Gateway Relay Vol IV, No

Gateway Relay Vol IV, No. 12 St Louis Sports Car Council August 2015

Council News & Notes Up & Coming 21 Aug 2015—Friday Night at the Sonic, Kirkwood (Big Bend and Kirkwood),  Believe it or not, StLSCC is on sponsored by the Outsiders Car Club. Every Friday through October, 5-10 PM, all the verge of starting its fifth year. welcome without attitude, no alcohol, burnouts. Primarily hot rods and American As noted in the masthead above, heavy metal but LBCs and other foreign cars are making inroads. this issue is the last of volume twelve. The initial Gateway Relay 22 Aug 2015—Gateway VCOA tour of Fast Lane Classic Cars, 10:30 AM, came out in September 2011, followed by lunch at the North Shore Boat House. If you plan to participate, please roughly four months following the RSVP to Doug Morrell at [email protected], web page at https:// first exploratory communications sites.google.com/site/gatewayvcoa/. between several local car clubs concerning the formation of some 23 Aug 2015—MG “B” There Party, hosted by the MG Club of St Louis. Gather- sort of car council. ing of the local MGBs, all welcome; B there to show off your B at Babler State Park, Chesterfield, 1 PM. Monitor www.stlouismgclub.com/.  Over the intervening years a few clubs have come and gone but 23 Aug 2015—BSCC Autocross No. 5, Family Arena, St Charles, 9-9:30 show our core group has remained time. For info contact Racer Steve at [email protected]. pretty constant. Overall, we’re 27 Aug 2015—Gateway Healey Association RUMP: Lunch at Helen Fitzger- going strong and who knows, we ald’s, 3650 S Lindbergh, 11:30 AM, followed by a visit to MotoExotica, 2340 Cas- might pick up a few more affili- sens Dr. All welcome, please RSVP to Tom Evans, [email protected]. ates in the future. 29 Aug 2015—Wildwood Founder’s Car Show & Cruise, Wildwood Town Cen-  Change subjects, club web pages ter at Taylor Rd and MO 100, following parade at 10 AM. Several trophies award- and newsletters continue to pro- ed at 3 PM, followed by a car cruise of scenic Wildwood, ending at the Big Chief vide the primary source for the Grill on old US 66 for dinner. Return for concert and fireworks at Town Center. photos seen in the featured events section of the Relay. If 30 Aug 2015—St Louis Region SCCA Autocross No. 8, Family Arena, St your club has an event but Charles, see www.stlsolo.org for more information. doesn’t have a web page or 4 Sept 2015—Memories Car Club First Friday Cruise, Faith Church, MO 30/ means of posting current activity Gravois at Rahning Rd, west of I-270, sponsored by the Memories Car Club. Held photos online, send a few of the the first Friday monthly through 2 October, 6-9 PM, gates open at 4 PM. Display digitals to us and we’ll get them vehicles enter off Old Gravois Rd. out via the Relay. 5 Sept 2015—6th Annual O’Fallon Elks Lodge Classic Car & Motorcycle  Now, on into fall in the great Mid- Show, at Fort Zumwalt High School, registration 9 AM until noon, $15 entry fee, west. This is generally the part of dash plaques to the first 60 participants, attendance prizes and awards in seven the year where the events calen- classes. Benefits Wounded Warriors, Vietnam Vets of America and the Marine dar starts to thin out a bit. Still, Corps League of St Charles. Info (636)219-0847. for all clubs and owners of sports/ th special interest vehicles, fall also 12 Sept 2015—5 Annual LifePoint Transportation Expo, at LifePointe means some truly incredible driv- Church, 1400 Babler Park Dr. Show 10 AM-3 PM, 15 classes, plaques awarded for ing weather. The StLSCC staff (Continued on page 2) looks forward to plenty of good club runs and events as we work toward the end of the year.

Note: Some club events restrict participation to club members only, primarily for national/chapter insurance reasons. If interested in joining in on a drive or other event, we recommend you contact the club’s event coordinator in advance for details.

