Misc Vintage Racing Clips

[rtj]

Stumbled onto this on the weekend. A guy on eBay selling Greenwood Corvette fiberglass parts. Shipping on the roof almost as much as the price of the roof.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/2841358648...HR4KWWRZPVBCXGP165BXJ8RR&shqty=1&isGTR=1#shId

 

[BBShark]

Stumbled onto this on the weekend. A guy on eBay selling Greenwood Corvette fiberglass parts. Shipping on the roof almost as much as the price of the roof.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/2841358648...HR4KWWRZPVBCXGP165BXJ8RR&shqty=1&isGTR=1#shId

Yeah, but he will ship to Afghanistan but not to Ukraine? WTF, commie bastard!

 

[69427]

Don't know that one - but while looking at the GT-40 site well produced versions run from $120K-250/300K. EEE-Yow!
The Factory Five "variants" can run up to about $150K, some incompletes less as low as well under $50K - no engine, etc.

I'd love to, and kick myself for not jumping on the "bootleg" Chaparell body 20 years back!

Cheers - Jim.

Ya caught my attention with the Chaparral body statement. What's some details on that?

 

[phantomjock]

There was a Chaparral Body advertised on eBay - surprisingly cheap. It was a 2d - my favorite. {worthless side note: I watched both the 2D and 2E race at the Nurburgring in high school and that was the end of puberty! WHen I dig out the pics I'll post some I shot. }

Meanwhile in the early 2000s, I was still "commuting" to NZ for our sailing life, and messing around with the 'vette when stateside. I called Race Car Replicas to get a lead or details on the Chaparral. They told me it was a "young fellow" in the Chicago/Detroit/can't recall area, who built it from scratch. He got hung up on building a chassis - hey whats's that problem? - and wanted to get rid of it. Sorry - don't think I even took a screen shot of the advert - I'll look though.

In 2020 one came up - hand made - in the UK: https://fiberclassics.org/chaparral-2d-replica-for-sale/
Meanwhile there are Official Replica (Continuation) cars available - but $200K plus as I recall. Those are being built in Texas (as I recall) and original spec chassis - monocoque aluminum, from original bluelines, etc. Link to a 2E series: https://www.drivingyourdream.com/store/p798/Chaparral2E.html

But that hand-made body with a tube frame, rear engined BB - or LS would be to Kill for.

Also a few years back, a reasonably priced Cheetah body came up as the "Old Guys" up in Alabama were selling off their stuff. Cramming for finals - end of life I expect. Again - tube chassis all the good stuff a killer racecar for under $50K I'd say.

With today's tech, someone could easily scale up a CAD drawing and mill a foam buck, hand lay the body and buy a sweet chassis. I bet under $50K - but need to kept it simple - no fancy interior - I mean race car not show. Streatable - but not necessarily "spouse comfortable." I'm beginning to think - building from scratch has less time from start to track, than modifying. But again, there is some real satisfaction in making the mods -- as a few members here note!

Hope that is "some help."

Cheers - Jim

 

[69427]

There was a Chaparral Body advertised on eBay - surprisingly cheap. It was a 2d - my favorite. {worthless side note: I watched both the 2D and 2E race at the Nurburgring in high school and that was the end of puberty! WHen I dig out the pics I'll post some I shot. }

Meanwhile in the early 2000s, I was still "commuting" to NZ for our sailing life, and messing around with the 'vette when stateside. I called Race Car Replicas to get a lead or details on the Chaparral. They told me it was a "young fellow" in the Chicago/Detroit/can't recall area, who built it from scratch. He got hung up on building a chassis - hey whats's that problem? - and wanted to get rid of it. Sorry - don't think I even took a screen shot of the advert - I'll look though.

In 2020 one came up - hand made - in the UK: https://fiberclassics.org/chaparral-2d-replica-for-sale/
Meanwhile there are Official Replica (Continuation) cars available - but $200K plus as I recall. Those are being built in Texas (as I recall) and original spec chassis - monocoque aluminum, from original bluelines, etc. Link to a 2E series: https://www.drivingyourdream.com/store/p798/Chaparral2E.html

But that hand-made body with a tube frame, rear engined BB - or LS would be to Kill for.

Also a few years back, a reasonably priced Cheetah body came up as the "Old Guys" up in Alabama were selling off their stuff. Cramming for finals - end of life I expect. Again - tube chassis all the good stuff a killer racecar for under $50K I'd say.

With today's tech, someone could easily scale up a CAD drawing and mill a foam buck, hand lay the body and buy a sweet chassis. I bet under $50K - but need to kept it simple - no fancy interior - I mean race car not show. Streatable - but not necessarily "spouse comfortable." I'm beginning to think - building from scratch has less time from start to track, than modifying. But again, there is some real satisfaction in making the mods -- as a few members here note!

