Jim Hall, the featured Marque (his cars, that is) and a number of his Chaparrals. To steal a phrase from James Coburn in the movie, "Hard Times", "it was enough to take your breath away".......

[Robert Evans]

If you guys haven't caught this yet, it's worth a look.
http://www.jackbrabham.com/Hall/hall.html

[JimsGems]

Bob;

Great Link; Jim Hall and his great cars stole every race I was ever at as a kid. Riverside was his track, if he didn't DNF he won! To a point where they forced him out of racing, well mostly, not really, but kinda by banning his cars.

Thanks again. Jim

[snakeeyes]

By the way, the picture that Big Bob posted of the crunched 250SWB was taken on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning at Elkhart last year; the driver lost it in a big way during practice. By race time Sunday, the car was straightened out, covered with blue racer tape, and back on the track! Hell, from a distance it even looked pretty normal. I guess when you come to race...

SS Bob