C3's at CotA
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 5
From: Japan
C3's at CotA
Comrades
Last weekend at the invite of a friend in TX I took a trip to Circuit of the Americas, Austin's brand-new world class Formula 1-certified 3.3 mile intergalactically spectacular racing facility, for SVRA's so-called "World Championship of Vintage Racing". While I'm a West Coast guy and much more familiar with the cars that run on the left side of the country, it was interesting to see who showed up here.
J. Bittle, a friend of ours from San diego, showed up in his '68 ex-Hinchcliff & Ross Trans-Am Mustang, and there were so many entries that the cars were scattered across three paddock areas. J.'s car was pitted smack in the middle of several A and B production C3 Corvettes, one of which some of you might be familiar with...
J.'s crew at work...
When Peter Klutt of "Dream Car Garage" fame drives up in his A Production monster to say Hi...
Needless to say, the workmanship on this car was incredible.
Another one of Klutt's toys, the old Essex Wire 427 Cobra...
More Vette pics...that is all
Last weekend at the invite of a friend in TX I took a trip to Circuit of the Americas, Austin's brand-new world class Formula 1-certified 3.3 mile intergalactically spectacular racing facility, for SVRA's so-called "World Championship of Vintage Racing". While I'm a West Coast guy and much more familiar with the cars that run on the left side of the country, it was interesting to see who showed up here.
J. Bittle, a friend of ours from San diego, showed up in his '68 ex-Hinchcliff & Ross Trans-Am Mustang, and there were so many entries that the cars were scattered across three paddock areas. J.'s car was pitted smack in the middle of several A and B production C3 Corvettes, one of which some of you might be familiar with...
J.'s crew at work...
When Peter Klutt of "Dream Car Garage" fame drives up in his A Production monster to say Hi...
Needless to say, the workmanship on this car was incredible.
Another one of Klutt's toys, the old Essex Wire 427 Cobra...
More Vette pics...that is all
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 5
From: Japan
Actually I have lots, but since this is a Corvette forum I don't really go there much. Years ago I built a '67 coupe A Sedan car and raced it with VARA on the west coast for several years. Shortly thereafter '67-'68 Mustang Trans-Am cars started migrating out of Mexican barns, and there are probably a dozen of the original 26 Shelby Group II cars racing in vintage events today. J. is a pretty good driver and finished fifth in the Trans am field last Sunday.
When I was racing mine I found that I typically had better braking and corner speeds than the Corvettes and Camaros, but even the 302 Camaros had noticeably better power than me. I was using ported '69 351 heads, which were about the best we had 20 years ago. This was before all the aftermarket stuff was out for Fords like good aluminum heads, etc. The engine building art has really elevated for those with money and the quicker cars now are seeing 9000 rpms. J.'s car has the 'tunnel port' heads that were only used in 1968, and he routinely runs quicker than the '69 & '70 Boss 302's. Not bad for a stodgy old coupe!
When I was racing mine I found that I typically had better braking and corner speeds than the Corvettes and Camaros, but even the 302 Camaros had noticeably better power than me. I was using ported '69 351 heads, which were about the best we had 20 years ago. This was before all the aftermarket stuff was out for Fords like good aluminum heads, etc. The engine building art has really elevated for those with money and the quicker cars now are seeing 9000 rpms. J.'s car has the 'tunnel port' heads that were only used in 1968, and he routinely runs quicker than the '69 & '70 Boss 302's. Not bad for a stodgy old coupe!
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Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 5
From: Japan
As Requested...
This is a pic of Bittle's car back in 2007...
And the car that I built back in 1990, which made him so insanely jealous that he had to get his own copy...
Another shot of the Corvette that ran afoul of J. in practice...
As well as an aluminum-bodied Cobra that ran afoul of the wall...
.
Tom Malloy brought this incredibly rare 1934 Miller-Ford Indianapolis car...
This is the ex-Tony Adamowicz '69 Eagle-Chevy Formula A car. If you corner Tony he will talk your ears off forever!
.
Lastly, Dan Gurney's '67 Lola T70 Mk IIIb Can-Am car, the only car that managed to keep up with the McLarens that year, if only for a few laps at a time...
I had posted awhile back that I was taking my C3 up to Monterey with a friend for this year's Motorsports Reunion, but a week beforehand my wife went to the hospital with chest pain. Fortunately, she's OK after a stent (!), but I missed getting to cruise up to Laguna Seca in my Vette. So, when I got the opportunity to go to Austin to see the new track (which is a pretty amazing facility)I didn't turn it down. Got to spend the weekend with my son from TCU and enjoy some world-class BBQ too!
And the car that I built back in 1990, which made him so insanely jealous that he had to get his own copy...
Another shot of the Corvette that ran afoul of J. in practice...
As well as an aluminum-bodied Cobra that ran afoul of the wall...
.Tom Malloy brought this incredibly rare 1934 Miller-Ford Indianapolis car...
This is the ex-Tony Adamowicz '69 Eagle-Chevy Formula A car. If you corner Tony he will talk your ears off forever!
.Lastly, Dan Gurney's '67 Lola T70 Mk IIIb Can-Am car, the only car that managed to keep up with the McLarens that year, if only for a few laps at a time...
I had posted awhile back that I was taking my C3 up to Monterey with a friend for this year's Motorsports Reunion, but a week beforehand my wife went to the hospital with chest pain. Fortunately, she's OK after a stent (!), but I missed getting to cruise up to Laguna Seca in my Vette. So, when I got the opportunity to go to Austin to see the new track (which is a pretty amazing facility)I didn't turn it down. Got to spend the weekend with my son from TCU and enjoy some world-class BBQ too!
Last edited by birdsmith; Nov 5, 2013 at 11:33 PM.