Noticed that the independant 427 cobra driven by an amateur beat the comp 289 cobra's driven by the professional drivers.



Pensacola 11.4.1965
USRRC Pensacola 1.round

Race: * 67 laps = 323,478 km AVG: 148,177 km/h

FL: Jim Hall Chaparral 2A Chevrolet

Pos. NO Driver / Nationality Car Entrant Laps Time/Retired Group Practice

Classified:

1. - George Follmer / USA Lotus 23 Porsche 67 1. 2.0
2. - Mike Hall / USA McKee - Plymouth (427 LMD) 67 1. +2.0
3. - Chuck Dietrich / USA Elva - BMW 66 2. 2.0
4. - Skip Scott / USA Cobra Ford 66 2. +2.0
5. - Augie Pabst / USA Chaparral 1 Chevrolet 66 3. +2.0 6.
6. - Tom Payne / USA Cobra Ford 65 1. GT+2.0
7. - Dan Gerber Gerber Payne Spl. 65 4. +2.0
8. - Charlie Kolb / USA Porsche 904 GTS 64 1. GT2.0
9. - Ted Tidwell Porsche 904 GTS 2. GT2.0
10. - Gerry Bruihl Enduro Spl. 63 3. 2.0
11. - Bill Bowman Elva - Porsche 63 4. 2.0
12. - Jerry Crawford Lotus 30 62 5. +2.0
13. - Bob Johnson / USA Cobra Ford 62 2. GT+2.0
14. - George Drolsom / USA Porsche 904 GTS 61 3. GT2.0
15. - Jim Hall / USA Chaparral 2A Chevrolet 003 Chaparral Cars Inc. 61 6. +2.0 2.
16. - Norm Evenden Cooper Monaco 60 7. +2.0
17. - Gene Parsons Lotus Elan 59 4. GT2.0
18. - Lance Pruyn Lotus Elan 58 5. GT2.0
19. - Monty Winkler Alfa Romeo Ti 58 6. GT2.0
20. - Roger West MGB 57 7. GT2.0
21. - Dick Macon Ford Mustang 54 3. GT+2.0
22. - Marty Gifford Porsche S90 53 8. GT2.0
23. - Horst Kwech / USA Alfa Romeo Ti 52 9. GT2.0
24. - Spurgeon May Porsche Speeder 50 10. GT2.0
25. - Charles Cox Cooper Cobra

3009
 

...works
Great clip of the Essex car, 3009. Brings back memories galore.

Sidebar:
It was some car. i had the pleasure of being a freebie pit-crewman for Sam Feinstein from time to time from about 1970 to 73 or so. Not a regular. But, what a car. And, might i remind us, what a driver. Despite many trials and tribulations with that car and its stressful history, Sam could always dig down somewhere and find a better line or an earlier stuff-it point and grab a few more tenths if necessary to win. No kidding, he was great.

But, he was not generally popular. Partly, it was the mother car. Without doubt the loudest and biggest thing in the pits, it was truly intimidating to even the initiated. It snapped and flashed and popped and scared the living daylights out of everyone except the most blase.

Partly, Sam was a great actor. He placed markers in his comments, which he could back-up on the track... His competitors, mostly 289 shoes, were not kindly because they knew he could out-drive them, mostly. In my view, he was a privateer champion's champion.

Obscure detail: Sam drove "Ollie" so far into its long-past sell/retire-by date, the SCCA (in pro-class first, if i recall correctly) passed a ruling that required the removal of out-sized fuel flip tops that could be swiped-off in an upset. Sam replaced the flip-top with a below-surface-mounted aviation fuel-tank access cover. Looked very nice, modern, and worked mostly fine. (But, the flush mounted cover was covered with water in the 1" fender recess when it rained in the pits or on the trailer a few times.)
-------

Ant...
Thanks for publishing the place results.

Meanwhile, notice that George Follmer won the race with a tiny little Lotus 23. Blew all the Cobras away, as well as many others. This with either a 1440 engine or at most a 2 liter (i forget which). Of course, it is a genuine professional race car also from the mid-sixties, but with a completely different design philosophy.

And George Follmer, who still drives, was one of the greatest drivers ever, as measured by his wins and longevity; who doesn't quite have the recognition he deserves, IMHO.
--------
i hope the enhanced and cleaned DVD's of these will become available in some form... Notice how 'relaxed' everyone is dressed.

Forgive me if this has already been discussed but i was wondering how the CSX3009 looks now. Is it still in the Sam Feinstein livery or back to Essex Wire? Paul:)

It is currently being restored, as we speak, to the Essex livery.

Cool, hope the owner visits Club Cobra.:cool:

I visited the McKee Mk 4 a couple of weeks ago.
 

