21 replies to this topic

[racinggeek]

So I'm surfing at racingsportscars.com, and I come across this, um, interesting-looking vehicle that ran at least a couple of IMSA races, called a Mantac and driven by a Robert Harris. The site shows it was entered in the Lights category at Columbus, Ohio, in 1985 but didn't run, then ran in '86 at Columbus and '87 at Road Atlanta, apparently in the GTP ranks. I don't recall ever hearing about this car, which almost makes Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes look like actual sports cars Anyone able to offer more information?

[E1pix]

So I'm surfing at racingsportscars.com, and I come across this, um, interesting-looking vehicle that ran at least a couple of IMSA races, called a Mantac and driven by a Robert Harris. The site shows it was entered in the Lights category at Columbus, Ohio, in 1985 but didn't run, then ran in '86 at Columbus and '87 at Road Atlanta, apparently in the GTP ranks. I don't recall ever hearing about this car, which almost makes Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes look like actual sports cars Anyone able to offer more information?

Bob's a longtime friend of mine, he'd likely be willing to tell everything you want to know. He still has this car.

PM me if you're interested.

[Herbert]

Bob's a longtime friend of mine, he'd likely be willing to tell everything you want to know. He still has this car.

PM me if you're interested.

Here is the car at Columbus in 1986.

http://www.pbase.com.../image/23358529

[arttidesco]

Here is a link to the complete set photo's racingsportscars.com have on the Mantac.

I had no idea the roof was hacked off towards the end of it's in period competition life.

I remember seeing the Mantac in Autosport IIRC the body work front and rear was hinged in order that the tyres and brake pads could be replaced.

Not sure if this was a fresh ground up chassis or an older one with a fresh body.

[Duc-Man]

That car looks pretty small. Does anybody have some technical specs or dimensions?

[E1pix]

Here is a link to the complete set photo's racingsportscars.com have on the Mantac.

I had no idea the roof was hacked off towards the end of it's in period competition life.

I remember seeing the Mantac in Autosport IIRC the body work front and rear was hinged in order that the tyres and brake pads could be replaced.

Not sure if this was a fresh ground up chassis or an older one with a fresh body.

I don't know all that much about this car, but just spoke with Bob a few days ago (and we're seeing him next week).

The car was built for and run in Camel GTP Lights. Later, the roof was removed so the car could conform to the new 1994 rules for World Sports Car, as that Series' starting funds made competition much more fruitful. The car was entirely built from the ground up by Bob himself.

I'll ask Bob if he can send some tech specs for me to post here.

Edited by E1pix, 19 November 2011 - 23:01.

[arttidesco]

The car was entirely built from the ground up by Bob himself.

I'll ask Bob if he can send some tech specs for me to post here.

All the more impressive

[ensign14]

It's last appearance on racingsportscars was in the Piggly Wiggly Grand Prix.

[arttidesco]

It's last appearance on racingsportscars was in the Piggly Wiggly Grand Prix.

Yes as advertised in the Milwaukee Sentinel as our American cousins are want to say 'how cute'

[arttidesco]

In case your wondering what a Piggly Wiggly is here is a commercial.

They spare no expense when opening up shop either, check out the #6 COT Ford Fusion at 2:01

[E1pix]

In case your wondering what a Piggly Wiggly is here is a commercial.

Took the answer right out of my mouth, Artti! Yes, this is a grocery store chain "over here."

[arttidesco]

Took the answer right out of my mouth, Artti! Yes, this is a grocery store chain "over here."

The only surprise is that they do not have a store in Tiddleywink Wiltshire not far from the Castle Combe Circuit

[E1pix]

The only surprise is that they do not have a store in Tiddleywink Wiltshire not far from the Castle Combe Circuit

I, too, consider it a darned shame that they flip-flopped on this location!

[mwphoto]

Nothing to add about the Mantac, those are the only pics I have of the car.
As for Piggly Wiggly, this was from the 1993 race at Road America:


My routine was, get to campground, set up tent, go to Piggly Wiggly in Plymouth, Wi. about 4-5 miles from the track.

[racinggeek]

Sing it with me now -- "Pig-lee-Wig-lee -- Shop the Pig!" (That's for us here in Wisconsin.) Until I saw the TV spot above, I did not know the Pig had stores outside Wisconsin; thought it was strictly a regional chain. Always wondered if the swine on the logo would be so happy-looking if he knew what was going on in the meat department

[E1pix]

Sing it with me now -- "Pig-lee-Wig-lee -- Shop the Pig!" (That's for us here in Wisconsin.) Until I saw the TV spot above, I did not know the Pig had stores outside Wisconsin; thought it was strictly a regional chain. Always wondered if the swine on the logo would be so happy-looking if he knew what was going on in the meat department

Yes, that piggly would quickly lose that smile, as I did hearing you sing .... My first Wiggly vision came near Road Atlanta, IIRC. A proud moment, IIRC. Bought a Twinkie, IIRC.

Hey RacingGeek, FYI, I was raised in Milwaukee and Oconomowoc... PBR and all... How's 'bout dem Packers? How's da wedder Up Dere, Hey?

[Kevan]

I don't know all that much about this car, but just spoke with Bob a few days ago (and we're seeing him next week).