In Print

It’s pushing September, which means it’s time for the 2016 models (speaking of, does anyone out there remember the old Look magazine annual new car issue? We have a couple from the mid- 60s in the StLSCC automotive reference library). September’s Road & Track lists the BMW i8 and Jaguar F-Type coupe (Continued on page 4) Continued on pg. 4 1

Up & Coming (Continued from page 1)

each class plus special awards, proceeds benefit club to help local boys living in difficult situations. Info (636)458-3885 or www.lifepointewildwood.com. 13 Sept 2015—BSCC Autocross No. 6, Family Arena, St Charles, 9-9:30 show time. For info contact Racer Steve at [email protected]. 13 Sept 2015—Midget Day Party, for local MG Midgets. Hosted by the MG Club of St Louis, Babler Memorial State Park, 800 Guy Park Dr, Chesterfield. All welcome, monitor www.stlouismgclub.com for details, be advised there will be no Australi- an-rules Midget Toss Competition. 13 Sept 2015—19th Annual Walter F. Phillips Memorial Old Cars Against Cancer Wheels in Motion Day, West- port Plaza, 9 AM to 4 PM. Registration $20 per car, first 150 cars receive dash plaque, food and drink available, entertain- ment. For more information, call Elliott (314)878-0534 or Al (314)650-7639. 19 Sept 2015—Cars & Coffee, Westport Plaza, I-270 and Page, 8:30 AM. 19 Sept 2015—Gateway VCOA Mid-Missouri Meet-Up, Marceline, MO with the Volvo Club of Kansas City. The clubs will participate in the big “Hometown Toonfest” parade saluting favorite son Walt Disney, followed by a car show on Main Street and tour of the Disney Hometown Museum. Figure on a 6:15 departure from St Louis, if you plan to participate please RSVP to Doug Morrell at [email protected]. 19 Sept 2015—3rd Annual Chesterfield Community Church Cruise-In, 3 PM, 14647 Ladue Rd (at Olive), Chesterfield. For information, contact Major Deberry (314)814-2611. 20 Sept 2015 –25th Annual Greentree Festival Classic Car & Truck Show, 10 AM-4 PM at the Kirkwood Community Center, S Geyer just south of Adams. Set-up at 8 AM, limited to 100 cars, $20 for show cars, $10 for display, seven classes including sports and special interest vehicles. Questions call Mike Keehn (314)966-2535, flyer and registration form at http:// www.kirkwoodmo.org/mm/files/GREENTREE/2014Greentree/Car%20Show%20Registration.pdf. 20 Sept 2015—St Louis Region SCCA Autocross No. 9, Gateway Motorsports Park, see www.stlsolo.org for more information. 20 September 2015—Horseless Carriage Club of Missouri 37th Annual Swap Meet & Car Show, now at the Hollywood Casino, Maryland Heights. Car show has 17 classes, cars must be 1990 or older, more info available on the club website at www.hccmo.com. 20 Sept 2015—Shriners Benefit Car & Motorcycle Show, Moolah Shrine Center, 12545 Fee Fee Road, St Louis, 9 AM to 4 PM (rain date 27 September). Registration $15 for show, $20 for judged vehicles, all makes and models welcome; dash plaques, attendance prizes, trophies, large number of classes. All proceeds go to the Shriners Hospital for Children. 24 Sept 2015—Gateway Healey Association RUMP: Visit to Mann’s Restoration, 5 N 6th St, Festus. Leave St Louis about 9-9:30 AM, tour 10-10:30 AM, followed by lunch at Poppy’s Ristorante, 2000 N Truman Blvd, Crystal City, at noon. All welcome! 25 Sept 2015—ABCCS Annual BBQ & Welcome Party, 6-11 PM, hosted by British Car Restorations & Services LLC, 2338 N Lindbergh, St Louis. Details to follow, monitor www.stlouismgclub.com/. Open to all. 26 Sept 2015—34th Annual St Louis All British Car & Cycle Show. Best in the Midwest, at the traditional show grounds at Creve Coeur Lake Park, presented by the MG Club of St Louis with food concession by the St Louis Triumph Owners Association. This year’s featured marque is MG, with a special salute to the 60th anniversary of the MGA. Info including online reservation at www.allbritishcarshow.com/home/. 27 Sept 2015—Annual Autos on Valhalla, 7600 St Charles Rock Rd, benefitting Ride on St Louis. Event starts at 11 AM with awards at 2 PM, food provided by Maggiano’s. Details to follow at http://rideonstl.org/autosonvalhalla. 27 Sept 2015—Oktoberfest Car Show, St Charles, sponsored by the First Capitol Classics Auto Club. Stock vehicles only, 1990 or earlier, no modifieds, street rods or customs. Show at Boone’s Lick Rd and S Main St, St Charles. Info (636)928- 8672 or email [email protected]. 2-4 Oct 2015—St Louis PCA Carrera Classic, high-performance driving event with the BMWCCA St Louis Chapter at Gateway Motorsports Park, 700 Raceway Blvd, Madison, IL. Registration at https://www.motorsportsreg.com/events/ parktown-imports-carrera-classic-october-2015-gateway-motorsports-park-057096. 3 Oct 2015—Benefit Car Show/BBQ for St Louis County Police Welfare Association, register 8 AM-noon, $20 entry, 32 classes, awards at 3:30 PM. At Mehlville High School, 3200 Lemay Ferry Road. 3-4 Oct 2015—SLTOA Fall Drive to Fulton. Overnight trip for a visit to the National Churchill Museum, on the grounds of Westminster College, the scene of Sir Winston Churchill’s 5 March 1946 “Iron Curtain” speech. Other opportunities include the Auto World Museum, plus LBC group photo opportunities. See www.visitfulton.com for more information on the town, meeting location and departure time to be announced. 4 Oct 2015—BSCC Autocross No. 7, Family Arena, St Charles, 9-9:30 show time. For info contact Racer Steve at [email protected]. 10 Oct 2015—Annual Jaguar Association of Greater St Louis Concours d’Elegance, in Chesterfield. One of the major annual St Louis special interest car events, details to follow, monitor www.jcna.com/clubs/main.php? club=sc20&Vref=sc20. St Louis Car Shows and Cruises: http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/lakerscarclub.

