68 replies to this topic

[Sunbeam74]

Not too many years ago I found Joe's Sebring Alpine in a backyard in New Jersey. Amazingly, many Sunbeam enthusiast had "passed" on this car. Even though it was RHD nobody put the connection together that it could be one of the Sebring Alpine. When I saw the right rear fender was missing the fuel filler it was very obvious it was one of the factory cars. (in 1961 the factory cars had the filler relocated to the top of the fender just above the stock filler... in 62' the filler was relocated to the rear window and the stock location covered)

After Sebring the car was sold or given to Len Amato to help promote Sunbeam in the northeast. Len raced the Alpine for a few years.




This image is from about 1964 when Scott Dietz owned the Alpine

Again, an image of the car being run by Scott



I convinced a friend, Steve Alcala, well know Sunbeam restorer in California, to buy the car. Hopefully, the restoration will be finished this year.


Steve Silverstein

[Lotus11Register]

This is another Lotus Mk 9 like the one this thread began with, but the photo left Joe Sheppard's collection over 45 years ago. The setting is Sebring, 1955, and the Scott / Samuelson Mk 9 -- a DNF -- is sharing one of the hangers normally reserved for the aircraft that made their home there. This would have been Joe Sheppard's first opportunity to see a Lotus up close.

Photo from the John P. Shea collection.

Edited by Lotus11Register, 02 August 2009 - 15:26.

[Lotus11Register]

In July a thread titled Tampa ‘hotshoe’ Joe Sheppard, started by ‘tampaguy’, introduced us to Jack Shea who grew up in Tampa at the time Joe and Import Motors were trailblazing the sports car scene. As he indicated in that thread, Jack Shea was befriended by Joe and began a collection of photos that he is about to share with us now. Let’s let him tell the story:

“It will be a pleasure to share the photos I have about Joe and Import Motors as a way to show my respect for him. He meant a great deal to me as a young man growing up in Tampa. He kept me out of a lot of trouble by giving me odd jobs around the shop and letting me watch and learn how to work on funny little sports cars that few of my family or friends had ever heard of. Joe started me on a career in the automotive industry.

“I have cherished these photos for close to 45 years now. I used to spread them all out on my bed when I was just 10 years old and dream about Sebring & LeMans !”



“This is a unique view inside Import Motors MG Showroom. Showing the evolution of the MG's offered at Sheppard's. They began offering the strange little English cars right after WW-2. Starting with the 47 TC, next a TD than one of Joe's favorite cars the MG TF-1500. He always spoke highly of this model, than a 56 MGA. The association continued down through the years with the MGB and MGB-GT. Finally there was the MGC, a heavy front ended 6 cyl. slug sometimes offered with a slushbox, a big mistake by MG trying to appease the people who could not master a stick shift ?. Take note of the early Porsche and VW advertisement on the back wall and the fancy furniture for customers to sit on and dream !!!”




“This is a photo that has never been seen before, the 2nd floor storage area above the main showroom of the original Sheppard Dealership on Howard Ave. A little bit of the Import Motors history that only a real sports car fan would appreciate.

I spent too much time at Joe's shop at the expense of time I should have devoted to school. The sisters at the catholic school I went to in Tampa had to drive down and drag me out of the place many times! But I would do it all over again just to have all the memories I have today.........”

Jack

Photos from the collection of John P. Shea

[URY914]

The old building is still there today.

[Lotus11Register]

Among the photos Joe gave to the young Jack Shea was this one taken by Claude Haycraft for the Tampa Tribune. Here are Jack Sheppard and his talented son in front of the Import Motors showroom. As noted earlier in this thread the car was the ex-Team Lotus, class winning Eleven from the 1956 24 Hours of LeMans. Jack Sheppard was a master publicist and he made sure this famous race car was accurately described and easily photographed by the local press. Even sitting still the "LeMans Lotus" from Import Motors drew as much attention at races as Joe's superb driving. In fact Joe has consistently called this car the best Lotus he ever drove.

To the Lotus historian this is a stunning find. How often do you see a chassis number and a race number in the same photograph? But it was standard for Lotus to paint a chassis number on panels for cars that would be in close proximity in the paddock. Each car had hand-made components that would cause havoc if switched, and so each of its '56 LeMans entries have their individual numbers painted on any panels that could be removed. When Jack Sheppard posed this car to get the attention of Tribune readers he also guaranteed future historians would have no doubt which car it was.

Photo from the collection of John P. Shea.

[Lotus11Register]

In the "Tampa Hotshoe" article there is a story of how Colin Chapman took Joe and one of the Team Lotus Sebring racecars on a wild 100+ m.p.h. test drive down the Bayshore in Tampa. This is what the road looked like in the day. In this pair of photos -- more of Jack Sheppard's publicity shots -- Joe is the driver of the AC. Jack Shea adds this:

"This is the beautiful Bayside promenade modeled after the Malecon, the winding seaside road that runs the length of Havana, Cuba. Tampa was highly influenced by the Cubans-Americans that relocated to Tampa in the late 1800's and early 1900's. They brought many things prized by Tampans today. Tampa's Ybor City rose from the Cubans & Italians that established it, a place for cigars and the best food I think in America. Joe used the road to test cars he raced and also later in life, cars that he repaired at his shop on McDill Ave south of Gandy Blvd. Colin Chapman once scared the bejeeeez's out of him prior to the Race at Sebring in a Lotus MK 11. The beautiful Bayshore Royal Hotel can be seen in the background.

