Wayne bought (another) new car! Who can guess what?

[astrochex]

Thanks for filling in the gaps, Wayne. It’s cool to hear the process of the deal.

[Wayne 962]

Found this clipping from 1970 - Boston Globe. Car looks exactly the same!



-Wayne

[theruse]

The race plaques really got to me. My grandfather took me to that Vanderbilt race in 1960. Up til then, he took me to guarter midget races at Roosevelt Raceway and this was the first time I saw full size cars. Also Bridgehampton is where I took my first driver's training for my SCCA license. Brings back great memories.

[Bob Millstein 1]

I competed against this car at the Mt. Equinox Hillclimb some years back. A very interesting (to say the least) fellow named George (Georgio) Waltman owned this car. It had the distinctive logo on the side that featured a mouse holding a fused bomb. Waltman usually appeared in military garb and a leather flying helmet. He came into the banquet dressed that way and announced that "Lindy had landed in Paris!" The car had a small Fiat engine which promptly blew its head gasket. Waltman lifted the head and surrounded the combustion chambers with solder (no gaskets available) and refit the head. The repair lasted all of about a minute and a half. There was an inn at the mountain top and most of us stayed there. Waltman had a one man tent he slept in outside the parking lot. The hill climb itself has been run by the Vintage Sports Car Club of America as they have been the custodian of this event for decades. The course consists of a 5.2 mile road, 53 turns, an elevation change of 3,140 feet, with speeds up to 100 mph. Hardly suited for the little Fiat powered special. Good luck with the car. I hope to read more about its storied racing history.

[idjeffp]

Congrats Wayne on a super COOL acquisition... takes me back to my childhood and my red Pagco Jet .09 powered tether car!
Jeff P

[Steve F]

Originally Posted by Bob Millstein 1

I competed against this car at the Mt. Equinox Hillclimb some years back. A very interesting (to say the least) fellow named George (Georgio) Waltman owned this car. It had the distinctive logo on the side that featured a mouse holding a fused bomb. Waltman usually appeared in military garb and a leather flying helmet. He came into the banquet dressed that way and announced that "Lindy had landed in Paris!" The car had a small Fiat engine which promptly blew its head gasket. Waltman lifted the head and surrounded the combustion chambers with solder (no gaskets available) and refit the head. The repair lasted all of about a minute and a half. There was an inn at the mountain top and most of us stayed there. Waltman had a one man tent he slept in outside the parking lot. The hill climb itself has been run by the Vintage Sports Car Club of America as they have been the custodian of this event for decades. The course consists of a 5.2 mile road, 53 turns, an elevation change of 3,140 feet, with speeds up to 100 mph. Hardly suited for the little Fiat powered special. Good luck with the car. I hope to read more about its storied racing history.

^^^^^^^^^^^

WOW! Small world!!
Great read!!

[Wayne 962]

Slowly gathering more info on the car, it really is an interesting piece. Right now, trying to refit a new steering shaft with smaller wheel and a steering wheel disconnect so that I can actually fit in it!

George Waltman is indeed famous for driving one of his cars to the Daytona 24 hours, and racing it himself without a pit crew!

https://www.news-journalonline.com/sports/20180123/waltmans-incredible-racing-feat-50-years-ago-in-rolex-24

DAYTONA BEACH — Fifty years ago George Waltman took a car that a friend found at a police impound lot in the Bronx and drove it down to Florida for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The big difference between Waltman and others coming down for the event was that he then raced the 1964 Morgan Plus 4 street car, by himself, finished the race, took a side trip to Miami and then drove it back home to New York — all on the same set of tires.

Waltman set a Daytona International Speedway and sports-car record unlikely to be broken.

He is the only driver in Rolex 24 At Daytona history to run the entire race solo and take the checkered flag. It is a tale packed full of racing lore.

-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Here's some cool photos and a cool write-up from the original auction...

-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Also some neat period photos from SpeedWeek in the Bahamas. These old photos have such bright colors sometimes...

-Wayne

[javadog]

Kodachrome, it was a wonderful thing.

[Wayne 962]

The Porsche calendar prints from the 1960s and 1970s look the same. Not sure why, but they are magical and unlike anything that is produced today.

Hmm, I'm getting nostalgic - I'm going to have to pull out my Technics turntable soon!

-Wayne

[javadog]

It’s hard to say if those are original or if they have been enhanced in the intervening years. Still, Kodachrome slide film was special. It gave incredible color saturation and amazing detail, particularly in the slower film speeds. They offered speeds as low as 25 ASA, which would’ve been perfect for pictures of cars sitting in the pits on a bright sunny day.

Those of us that were serious photographers decades ago were saddened the day that the last Kodachrome roll was processed.