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My body off start, Superbowl Sunday, January, 1982. Living in Logansport, Indiana at the time, all my neighbors are helping me carry the body out and putting her in the snow. Great times/memories!
In that 2nd pic, that's me in the middle and 2 of my boys, 10 & 13.
Jim
In God We Trust
That looks familiar. My buddies helped me the first time I pulled my body. We used 4x4's and floor jacks to lift it up and roll chassis out. I told them no beer until we were done!! It worked!!
Great photo. Ken Kayser says Duntov built four L88-powered Corvettes during the '66 model year for Yenko, Rodriguez, McQueen, and maybe Penske. I wonder if this is one of those cars, and where it might be today?
Yes this is one of the 4 Kings (1966 L88s) Ken Kayser has written about in his new book. It is the Corvette McQueen drove in the Sports Illustrated article of the time. After driving the car McQueen said he had to have it. Chevy replaced the functional L88 hood with a stock hood for the article and allowed McQueen to keep the car for a year so they could figure out a way for him to buy the car. It is the only one of the 4 that retained the aluminum heads after the engines were dynoed. The other three failed and those cars received cast iron heads. The car was found on the west coast and now resides outside of Detroit.
I had the honor of seeing the car a few weeks ago while visiting the owner.
Last edited by Rumblegutz; 02-10-2020 at 08:51 AM.
For many years, my wife and I owned a pretty nice 1954 Chrysler Imperial. On the outside of the first page of the Owner's Manual was printed the language that I put in the "Title" of this thread . Made one feel like royalty. (lol)
Once you got it moving, there was nothing in the world that compared to the ride. A little hard to stop though.
Just when we were getting ready to sell it to an older doctor and his wife, I finally got around to taking pictures. Here are a few.
JIM SIMPSON on the left of DAVE MACDONALD. Jim was the # 1 sales guy at SORENSON Chevrolet and loved raced cars, especially when Dave drove his 57 Corvette. He and Dave and others created the 61 SPECIAL. A C/M Special that weighted 1750 lbs. The special Corvette body was made from a mold that Nat Reader and Jim Burell from CORVETTE BODY SHOP made from a new stock 61 Corvette at Sorenson Chevrolet. He ommited the rear deck lid over the gas tank, and made the body 17 inches shorter. Overal length was reduced from 176 to 150 inches, and width is five inches narrower. The body was attached by Zeus fastners, and had
Modifications: Basic stock 1962 Corvette 326/360hp engine and 4 speed trans. A Studebaker differential, Morris Minor rack and pinion steering, 14 pound Webber flywheel, special Jardine headers thru motorcycle exhaust scavanger pipes. Brakes were Buick 3 inch finned drums with H.D. Metalic linings. Body was hand fabricated and the chassis was 160" long vs. 176 on a stock Vette.
Notes/Race History:
When Zora saw this car at Riverside he told Dave MacDonald about his idea for "The Grand Sport" Dave said it was very twitchy driving, but very fast and needed more devlopment. Owner Jim Simpson and Nat Reeder and Jim Burell from FIBERGLASS AUTO BODY in Hollywood, one of the first in the USA made the body off a stock 61 Corvette .
The chassis was made by Max Balchowskey of Old Yaller fame. Max charged $4500 complete including brakes and suspension. Simpson got the engine and trans from Zora's skunk works
Generation: C1
Year: 1961
VIN: Old Yaller #5
Race Numbers: 00 and 43
Ownership: Jim Simpson owned and built the car. He sold the car in Hawaii to Pat Mathis, a used car dealer after a SCCA race in Hawaii late in 1962. Pat hired MacDonald to drive the two fall 1962 races in Reno and Kent, Washington and the car returned to Hawaii. Vintage race car expert and Hawaian resident MICHAEL G SHEEHAN said in 2009 that Mathis then sold the car to Mel Pestana, a local racer. The Balchowsky tube frame was modified and made longer, like a Devin underneath. Pestana cut and stretched the frame for drag racing. I saw the Devin Corvette, as it was called for a number of years, out by the old Honolulu Airport up thru the end of 1969. It may have been the MacDonald Special. I have a friend who said it ended up in a junkyard out past Pearl Harbor. Other rumors say it went back to Seattle with Mathsis in early 63, but Michael's story fits the history line better. The car has not been seen since 1969.
Sponsors: Sorenson Chevrolet
Drivers: Dave MacDonald Pat Mathis Mel Pestana
I had to look at this car again, man...
Driving that, I'd feel like Sinatra getting out of that at the Sands.
What a class act.
It just hit me a certain way.
Thanks for sharing.
Just curious.....What in the world could you buy to replace such an elegant ride?
Marshal
Originally Posted by Silverrick
For many years, my wife and I owned a pretty nice 1954 Chrysler Imperial. On the outside of the first page of the Owner's Manual was printed the language that I put in the "Title" of this thread . Made one feel like royalty. (lol)
Once you got it moving, there was nothing in the world that compared to the ride. A little hard to stop though.
Just when we were getting ready to sell it to an older doctor and his wife, I finally got around to taking pictures. Here are a few.
Your are oh so correct. Looking back, the Imperial was probably the finest ride that we've ever experienced. But, that being said, we had both retired and moved to an area in southern Utah where having the Chrysler serviced was becoming really difficult and time consuming. With my wife's mother being born in Zuffenhausen, there were only two choices that my wife considered. So, she bought them both--a Porsche Carrera Cabriolet , all wheel drive with a Tiptronic and a MBZ SLK. They are OK drivers but nothing like the Imperial. BTW: We've been together for more than 45 years and were married in Las Vegas at the Riviera. Boy, do I remember the Hacienda, Sands, Dunes, Thunderbird and Old Frontier Hotels and Casinos!! Great places that will NEVER be duplicated. Spent many New Years Eves there--still do!
Since there were very low numbers of C1's built compared to other generations people often wonder how many are left. Looking at this picture makes you wonder even more to see so many not respected years ago and ending up like this .
Since there were very low numbers of C1's built compared to other generations people often wonder how many are left. Looking at this picture makes you wonder even more to see so many not respected years ago and ending up like this .
How is this "not respected"? Looks to me like it's just the way he wanted it to be.
BJ, back then they were just old wrecked Chevy's. Before the aftermarket was born all we could do was pick the bones off the old wrecked ones. I did so many times to keep my car on the road, a few times I witnessed the old stripped shell burnt or crushed. Sad, but I had no place to keep em.
Despite Ralph Nader, for many, many years, my wife and I owned and drove a 1964 Corvair Spyder convertible--you know the car, it was "America's Porsche". I found the car in the "Car Collection" at Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. They were changing up their collection and this car became expendable. I didn't pay much for it and loved the way that it handled! When we moved from Long Beach to Las Vegas and then to southern Utah, it was just too darn hot to be driving a non air-conditioned convertible. I always loved the car and its colors. When I would "show" the car, I always received kind compliments from the older guys, those that remembered how fun the car was to drive.
03-18-2018, 10:52 PM