Roadwork: The Batmobile

No, not that Batmobile, although one of the Dark Knight’s (well, except in England; apparently they were a tad fussier in 1989 movie versions is currently for sale over at MotoExotica the British Isles) and plastic replaced the side glass. The (“make offer”). We’ re talking about one of the great German mods reduced the vehicle’s weight by about 330 pounds. The competition coupes of all time. original engine was the 3.0’s standard 2985cc unit with dual Zeniths, but BMW quickly increased the bore slightly to push As men- displacement to 3003cc, allowing competition in the over 3-liter tioned in classes. Like the 3.0 CSs, the CSLs also eventually gained last Janu- fuel injection. ary’s Relay, during the Sources vary on total production of the street versions of the early 1960s 3.0 CSL; BMW needed to build at least 1000 but according to a reinvigor- the BMW Registry, the company produced 1208. The model ated BMW proved very popular and helped boost BMW’s reputation, a decided to couple of years in advance of the “Ultimate Driving Machine” go racing ad campaign. with its However, it was the racers which really helped seal BMW’s Hans-Peter Joisten in a BMW 2800 CS at Nur- Neue reputation. The cars which raced in America quickly earned burgring, 1973. Photo by Paul Kooyman/Touring Klasse cars, the nickname “Batmobile,” for their massive flares, wings and CarRacing.Net starting with other aerodynamic devices. According to Vintage Motorsports, the 1500 the bewinged BMW looked like “…a car that Bruce Wayne and working up through the 2002. The vehicles saw a good would have driven while chasing down the Joker.” Writing in deal of success, as did the larger 2000 coupe (introduced in Pistonheads, Don Holtom commented, 1965) and the 2800 CS (1968). BMW thoroughly dominated the 1969 European Touring Car Championship, besting Por- Interestingly, the wild aero was deemed to be illegal sche for Division 3 honors with 6 wins in 11 races. BMW- for road use in Germany and the CSLs came with the Alpina followed up with another championship in 1970, with kit packaged in the boot. But on the track the transfor- 2800 CS victories at Salzburgring and Spa-Francorchamps. mation was not just aesthetic: the big rear wing helping to turn 30kg of rear axle lift into 60kg of downforce - Alfa Romeo took the manufacturers championship in 1971 and cutting a phenomenal 15 seconds per lap around but in 1972, the roof fell in, not only on BMW but also the Au- the Nordschleife with Hans Stuck at the wheel. todelta Alfa Romeo team. After a few years of running Escorts with reasonably good success, the Ford factory effort switched With drivers to Capri RS2600s and thoroughly dominated the proceedings. such as Toine The Fords notched wins at Monza, Salzburgring, the Spa 24- Hezeman – who Hour race, Zandvoort, Paul Ricard, Silverstone and finally at took the 1973 Jarama. John Fitzpatrick, Hans Heyer and Rolf Stommelen driver’s title – Niki managed to win with their Team Schnitzer Motul 2800 CS at Lauda, James the Nürburgring 6-Hour race on 9 July 1972, but otherwise the Hunt, Chris “European Mustangs” thoroughly dominated (although a BMW Amon and Hans- -Alpina 2800 CS managed third at Zandvoort on 20 August, Joachim Stuck, surrounded