I don't think I've posted this here yet, if I have please forgive me. But I visited the McKee Mk4 that came in second in the '65 Pensacola USRRC race. It currently is still in the orange livery of the 2nd owner Dick Clicquennoi who raced it for many years in SCCA. In the movie it's dark blue with a white stripe that goes around the car.

It has a 427 Ford with Medium Riser heads and a single 4V with Le Mans float bowls. Supposedly built by Holman Moody.

Chuck

http://www.chuckbrandt.com/mckeemk4-1.jpg
http://www.chuckbrandt.com/mckeemk4-2.jpg
http://www.chuckbrandt.com/mckeemk4-3.jpg
Original Livery - Photo by Tom Shultz
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/8...600x407as2.jpg

In the race results, it appears that the engine is listed as a plymouth, which I guessed it to be a hemi, but I guess they got it wrong,

McKee
 

They made one 427 Ford and one 426 Hemi.
I tried to buy the Ford but the owner doesn't want to sell anytime soon.

That's right
 

Steve's right. The McKee Mk 4 and Mk 5 are nearly identical. The Mk4 has the 427 Ford and the Mk 5 has the Hemi. The Hemi car is currently for sale for a Barret Jackson level price.

I don't think the Mk 4 will sell anytime soon, but at least it's in good hands so it will be preserved. What a neat car though.

Chuck

Chuck, this car was called the "427 LMD" because it was entered by the Lincoln Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Corp., and the pit crew was ALL LMD professionals. Everyone but henery the Duce was there. It was a VERY professional operation!:cool:

Ron,

Are they doing a blog some where during the restoration?

I have been studying pictures and it looks like that Skip Scott's name was on the hood on the passenger side of the car and Dick Thompson's is on the drivers side. can you confirm that?

Also what is the decal behind or in place of the 427 fender emblems?

Thanks for yours or somebody's help,
Tony

uhhhh....nope. :o

...looks that way.

In original Essex livery, it ran a Champion spark plug decal on the pass side and what looks like an Armstrong shock decal on the drivers side

Just saw this thread resurface, and was wondering if any DVD of the vintage film footage ahs been made available. Would love to get a copy.

Thanks,

John

Tony,
The decal in place of the 427 emblem in the video is a small Champion. Below that is the vent, and then there is a standard size Firestone. All the pics I have seen only have the Skip Scott written on the passenger side, or nothing. I've never seen any pics with Thompsons name on the driver side. Anybody have anything showing that?

I've also seen STP, Shell, Fram, VHT, 76, and the silver/red foil Champion stickers on the car at various races in Essex Wire livery. Shelby American Racing History by Friedman has a handful of pics of the car at various races. The stickers changes from race to race.

The nose also had either an Essex Wire logo, some other ??? logo, or was blank. The ??? logo looks like some kind of reclining cartoon charactor to me, but does anybody have any idea what it is?

Hope that helps.

Steve

Thanks guys.

I have a photo on my screen of the driver side on the track. Letters on the hood look like they could spell Dick Thompson.
The video above as the car comes into the pits they lift the hood and although it is not clear it looks like it says Skip Scott.
In one frame you can clearly see FIA wheels on the front and of course Firestone tires.

What is the wire coming out of the body and then attaching to the rollbar?


http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/data/500/essex1.jpg

That is, of course, an "essex" wire.

:MECOOL:

I have seen other 427 comp cars with FIA wheels on the front and 427 wheels on the rear. Is this how the Essex car was in the first races it participated in? Ed Lowther sported all 427 style wheels in the photos I saw when he raced CSX3009.

Steve, Is this the logo you have seen on the nose?

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...-EssexWire.jpg

In the video the nose does not have anything on the stripe.

Thanks for all the help.

HAHA! Ron you crack me up!:LOL:
good one.:3DSMILE:

Ron,

I don't know if is to much trouble but at the begining of 11 sec. into the video is a clear shot of the front wheel. Could you post it?
If I knew how to do it, I would.

Thanks.

I would think that Essex Wire or somebody has to have promo pictures of this car.:confused:

Tony,
That's the Essex Wire logo I mentioned. There is a second one that I think was on the car later in it's Essex Wire days. IIRC the pic you posted that has the thicker Essex Wire text on the door is also from the era that had the mystery logo on the nose. I'll try and post a pic of it tonight.

I think that Friedman book mentions something about using FIA wheels initially, and then phasing in the 427 wheels later. I'll double check that tonight also.

And yep - your pic definitely shows Dick Thompson text on the drivers side! Thanks for clearing that one up for me.

That Essex Wire (:LOL: nice, Ron!) on the roll bar is probably for a camera. A lot of guys back then were taping their track performances. I would love to see that footage now.

Steve