Jim Jeffords passed on March 6, 2014 in Palm Desert, California his winter home. He was one of the all time great Corvette drivers, and was inducted into the 2002 Corvette Hall of Fame at the Museum over Labor Day Weekend 2002.
Jim was from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. In 1954, when 27 years old, Jim was married with four boys. He started his racing career in a Jaguar 120, 140 and a Mercedes Gullwing 300SL.
In May of 1956, Jim met Ed Cole and said he heard of a Chevrolet sponsored race team was being formed.
“How can I get on the team, Mr. Cole?” asked Jim. Ed said go see Dick Doane, a Chevrolet dealer from Dundee, Ill and promised a production Corvette to race at Road America. However one was not ready. Doane raced a Sebring Corvette at local hill climbs, and Jim thought the nut behind the wheel should be changed, but how was he to prove to the world that his driving talent earned him the right to drive the Corvette.
On Jun 24 1956 at the ROAD AMERICA JUNE SPRINTS Jim hopped back in his old Jag 140 and went out against Dr. Dick Thompson, Fred Windridge, Bark Henry and Ed Davis. These were the Corvette drivers of the day. Jeffords drove the wheels off that little Jag and was leading the race with one lap to go, when on a downshift, the engine, popped a freeze plug and the car limped to a lesser than 1st finish.
The fans and Ed Cole mobbed and praised Jim when he returned to the pits for his great driving ability. And as a reward, Jim was given Dick Doane’s blue1956 Sebring modified Corvette to race in other mid west events that summer.
That beginning led to:
December 7, 1956 Nassau factory entry in the new 57 Fuel Injection #36 car. 9th oa, 7th in class,
March 23-24, 1957 Corvette 12 hour Sebring team driver, in the new # 3, factory Corvette car, now with factory 4 speed, positraction and fuel injection and RPO 684 Brake/ suspension. The Nassau cars had only fuel injection, and 3 speed and the 56 race brake option.. Drivers: Kilborn / Jeffords/ Duncan, 2nd GT, 15th oa.
November 1957 was co-driver with Fred Windridge in his 1957 Corvette in Caracas, Venezuela with the remaining factory team drivers, Dick Doane, John Kilborn, Tom Pistone, and Dr. Dick Thompson all drove the new 1958 model Corvette. Remember this was after the AMA ban. This story is well written in Dick Thompson and Donn Hale Munson's book CORVETTE GUIDE, Sports Car Press 1958, PAGES 110-122. A wild story about racing the streets of Venezuela. Jim told me many stories about racing here and later in Cuba in 1960.
Dec 1-1957- *Nassau- Corvette #38, 16oa, nraf engine
January 1958 purchase of the 56 SR-2, vin 56F002522, Harley Earl race Corvette.
Dec 4, 1958 Nassau car #14, 1958 Production Fuel Injection PPE1, 1oa, in both 5 lap and 25 lap Tourist Trophy,
In the spring of 1958, Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago retained Jim to drive Corvettes and head up a race team .He asked for maintenance and expenses. Jim was so positive of his ability, that he promised the owners, the Stephani Brothers that *
“If I do not bring you the Championship, then I will pay you back all the expenses !!! “
Nickey agreed, and they hired Ronnie Kaplan as crew chief, who took over the maintenance and race prep of the SR-2 which Jim now owned and was already painted Purple when Jim bought it. Along with the 58 and 59 Production Corvettes, all became ‘‘PURPLE PEOPLE EATER’’ cars and everyone went racing. The popular song “Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley in 1958 created the color and marketing ideas. And how it worked.
From January 1958 thru December 59, Jim and Nickey entered 21 race weekends (42 races) with the famous 1958 and 1959 “Purple People Eater” Corvettes at tracks across the country. Results: 29 first in class. 3 DNFs due to mechanical.
In 1958 Jim won the SCCA National B/P Championship and earned 7000 points in the SCCA . 2nd place was Fred Windridge with 4000.
In 1959 the SCCA changed their point scoring system. Jim won the SCCA B/P Championship again and earned 76 points to Roy Tuerke’s *54.
Result: TWO first place SCCA *B/Production National Titles for Jim and the Nickey team.
During this time, Jim had purchased the SR-2 Harley Earl B/MP car and raced it also. A broken axel on the SR-2, and a broken fan belt and broken piston ring on the B/Production Corvettes were the only three problems that Jim and the Ronnie Kaplan crew endured that caused a DNF.
Other Highlights:
July 12-13, 1958- lapped the field in a 20-lap race at Wilmot.
Sept 20,1958- Set course record by 3 mph at Watkins Glen
Oct 4-5, 1958- Set new track record at Vaca Valley, CA
Nov 29- Dec 8, 1958- Nassau Speed Week- Won 25 lap, 1st class, 1st OA, first American driver in an American car to ever do this. Then won 1st class, and 3rd OA in the Memorial Trophy Race.