by RS2600s. The drivers were Toine Hezemans, Jr, the 3.0 CSL Gerold Panki and a young Austrian F1 driver named Niki Lau- took the Europe- da). an Touring Car Championship In 1970, BMW received a new chairman, Eberhard von six times be- Hans Stuck, BMW 3.0 CSL. Photo: OneHot- Kuenheim. Among other initiatives, he decided the company tween 1973 and Lap.Com. would benefit from a strong (and hopefully, successful) factory 1979. BMW had racing team. The privateers and quasi-factory teams like Al- also poached Stuck from Ford; the son of an Auto Union driver pina and Schnitzer had done well with a range of vehicles, but who won multiple grand prix prior to World War II, Stuck was von Kuenheim figured a focused, full factory effort would boost one of the drivers who had dominated touring car racing with both BMW’s reputation for sports sedans and sales. In 1972, the Capris. the company formed BMW Motorsport GmbH. Jochen Neerspach assumed the duties as team manager; interesting- The 3.0 CSLs also raced in the United States under the ly enough, he formerly held the same position with Ford Eu- BMW of North America flag, primarily in the International Motor rope and was the chief architect of the Capri’s domination. Sports Association (IMSA) Camel GT series. Noted rally driv- Race Engineer Martin Braungart also came over from Ford of er John Buffum served as the team manager for the 1974 sea- Europe, like Neerspach, he was convinced to switch flags at son and prepared the cars under the title of Hurtig Team Libra. the behest of BMW AG Sales & Marketing Bob Lutz (yes, that They made the US debut of the 3.0 CSL at the 21 April Road Bob Lutz, prior Marine fighter pilot, previously with GM in Eu- Atlanta 6-hour race; Porsche Carreras dominated the GTO rope and later of GM – again – and Chrysler fame). class, but Brett Lunger and Any Petery finished 4th in the No. As the foundation for the new corporate sport/racing coupe, 42 car, while Buffum and Steve Behr wound up in 7th in the No. the company chose the 3.0 CS. Introduced in 1968, the car 24 BMW. The team followed with a 9th place, Andy Petery, at featured 2985cc straight-6, twin carbs and 180 horsepower. Laguna Seca (Buffum DNFd); 6th (Buffum/Behr) at the Ontario The subsequent 3.0 CSi variant featured Bosch fuel injection, Motor Speedway 4-hour race in May; and 3rd place (Buffum/ a slightly higher compression ratio and 200 horsepower. The Petery/George Follmer) and 4th place (Lunger/Buffum/Follmer) car looked fast and highly sporting right out of the box, er, at Mid-Ohio. The team wound up skipping the next five races showroom, but BMW Motorsport had plans to make a few at Daytona, Talladega, Charlotte and Lime Rock (two events), mods, with the intent of dominating a number of racing series. but at the 20 October 1000 km race in Mexico City, Daniel Mu- niz, Follmer and R. Gama placed 4th in a car 3.0 CSL entered The cars received the designation of 3.0 CSL for Coupe by Muniz. A second CSL finished 13th. Sport Leicht (light); Alpina did much of the development work, while Karmann built the bodies, which featured extensive use of aluminum, including the doors and trunk lid. The power (Continued on page 4) windows, power steering, carpets and insulation came out 3

