BY JOHN PRIDDY • PHOTOS: Randall Bohl Photography www.randallbohl.com - John Priddy as noted. HISTORIC PHOTOS courtesy , Porsche Cars North America, Inc., and Lyn St. James

n a glorious Sunday afternoon eliminated its high speed instability. in January, a group of local phil - John detailed how racing legends Oanthropists with a common and ’s out- interest in vintage car racing and standing driving skills on rain-soaked collecting assembled 26 rare, historic tracks in Europe led to the title of his and beautiful race cars on the recently released autobiography 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO grounds of a restored 100-year-old Driving in the Rain. His engi neering home in downtown Phoenix. The expertise helped establish the Ford purpose of the event was a fund GT40 and as two of the 1954 Jaguar D-Type raiser for The Wellness Community, most successful race cars of all time. an organization that provides Porsche 917 #2 shown at low er right support programs free of charge to is the same car driven by Steve anyone whose life is touched by McQueen in the classic film Le Mans cancer. Wheels of Wellness is a social (though appearing as #20 in the and fun event for car aficionados film). At upper right, John is stand- and showcased cars representing ing in front of #40, a now over 75 years of international racing, rebodied as a GT40, which was the from NASCAR to Formula 1, Indian - camera car for Le Mans, still bearing apolis to Le Mans. its camera mounts inside. John Horsman Lyn St. James Speaking before a VIP drivers’ meet- Former Indy racer Lyn St. James also ing and brunch, Guests of Honor talked to the brunch attendees. Her included John Horsman, chief engi- racing experience began with a Ford GT40: Sebring 1966 neer of J.W. Auto motive. His rich ac - Showroom Stock racing Pinto in count of racing history began when 1974. As her racing career devel- , as team manager of Aston oped, she had wins in the Daytona Martin, helped drivers 24 Hours (twice), Sebring 12 hours, and win the 24 Hours Watkins Glen, competed twice in the of Le Mans in 1959. Wyer left Aston , and was Rookie Martin to manage Ford Advanced of the Year at Indianapolis in 1992. Vehicles, the automaker’s hugely suc- Speak ing to the group she asked cessful GT40 program.John Horsman “What does it take to be a race car followed Wyer to Ford and helped driver? Passion. Desire to be the manage the team’s sensational 1-2-3 best. And commitment.” She went

finish at Le Mans in 1966. Having on to explain that “Yes, you need Ford Mirage: proven their point, Ford sold the GT40 good eye and hand coordination Le Mans 1975 program to John Wyer who, with John and the ability to anticipate what Willment, formed J.W. Automo tive. will happen next,” and “Money— JWA, partnering with , contin- that’s the hard part.” She went on to ued to campaign the GT40, develop talk about the public’s perception of the Ford-derived Mirage and, later, the racing drivers. “People think we’re Gulf-Porsche 917 team. brave, but bravery is reserved for One of his most famous contribu- those who fight for freedom and tions was the taming of the handling those who fight cancer” she said. of the early Porsche 917. Porsche Lyn founded and is personally enlisted his expertise and with the involved with the Driving Develop - use of a pair of tin snips he fabricat- Porsche 917: ed a reshaped rear body skin that Rennsport Reunion Daytona 2004

24 • March-April 2009 • ARIZONADRIVER ARIZONADRIVER • March-April 2009 • 25 ment Academy, which specializes in made a business of building his well- mental, physical and emotional training, known ignition systems used in high per- education in the business side of racing, formance motorsports. He bought the car and professional responsibility. The in 1959 and was the owner for nearly 30 Acad e my’s success in developing race years. It still has the one-off experimental winners is evidenced by former student Meyer-Drake Offy engine that was in stalled Danica Patrick. in the mid-’60’s. Although there were We talked to Lyn afterward while changes were made during its racing standing next to her favorite pick of the career, #99 has retained the configuration cars in attendance: Peter Revson’s 1969 when last raced by Joe Hunt. The huge Boss 302 Trans Am car. chromed injection intake air horns and We asked her what her first thought was exhaust headers are masterly crafted once her engine was started in her first works of art that contrast with the brute Indy race in 1992, knowing that 32 male strength it took to drive this racing icon. drivers were determined to beat her to the finish. She replied: “There is no thought 1962 and 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO Joe Hunt going through your mind at that moment. Often referred to as the ultimate street-legal Magneto If you’re thinking, you’re not in the zone. race car, the original Ferrari 250 GTO is one Special You need to be completely clear and not of the most beautiful designs to come out distracted by thoughts in your head. We of Ferrari’s Maranello factory in northern started moving around the track, and on Italy. The aluminum-bodied coupes were the third pace lap Roberto Guerrero spun the last of the front-engine V-12 Ferraris to out. Then I thought: what the hell will hap- be raced, but are easily the most famous. pen next? and to be ready for it.” Only 36 were produced and were only sold When we asked how she got involved to drivers meeting the approval of ‘Il Com- 1962 Ferrari with Indy racing, Lyn explained: “In 1988 men datore’ Enzo Ferrari. 250 GTO I was living in Florida and had never driv- and Oliver Gendebien drove en an Indy car, and of course you can’t the second GTO produced (now painted a drive at Indy if you’ve never driven an brilliant red) to a first in GT class and sec- Indy car. So I spoke to Dick Simon (of ond overall win at the Twelve Hours of Dick Simon Racing) and expressed an Sebring in 1962, the first race in which it interest in driving one, after I had finished was entered. It continued to be raced in driving a race one day. Dick called me at Europe and the US through 1964. my home in Ft. Lauderdale and said to be The blue car, the 9th GTO built, also had in Memphis tomorrow. Somehow I found an extensive racing career that lasted a flight to Memphis the next day and through 1966. Both cars are valued well in grabbed a taxi to the track. He had a car excess of $1 million and are sought by there that still had some miles left on it buyers from around the world whenever Photo: John Priddy (before its next scheduled overhaul). And one is offered for sale. that began my Indy driving experience and eventually seven races there.” Townsend Typhoon Mk 2 Frank Townsend was another one of those Wheels of Wellness display cars dreamers who wanted to build a car of his own design. Much like carbon fiber is today, Last race: 2000 1958 Joe Hunt Magneto Special fiberglass was a new and wond rous Built by Lujie Lesovsky in 1958 and pow- material in the ’50s that lent itself to almost ered by a 4-cylinder engine, any shape imaginable. Better yet, it was the Joe Hunt Magneto Special #99 is a rare relatively inexpensive and didn’t require survivor. Driven for years on rough-and- the services of skilled Italian craftsmen. Vega Showroom tumble one-mile dirt tracks by some of the Using balsa wood and mason ite to form a Stock Pinto greatest names in racing—Bobby and Al mold, Frank and his high school buddies Unser, Joe Leonard, Carl Williams, Gary fabricated a prototype roadster body on a Bettenhausen, Johnny Parsons and oth- Plymouth frame and named it “Typhoon.” ers—it was the last dirt champ car entered The third Typhoon, the Mk 2, used a in the Indy 500. Although it ultimately was tubu lar frame built from scaffolds used to Townsend Typhoon withdrawn before the race, it did turn service WWII aircraft. A Kurtis Kraft 500C Mk2 149+ mph laps on the brick oval in 1968. Joe Hunt was a TWA flight engineer who