Hope that is "some help."

Cheers - Jim

I'm jealous about your opportunity to have actually seen the Chaparrals in action. I've been a fan since I was a young kid, but have never actually seen any of the cars in person. IIRC I've got the 2C and 2D in 1/32 scale slot cars boxed up somewhere from the last move, although the 2E and 2F are my favorite versions.

 

[BBShark]

I'm jealous about your opportunity to have actually seen the Chaparrals in action. I've been a fan since I was a young kid, but have never actually seen any of the cars in person. IIRC I've got the 2C and 2D in 1/32 scale slot cars boxed up somewhere from the last move, although the 2E and 2F are my favorite versions.

I had a Aurora 1/32 slot car track. The cars were Lola (like) bodies. I LOVED the Chaparrals and saw (on TV) every race I could and I read everything about Jim Hall. That was really the golden age of all kinds of racing with clever people doing clever things and the cars were beautiful. Then the 2J came out and it was NOT beautiful but it was oh so clever!

That's the time I learned "form follows function"

 

[69427]

I had a Aurora 1/32 slot car track. The cars were Lola (like) bodies. I LOVED the Chaparrals and saw (on TV) every race I could and I read everything about Jim Hall. That was really the golden age of all kinds of racing with clever people doing clever things and the cars were beautiful. Then the 2J came out and it was NOT beautiful but it was oh so clever!

That's the time I learned "form follows function"

I still have the Eldon track I got for Christmas when I was about eight, and about forty additional feet of track I accumulated after that. Been meaning to set up a track again in the basement for several years but my plans (on everything!) always seem to take three times longer than I initially envision them.

I absolutely agree with the "form follows function" philosophy, but I still scratch my head on why Hall didn't put a simple coat of white paint on the center section of the 2J. I realize it might have been a couple pounds of additional weight, but that would have had a negligible effect on the poor reliability of that car.

 

[BBShark]

It always (to me) looked like a last minute idea that was put together out of sheet metal and plastic sheet. I suppose that is what inspired the "Lexan" sponsorship.



Quite a change from this:

 

[rtj]

23 year old car, but interesting video.

 

[rtj]

 

[rtj]

 

[rtj]

 

[rtj]

 

[rtj]

 

[BBShark]

Guy was really shoehorned in the Vette. Surprisingly comfortable in the Lambo

 

[rtj]

Yeah, looks pretty tight. I searched and it said it hadn’t been posted before. He looked familiar and he mentioned doing a previous vid on this car. So probably posted that one.

The owner might have boosted the seat a bit and didn’t want to change it.

 

[rtj]

Well, inflation pretty much quashed the idea of getting an alum block big block. Ohio crank’s engine went way up. Same goes for gforce transmissions. Oh well.

This article is pretty interesting.

“The idea was—aside from the pistons, cam, timing set, and rockers—to keep this engine as close to an original ZL1 as possible.”

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/nos-427-zl1-big-block-build-and-dyno-test/photos/

 

[rtj]

 

[rtj]

 

[BBShark]

They filled up at the local gas station before the race. Those were the days.

 

[rtj]

Yeah, nice touch. Drive the race cars to the track and stop for gas. LOL

 

[rtj]

 

[rtj]

 

[BBShark]

I had never heard of this car. I think that would have changed Indy had it raced. One of the reasons I never heard of it I found in one of the posts @ Youtube:

Howard Keck who owned the car Vukovich drove in1952, 53 and 54 was so sad at Vukovich's death in the Indy 1955 race, that he quit racing. Because Keck quit racing, this car was never raced.
In 1952 Keck brought the first roadster type car to Indy. In the Indy roadster, the engine was offset to the left of the driver. In 1952, Vukovich had a big lead in the race, but a small part broke only 8 laps from the finish.

 

[rtj]

 

[rtj]

I had never heard of this car. I think that would have changed Indy had it raced. One of the reasons I never heard of it I found in one of the posts @ Youtube:

Howard Keck who owned the car Vukovich drove in1952, 53 and 54 was so sad at Vukovich's death in the Indy 1955 race, that he quit racing. Because Keck quit racing, this car was never raced.
In 1952 Keck brought the first roadster type car to Indy. In the Indy roadster, the engine was offset to the left of the driver. In 1952, Vukovich had a big lead in the race, but a small part broke only 8 laps from the finish.

Yes, truly an amazing car. Need a pit crew to remove panels in order not to damage paint! Someone knew what they were doing on those aluminum body panels.

The owner mentioned “no budget” restoration. I wonder what it is worth?

 

[rtj]

 

[rtj]

C8, not vintage, just being lazy.

Weekend of the 28th—mid Ohio SVRA. Too bad I hate crowds.

 

[rtj]

 

[rtj]