Batmobile (Continued from page 3) the 3.5s, Peter Herke ran a few IMSA GT races in 1985, plac- ing 23rd at Laguna Seca and Sears Point. Okay, not the most auspicious start, but the BMWs did a lot The cars remain highly popular in vintage racing, including better in 1975…save for the opening round at Daytona, the events like this year’s The Mitty (more formally, the 2015 famous 24- Speedfest at the Classic Motorsports Mitty), held 24-26 April at hour race, Road Atlanta. BMW served as the featured marque at the held the event and plenty of Bavarian Motorwerke products took the first week- grid among 400 cars. The weekend included several parade end of Feb- laps by historic BMWs, which included Brian Redman driving ruary. his old CSL. Over 10-12 July, le Sommet des Legendes at BMW of Circuit Mont Tremblant, Quebec, also featured BMWs. America entered two Apparently there’s something about BMWs and cars; both, wheels in the air...The Stuck/Posey car, Sebring 1975. driven by Photo via Classic & Vintage BMW. Hans- Joachim Stuck/Sam Posey and Ronnie Peterson/Brian Redman DNFd due to failed connecting rods. Ah, but at the 21 March 1975 12 Hours of Sebring, a breakthrough: Brit Brian Redman and Australian Allan Moffatt, driving the No. 25 car, won the race, completing 238 laps in the process (Stuck/Posey in No. 24 went out due to an oil leak). The winning BMW finished three laps up on the nd Brian Redman takes his old CSL out for a spin at Road At- 2 place Porsche Carrera RSR driven by George Dyer and lanta. Photo by Peter Falkner/Sports Car Digest Jacques Bienvenue; five other RSRs, a 911S and two Ferrari 365 GTB4s filled out the top 10. Surviving road and racing CSLs periodically come up for auctions; one sold in 2010 for over $218,000 but generally the The CSLs took four more races during the 1975 Camel GT road cars “only” garner bids in the high-six figures. The cars season. Brian Redman, teamed with Sam Posey and Allan remain highly popular, the racers partly for their outrageous Moffatt, took the 21 March 1975 Sebring 12-Hour race. Stuck aerodynamics; as writer Don Holtom put it, won one of two Monterey Triple Crown races at Laguna Seca on 4 May (and placed second in the other heat); the team fol- The 'Bat' is a car that still makes people smile today - lowed up with a one-two finish a week later at the Six Hours of the sight of it rolling off the back of a transporter Riverside. Stuck teamed with Dieter Quester to take the flag, enough to make people stop and stare. The aerody- with Posey/Redman right behind. Sam Posey managed a 2nd namic addenda are as cartoonish as the name sug- place finish in June’s Mid-Ohio 100-mile race; at Daytona’s gests and appeal directly to the excitable child in all of Firecracker 400 in July, Stuck placed 1st over a brace of Por- us. sche Carreras; he followed up with a victory at Talladega in th For me, the CSL is everything that's great about BMW's August (Posey finished 7 ). The team finished the season best. It is a road car honed and focused for the race- with a 2-3 finish in the 250-mile race at Daytona; Brian Red- track. A car with unimpeachable motorsport pedigree, man and Sam Posey came in behind John Greenwood’s Cor- with a spirited normally aspirated straight six motor…A vette and in front of yet another heard of Porsches driven by car to thrill the soul and reward the committed. A car people like Peter Gregg (who did take the 1975 driver’s cham- that transcends its origins and holds its head high… pionship), Hurley Haywood, Elliott Forbes-Robinson and Jim Busby. BMW finally took the overall win at the Daytona 24-Hour race Sources: Jim Williams, “The Western Front,” Car & Driver, in February 1976. Peter Gregg, Brian Redman and John Fitz- April 1975; Sports Car Digest; Daniel Vaughan, “1974 BMW patrick did the honors for BMW of North America in a 3.5 CSL; 3.5 CSL,” ConceptCarz, June 2007; BMW, “BMW Unveils Trib- David Hobbs and Benny Parsons came in 10th, bracketing a ute Livery for 40th Anniversary of First US Race Win at the 12 number of Porsches, Ferraris and one Corvette, while a third Hours of Sebring,” 14 March 2015; Craig Fitzgerald, “1975 team car driven by Fitzpatrick and Tom Walkinshaw failed to BMW 3.0CSL ‘Batmobile,’” Hemmings, March 2010; Jim Don- finish. BMW had developed the 3.5 CSL over 1973-1974; it nelly, “Brawn From Bavaria,” Hemmings, January 2007; Den- featured a DOHC/24-valve head with displacement increased nis Gray, “HMSA Sommet des Legendes 2015 – Report and to 3498cc and 440 bhp. Photos,” Sports Car Digest, 17 July 2015; Don Holtam, “PH Heroes: BMW 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile,’” PistonHeads, 19 Nov The cars remained in international competition into the early 2010; Racing Sports Cars; “Road Stir: 1973 BMW CSL,” Vin- 2000s. According to Racing Sports Cars, Marcus Glaner man- th tage Motorsports, July/August 2015; European Touring Car aged a 9 place at the 29 September 2002 CDN GT Canadian CASC Celebration at Mosport, Ontario; this apparently marked Challenge, http://touringcarracing.net. the 3.0 CSL’s last major competition in North America. As for