26 • March-April 2009 • ARIZONADRIVER ARIZONADRIVER • March-April 2009 • 27 race car provided the inspiration for the regular at vintage racing events. only 71 D-Types built during its four year frame design, suspended by a 1955 production run, it’s owned by Jaguar col- Chevy front end and an Olds rear axle. A 1954 Jaguar D-Type lector and expert Terry Larson, and is fuel injected Pontiac V-8 made it go fast. Jaguar, the British car manufacturer often seen in historic races and tours. Dubbed the “Purple People Eater” by the whose roots go back to motorcycle side- press and competitors, the Townsend car production in the 1920s, was a regu- 1958 Echidna Special Typhoon Mk2 was successfully raced lar at the 24 hours of Le Mans in the ’50s, In 1958, three experienced amateur racing throughout the Southwest. winning five 1st place finishes. In 1954, enthusiasts in Minnesota—John Staver, Ed Frank Townsend moved on to eventu- this factory team D-Type was driven by Grierson and Bill Larson—put their heads ally be inducted into the Drag Racing Peter Walker and racing legend Stirling together to build their own race team. Hall of Fame. The Townsend Typhoon Moss. With Moss at the wheel, it set a Using everyday, well-proven production Mk 2 did not. It was sold, forgotten, and new record speed of 172.97 mph down parts that were reliable, inexpensive and languished in a field in Southern Arizona the three-mile-long Mulsanne Straight. Its easily available was their objective. for 40 years. Owen Gibson spotted it and monocoque chassis incorporates a curva- Starting with a shortened and narrowed spent five years restoring it. It now runs ceous aluminum alloy body with a huge 1956 sedan chassis, a fuel-inject- a with a vintage 425-hp Olds Golden stabilizer fin and is powered by a 250-hp ed 283 and fiberglass Devin body, the Rocket export engine with magnesium 3.4-liter dual overhead cam 6-cylinder “spiny anteater” took shape. Staver’s first- rockers and 6-deuce carbs. Today it’s a engine and 4-speed transmission. One of year successes on the track caught the attention of Corvette creator Zora Arkus- Duntov. This was, of course, during the American car manufacturer’s ban on rac- ing. Although Chevrolet did not officially participate in racing, the next year Stauver showed up with aluminum heads on an engine bored and stroked to 339 cubic inches and won the SCCA national cham- pionship in B-Modified against profession- ally driven Ferraris and Maseratis. Two more Echidnas were built in 1959 with 283 c.i. engines and were raced in C-Modi fied by Grierson and Larson. In three seasons, the Echidnas started 35 races, took 25 class wins, of which 8 were overall wins, making the Echidna 1954 one of the most successful specials. Jaguar D-Type Each of the cars displayed had a story to tell, from the owners, the drivers and the cars themselves. Standing next to these rac- ing legends it’s easy to imagine the sights and sounds and smells of a golden era of motorsports. It’s difficult to predict the future—whether auto racing one day will

1958 be fueled by batteries or some other form Echidna of propulsion. But one thing’s for certain: Special it’s human nature to engage in competitive sports racing. From chariots to Ferraris, we’ve always had some form of motor- sports and will for the foreseeable future. And Wheels of Wellness was a great way to spend a day observing a portion of it, all for the benefit a very worthy cause. ■

JOHN PRIDDY is a Phoenix area ‘near-native’ auto- motive writer, photographer and artist. When not working on his classic vehicles, he's apt to be painting an auto-themed portrait or attending a vin - tage race, swapmeet, or classic car auction. John co-writes a regular column for LeftLaneNews.Com.

28 • March-April 2009 • ARIZONADRIVER