Over Labor Day 1958, Jim met Lance Reventlow at the hotel lobby next to the Thompson, Connecticut Raceway. They had dinner and that meeting changed Jim’s racing direction. After the final season race in Riverside, California in November, Jim met Lance at the track the following Tuesday where Lance sold NICKEY CHEVROLET the *# 002 Scarab. Jim got the Stephani’s to add the car as “Nickey Nouse” to the racing stable.
On July 18-19, 1959, at Riverside the Kiwanis Grand Prix Jeffords surprised the west coast racers and brought out the 59 Corvette “Purple People Eater III” to defend his SCCA National 58 title and race against the famous California Legends. Bob Bondurant, Dean Geddes, Bill Gaskins, Paul Masse, were listed in the top 6 Corvette finishers. West Coast rules were very different between east coast and west coast events. West coast racers used ‘retread tires’, and that upset Jim and his crew chief Ronnie Kaplan greatly.
The race was shortened due to a bad crash, and West beat East where Bondurant, driving his old 57 Corvette, crossed the finish line only 40 feet ahead of Jim. Jim had passed on the yellow flag, and claimed victory. Bondurant was declared the winner at the race end. That finish was protested by Nickey Chevrolet.
Jim received a copy of a *letter from SCCA Chief John Bishop granting Jim the winner dated Sept 24, 1959 only last year in October 2013 from the Stephani Family who found it in file. The race photos and ‘‘winner’‘ story have been joked at race reunion events the last 54 years.
The 1959 season had its ups and downs with the Scarab, and changes in sponsorship did not help. But two victories in the professional USAC events at Medowdale (Chicago) stand out. In one of the events, Jim lapped the course four seconds faster than Chuck Daigh had done the year before in the same car. He won 1st in class and 1st overall in all three 100 mile races. His new lap record stood for some years to come.
In 1960, Lucky Casner, owner of CAsner MOtor RAcing DIvision ( CAMORADI USA )
by special arrangement with Zora Duntov bought two heavy duty #687 HD Brake/ Suspension optioned Corvettes from Don Allen Chevrolet in Miami.
The #4 car was assigned to it’s first race at Grand Prix of Havana. On Feb 24,1960. Jim drove it to a first place finish in the GT race.
On the following Sunday’s Grand Prix, he finished first again in GT class, and eighth overall. Jim did the victory lap with Fidel Castro’s son holding the checkered flag.
This is the only time that Cuba hosted a true international race in the 1957-60 time where every country in the world was invited to field their cars. And it was the only time the race was won by an American and American car. *There has never been a race in Cuba since this 1960 Grand Prix.
Jim and Bill Wuesthoff raced this same car at the 12 hours of Sebring in March 1960. **Once completed, they found themselves in 2nd place in class.
In June of 1960, Jim again joined Lucky Casner and co-drove the Birdcage Maserati at LeMans. Jim’s only European experience was not pleasant as “Lucky was not” and had an off course excursion that resulted in sand in the gearbox and a DNF 40th position.
Later that year, Jim bought from Casner the Birdcage that Maston Gregory and Chuck Daigh had raced at LeMans, and raced it to victory at Road America beating Jim Hall in the first Professional Sports Car Race ever at Road America. This was the streamline Birdcage and was a much faster car than the cage he drove at LeMans. *
At Riverside in the fall of 1960, Jim raced the Birdcage. Billy Krause was 1st in his Birdcage, Bob Drake was 2nd in *“Old Yeller”, and Augie Pabst 3rd. Jim had a broken exhaust manifold, which dropped power way down on his Birdcage and that regulated him to 4th. If there was a consolation prize, it was that he beat Carroll Shelby who finished 5th. Shelby’s last race was a week later at Laguna Seca.
Before the 1961 season, Jim was struck by a mysterious allergy that almost killed him. He was in intensive care for nine months and that ended his racing career.
In 1968, Jim interrupted his busy advertising business, and briefly returned to the racing scene as manager of the AMC Javelin Trans Am race cars. Ronnie Kaplan was crew chief and Peter Revson and George Folmer were the drivers.
Jim was on the Board of Directors for Road America at Elkhart Lake since 1958 and held many positions over the last 55 years
Photo taken in September 2005 at the FABULOUS 50'S REUNION EVENT at PARAMOUNT RANCH. ANDY PORTERFIELD, JOE FREITAS, JIM JEFFORDS AND JIM GESSNER on the scooter.
BOB BONDURANT, JIM JEFFORDS, PAUL REINHART, LARRY HAYES, MONTEREY HISTORIC SOLID AXEL CONVENTION AUGUST 2002.
NCRS NATIONAL CONVENTION MONTEREY CALIFORNIA AUG 2002. JOE FREITAS AND JIM IN FRONT OF THE 59 PURPLE PEOPLE EATER III.
JIM WITH LONG TIME RACE FRIENDS FROM THE FABULOUS 50'S CLUB, JACQUES BELLESILE, AND ART EVANS
CHIP MILLER, WHO FOUND THE 59 PPE III. WE LOST CHIP 10 YEARS AGO YESTERDAY MARCH 24. 2004. NOW HE AND JIM AND RONNIE KAPLAN ARE ALL TOGETHER WITH ZORA AND OTHERS. GOD BLESS YOU ALL. RIP