In Print (Continued from page 1) among its “10 Most Beautiful Cars,” followed by features on the i8 and “The Definitive Jaguar,” the 1965 E-Type. Over at Car & Driver, all the makes, all the new models, plus a highly positive evaluation of the new Volvo XC90 (“How Swede It Is”). July’s Classic & Sports Car provides a couple of comparison tests, one featuring the Triumph TR2 and Swallow Doretti, and the other the Jaguar XJ-S V12 and XJS 6-liter. The August issue compares three “family friendly” open cars: the Triumph Herald, Renault Caravelle VW Beetle convertible. July/August’s Vintage Motorsports has something for the Mini and MG faithful: an article on Joe Huffaker Jr’s return to SCCA racing after a multi-year layoff, with emphasis on his GT-Lite Mini (well, it does have a Mini body) and F Production MG Midget. Thoroughbred & Classic Cars for August has a cover article - “‘70s Scorchers” – providing a driving comparison between the BMW 3.0 CSL, Triumph Dolomite Sprint, Ford Escort RS2000, Opel Commodore GS/E and Ford Capri RS3100. Also, a buyer’s guide for the Austin A30/A35. Finally, Classic Motorsports for September takes a look at the new-build Morgan three-wheelers.

continued Featured Events SLTOA SweatFest 21 Jul 15

Projects

Photo: Richard Etz Photo via Phil Taxman One can never have too many car projects, right? Gateway Healey Association president Richard Etz commented on the long term plans for his ‘67 Firebird (and his other cars) in his column in August’s Side Curtain News. The August issue of JAGSL’s The Growl includes tales of racing a ’64 E-Type by Phil Taxman, including one off-road excursion at Blackhawk Farms. 5

Featured Events continued Cars & Coffee 18 Jul 15

Featured Events continued MG Club Annual Picnic 13Jul 15

A rare MGMC pickup truck, fits right in... GHA RUMP 23 Jul 15

Featured Events JAGSL Birthday Party 12 Jul 15

Photos courtesy of The Growl, Jaguar Association of Greater St Louis