"Pictured are a 356, MGA , and an AC Ace, precursor of the Shelby Cobra. What a sight.

"The road surface then was red brick. It has since been paved over, and a lot of charm lost."





Photos from the collection of John P. Shea.

[Lotus11Register]

Joe moved on from the Lotus to this Maserati 200 SI and in 1958 drove it to the overall win at the Paul Whiteman Races at New Smyrna Beach. This long forgotten event was big at the time and was part of the tradition that evolved into the Daytona Speed Weeks. Legend has it that after the engine exploded with great violence in Boca Raton the unit was shipped back to Italy for rebuild, but NEVER returned. So the car and this trophy became another showroom display at Import Motors for several years. Meanwhile Joe switched to racing Porsches.

Photo from the collection of John P. Shea.

[Lotus11Register]

More photos that Joe Sheppard gave to his young friend Jack Shea. This is Joe in the Porsche at the race in Cocoa (see post #25).




"During Lunch when I was at Joe's shop we would sit down and eat together. Afterwards I would start asking all sorts of questions about his career, he would pull out his pipe, pack it with some tobacco and start recalling one neat incident after another, I was spell bound as you can imagine."


This is Joe winning in Havana (see post #30).




Photos from the collection of John P. Shea.

Edited by Lotus11Register, 09 August 2009 - 19:04.

[Lotus11Register]

From Jack Shea: Photo of the Tampa Yacht Club front entrance. Joe's father, Harlo John "Jack" Sheppard Sr. was a master promoter & marketer for his time and had numerous business in Davenport, Iowa before moving to Tampa. Long before he started Import Motors he operated gas stations, grocery stores, did interior decorating, ran a bowling alley, a car garage, and was a race promoter. He knew how to heal to the rich and famous in Florida in the quest of selling strange and often funny looking foreign cars. In the early day's of Tampa the Yacht Club was the Hot Spot for the Tampa elite. Dances and many a High School Prom where held there, with many fine sports cars being spotted in the parking lots. That is Jack Sr in the light colored suit showing the details of an early Austin Healey and an MGA. Note the age of the couple that are inspecting the Healey ! Not just the young were buyers of these cars.


Photo of the back of the Tampa Yacht Club: Showing off two of Tampa's Finest: a new sports car from Sheppard's Imports and a beautiful Tampa debutant wearing a luxurious fur coat from one of Tampa's fine women's furriers, Vanity Furriers !. That's a Jaguar 150 sporting standard painted wire wheels.




Photos from the collection of John P. Shea

Edited by Lotus11Register, 11 August 2009 - 02:14.

[Lotus11Register]

The 12-Hours of Sebring, 1960. Joe Sheppard in the CAMORADI Porsche tries to stay out of the way of 'teammate' Stirling Moss. Joe and co-driver Dick Dungan finished first in class. Moss was a DNF.

Photo from the collection of John P. Shea.

[URY914]

Jay,

I was at the Yacht Club a fews months ago and it hasn't changed that much. Great pictures, keep them coming.

Paul

[Lotus11Register]

This was the first XKE in Tampa and the Sheppard's recruited every young female within reach to pose with it. It must have caused a sensation!

As Jack Shea finds other old photos we will hopefully have a chance to see them here., but they may be out of sequence. Thanks for sharing with us, Jack !

Photo from the collection of John P. Shea.

[Jerry Entin]

Pensacola National, April 1959: Joe Sheppard [Porsche 550RS] about to gobble up Logan Lewis [Maserati A6GCS].

 

Sheppard finished 2nd overall behind E.D. Martin [Ferrari 315S], Logan came home 7th overall

 

 

Research; Willem Oosthoek

Photo: Bob Bellows

Edited by Jerry Entin, 20 October 2013 - 21:23.

[Jerry Entin]

Joe Sheppard and his red Porsche

 

photo: Bob Bellows

Edited by Jerry Entin, 21 October 2013 - 03:10.

[terry mcgrath]

what a total bloody shame every photo from this thread is gone.

and now its a complex deal to paste simple text!

may as well shut the site down

[Jerry Entin]

Terry: I am in California now, when I get back to Michigan I will reattach the photos.

Edited by Jerry Entin, 27 March 2016 - 22:33.

[ray b]

thanks jerry

this thread really needs the pictures

 

btw in any of your books on SE racing do you have pictures of a dick russell

or results of his races in a 356 or a tr3

[Jerry Entin]

Ray,

 

No mention of a Dick Russell in the entire period [1957-1963] covered by the three volumes.

 

When and where did he race in the South?

 

all research: Willem Oosthoek

Edited by Jerry Entin, 28 March 2016 - 20:31.

[ray b]

57 or 58 to 62 mid fla mostly amateur club races

on the ww2 airbases in the area

 

I remember sitting on hay-bails at a few of them as a little kid

 

thanks for looking