The car was built for and run in Camel GTP Lights. Later, the roof was removed so the car could conform to the new 1994 rules for World Sports Car, as that Series' starting funds made competition much more fruitful. The car was entirely built from the ground up by Bob himself.

I'll ask Bob if he can send some tech specs for me to post here.

I'll look forward to that- I've got an enduring fascination with the lesser-known and more obscure curiosities that appeared on 80's sportscar grids. I'm fairly familiar with the European ones from the Group C era, but far less so with the more unusual IMSA cars- the Mantac was certainly a new one to me!

[E1pix]

I'll look forward to that- I've got an enduring fascination with the lesser-known and more obscure curiosities that appeared on 80's sportscar grids. I'm fairly familiar with the European ones from the Group C era, but far less so with the more unusual IMSA cars- the Mantac was certainly a new one to me!

Thanks, Guys... and if you have specific questions for me to ask, post them asap and I'll write his replies here.

[racinggeek]

Yes, that piggly would quickly lose that smile, as I did hearing you sing .... My first Wiggly vision came near Road Atlanta, IIRC. A proud moment, IIRC. Bought a Twinkie, IIRC.

Hey RacingGeek, FYI, I was raised in Milwaukee and Oconomowoc... PBR and all... How's 'bout dem Packers? How's da wedder Up Dere, Hey?

Hey now, what's with the Fargo-ese? I'm in Green Bay, not Phillips or Hurley or someplace like that!

Although I do slip a bit of Sout' Side Milwaukee-ese in every so often, as that's the land of my birth. Grandparents lived almost literally in the shadow of St. Josaphat's.

Not that we're totally hijacking my own thread here or anything ...

[E1pix]

Hey now, what's with the Fargo-ese? I'm in Green Bay, not Phillips or Hurley or someplace like that!

Although I do slip a bit of Sout' Side Milwaukee-ese in every so often, as that's the land of my birth. Grandparents lived almost literally in the shadow of St. Josaphat's.

Not that we're totally hijacking my own thread here or anything ...

What's funny is Yous Guys have no idea of your accent over dere... neither did I, and after 32 years still have a bit of dat! A longtime best friend told me recently it's the "King's English," I could only giggle and say "Uh-Huh."

If for a particular state you say "Or-ah-gonn," instead of "Or-i-gin," case closed.

[racinggeek]

What's funny is Yous Guys have no idea of your accent over dere... neither did I, and after 32 years still have a bit of dat! A longtime best friend told me recently it's the "King's English," I could only giggle and say "Uh-Huh."

If for a particular state you say "Or-ah-gonn," instead of "Or-i-gin," case closed.

Well, da "dat" is definitely Milwaukee-ese, from da Sout' Side. Dis -- er, I mean this might be more for Mr. Nye's "Blood Pressure!" thread, but does it exonerate me if I'm positive that I'm the only person I've ever heard in NE Wisconsin order a Subway sandwich on ih-talian bread instead of eye-talian?

[E1pix]

So I'm surfing at racingsportscars.com, and I come across this, um, interesting-looking vehicle that ran at least a couple of IMSA races, called a Mantac and driven by a Robert Harris. The site shows it was entered in the Lights category at Columbus, Ohio, in 1985 but didn't run, then ran in '86 at Columbus and '87 at Road Atlanta, apparently in the GTP ranks. I don't recall ever hearing about this car, which almost makes Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes look like actual sports cars Anyone able to offer more information?

We had dinner a week ago with Bob and his son, in town for a NASTAR ski race and all we talked about... but Bob just called so we talked about his Mantac.

As I'd thought, the car was built from scratch in 1984, though it used some suspension pieces from the Bobsy F-Atlantic car. Bob entirely designed the tube-frame chassis and the body, and constructed the car in his Ohio shop, as a GTP Lights car (it never ran in the GTP class), where it raced in 1985 through 1987. It then ran a couple of SCCA Club events, and a vintage race or two, but was mainly garaged until 1994. Then Bob saw the rulebook while crewing for another team, and realized the starting money for World Sports Car was $10,000 as opposed to maybe $1,500 that had been paid in GTP Lights. That's when the roof came off and the car competed again, but not since. This decision by IMSA was apparently to fill grids to the new WSC class rules, and in this and other cases seems a wise move.

One interesting challenge was in finding windscreens and windows. The side windows were fashioned from a jet canopy and the windscreen was molded from either a Tiga or Argo windscreen as a starting point and further fabricated to fit. Its first race used a rented 2-liter Cosworth engine, but it was well under-powered. Bob replaced that motor with a 60-degree, 2.8-liter Chevy bored out to 3.0 liters, producing around 330 bhp, mated to a Hewland FGB gearbox. He didn't have the specs in front of him but thought the car weighed 1,400 lbs. and was roughly the size of the Tiga Lights car. Arrtidesco is correct, Bob designed the body to quickly unclip and move fore or aft to access components without the need of crewman to carry off the nose or tail.

Bob is in the process of re-attaching the roof, to either sell the car or convert it for street use.

Here is a link to the complete set photo's racingsportscars.com have on the Mantac.

I had no idea the roof was hacked off towards the end of it's in period competition life.

I remember seeing the Mantac in Autosport IIRC the body work front and rear was hinged in order that the tyres and brake pads could be replaced.

Not sure if this was a fresh ground up chassis or an older one with a fresh body.

Thanks for the link, Artti, Bob really enjoyed seeing the photos.