I am selling my 1957 Corvette SCCA #73 that raced in the mid-'60s in southern CA for $109,995. The description and 20 photos are below, but my book, Corvette Race Car, is the best possible description and can be found on eBay under auction number 336280980739.



Corvette Race Car is the most comprehensive treatment of Big Brake and Corvette factory racing equipment available, and also discusses the racing tweaks and tricks used back in the day. The springboard for this is the full body-off restoration of #73, so not only are the various pieces of equipment shown, but also how they are installed on a real car, along with what else was done to make a good race car a great race car.

FULL DESCRIPTION

For those with serious interest in 1957 SCCA #73, obtaining a copy of my book, CORVETTE RACE CAR, is essential. Not only will it answer 99 percent of your questions, it is also the ONLY comprehensive treatment of Corvette Big Brake and factory racing equipment and is a must on that count alone. The restoration of #73 to as-raced condition served as the basis for showing not just the Big Brake equipment, but also its placement on a real Corvette. During the restoration, I regularly consulted with both drivers, who are alive and well, to ensure that #73 is as close to how it really was as possible.

#73 was built by owner, Larry Leedy, and best friend, Bob Spicer, in 1964. Both Larry and Bob were members of the California Sports Car Club or “Cal Club,” division of the SCCA. Larry and Bob were aeronautical engineers that worked on the Saturn V program.

Everything having to do with racing that was available at the time went on the car and the result was a winning Corvette, whose best race was at the August 1966 Riverside Enduro, where Bob Spicer and fellow Cal Club member, Fred Yeakel, piloted #73 to a First in Class and Second Overall finish. They even beat Doug Hooper in his #119 Big Block Stingray. Doug is recognized as one of the early Corvette racing greats who drove the first 1963 Z06 and is in the National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame.

The First Overall was a Shelby Team Mustang. Bob believes they could have beat the Mustang had he not been "mistakenly" called back to the pits for “not having his racing harness properly buckled,” although it was. During the race, Carroll Shelby told Larry, “I didn’t know that pig could run that fast!”

Here are some features of #73 and items that Bob and Larry put on their race car that I have put back on or duplicated:

• Original non-radio and non-heater

• Big Brake or “Sebring” package, including finned drums, vented backing plates and front and rear air scoops, brake fans, heavy-duty coil springs, five-leaf rear springs, fast steering adapter, and the very rare second front sway bar

• 1960-62 chassis upgrades including traction bars, rear sway bar, larger diameter front sway bar and the VERY RARE SECOND FRONT SWAY BAR

• 4.10 posi differential

• Vintage NOS Koni racing shocks

• 37-gallon center fill gas tank with top seat backs cut off for clearance

• 1962 radiator and overflow tank

• Dual-belt pulley system with idler pulley and seven-blade fan

• 1960-61 290/315 HP Fuel Injection unit with driver-side air duct

• Six-quart 327 trap-door oil pan

• Stewart-Warner electric fuel pump

• 2.5-inch exhaust pipes

• Steering column shortened by four inches for driver comfort

• Full complement of Stewart-Warner gauges, including oil pressure and oil temp gauges taking the place of the unneeded speedometer

• Period NOS PACKARD 440 USA plug wires

• 1962 268 35-amp generator and 1958 002 35-amp voltage regulator

• American Torq Thrust racing wheels and Goodyear Blue Streak racing tires

• Weight-saving modifications, such as Plexiglas windscreen replacing the windshield, windows removed from doors, cut-off door posts, and removal of all body trim removed except front bumperettes, grill surround and four teeth (the minimum required)

#73 achieved the NCRS "427" award in Concourse Modified Division at the 2022 Greenville, SC Regional and at the 2024 Hampton, Virginia National, with scores over 99 percent both times.

This car would be super for a collector as the centerpiece of a collection, but is equally well suited for someone who will use it for vintage racing as it was intended and for which many historic race cars are actually being used. Fred Yeakel’s 1957 was sold in 2007, and the new owner is still racing it!

This stallion has been corralled for over half a century. Is there anyone willing to open the gate and let this stallion do what a stallion was born to do?

“If you run it up to 150 mph with a rev of just under 10,000, you will warm the engine!!!!” – Bob Spicer

 

VERY, VERY, VERY cool car. I love it!

Best regards from Germany
Oliver

 

Thanks!

 

Hello Oliver,

I got your PM and sent you one in response. I am realizing that I cannot find my response, so I don't know if it was sent. Please let me know if you got it.

Thanks,

Bob