18 replies to this topic

[Jerry Entin]

Gary Laughlin receives congratulations after taking his Ferrari Monza to first overall in the April 1957 Eagle Mountain feature race in Texas.


William Gary Burton Laughlin almost reached the age of 96, but it is with great sadness that we have to report the former SCCA racer left us some 10 days ago.

Born in Fort Worth in 1923, he went by the nickname Quail and was well known within the Texas racing community. Gary is also remembered for his war efforts, having served as a pilot with the Marine Corps in World War II. This was followed by action in Korea, as part of the Black Sheep Squadron. And of course he was the driving force behind the Scaglietti Corvettes, of which three were produced in 1959.
Laughlin was a successful wildcatter, drilling and producing oil in West Texas before expanding into New Mexico, Louisiana, South America and Africa. With his interest in oil came his love for fast cars.


Photo Credit: Bob Jackson [from Sports Car Racing in the South, Volume 1]

All research: Willem Oosthoek

Edited by Jerry Entin, 01 May 2019 - 18:18.

[Jerry Entin]

Gary’s first competition car was an Oldsmobile-engined Allard J2X.
He is seen pushing the car in line for the 1953 Pebble Beach races. It was his first track appearance and he won the novice race that weekend.



Photo Credit: John Ritchey

Edited by Jerry Entin, 01 May 2019 - 18:25.

[E1pix]

Seems strange giving a Like here, just a way of saying "Thanks" for honoring Gary.

 

RIP.

[Jerry Entin]

Eagle Mountain, April 1957. Gary Laughlin taking his Ferrari Monza to a feature victory

The Allard/Olds was followed by a two-year old Ferrari 166MM, in which Gary appeared at Palm Springs in 1955.

He finished 4th overall and promptly put in an order for a more competitive mount, the red Ferrari Monza.


Photo Credit Bob Jackson: from Sports car Racing in the South.
All research: Willem Oosthoek

Edited by Jerry Entin, 01 May 2019 - 22:15.

[Jerry Entin]

Another action shot of the Laughlin Monza at Eagle Mountain in 1957.

Gary’s first race in his new Monza came at Mansfield, Louisiana, in November 1956. The car was prepared by Burney Russell of Dallas and it finished 3rd overall [DM1]. Gary followed up with the win at Eagle Mountain early in 1957 and a 2dn overall [DM1] at Galveston in July that year.


Pressing wildcatting business prevented him from competing for the next 18 months. In the fall of 1957, while on business in Italy, Laughlin hitched a ride in J.M. Fangio’s Lancia, on their way to Modena. Fangio hit a truck and suffered injuries, preventing him from taking the start of the Modena Grand Prix. Laughlin and Fangio’s girlfriend escaped unharmed, but the Lancia was a write-off.

photo credit Bob Jackson from Racing Sports cars in the South Volume 1.

All research: Willem Oosthoek

Edited by Jerry Entin, 01 May 2019 - 22:17.

[Jerry Entin]

Galveston Preliminary, July 1957. Jimmy Stout waves off the field, led by Bob Schroeder’s Kurtis 500/Buick. He is chased by Jim Saunders [FoMoCo Special], Gary Laughlin [Monza #11] and Dale Duncan [300S #10].


Galveston 1957 would be Laughlin’s final race in his 750 Monza. At the fast Scholes Field he finished second [DM1] behind the more powerful 857 Monza of Ray Jones. Although his car was reliable, Gary had found out it was not new when he bought it, having been raced by de Portago and Hawthorn during 1955.

Business pressure prevented Laughlin from making other appearances that year. At the end of 1957 he sold the car to Northrop Peck, a Houston-based home builder and a fellow Marine Corps war pilot.

All Research: Willem Oosthoek
photo credit Bob Jackson from Sports car Racing in the South Volume 1.

[Jerry Entin]

“Hey, buddy, wanna race my old Maserati today?”, Alan Connell seems to ask Gary Laughlin. The black 250S carries #26.


Photo Credit: Anette Connell Collection, from Sports Car Racing in the South, Volume 2


Gary Laughlin returned home from a business trip the Friday before the February 1959 Eagle Mountain races. Having sold his Monza, he was without a car and showed up as a spectator, bringing his binoculars.
Fellow Fort Worth resident Alan Connell planned to race his newly acquired Ferrari 250TR, but brought his well-used Maserati 250S as well, just in case. Minutes before the feature, Connell invited Laughlin to race the Maserati. Not having raced for 18 months and without any practice time in the car, Gary had to start at the tail end of the field.
Twelve laps into the 15-lap feature Laughlin captured the lead and took the checkered by six seconds. Connell finished 3rd overall.

Edited by Jerry Entin, 03 May 2019 - 10:38.

[Jerry Entin]

A great comeback, made even sweeter by Miss Texas 1958.



Photo Credit: Willem Oosthoek Collection [from Sports Car Racing in the South, Volume 2]

Edited by Jerry Entin, 02 May 2019 - 21:01.

[tampaguy]

It seems WWII was just not exciting enough for the greatest generation. The early sports car races where full of folks like Gary. I guess one cockpit is not much different then another. My condolences to his family and friends.

[Jack-the-Lad]

This is a very nice tribute, Jerry. Thanks.

Gary did not seem to be risk-averse....Marine Coros combat aviator, race car driver in a dangerous era, oil field wildcatter. A long life, well lived.

[Jerry Entin]

Midland, October 1959. Laughlin on his way to 2nd overall. His 250TR turned out to be a 1958 model, crashed by an Austrian privateer at the Nurburgring that year and rebuilt on behalf of Chinetti in Modena. Laughlin was not pleased.



Photo Credit: Bob Jackson [from Sports Car Racing in the South, Volume 2]

All research: Willem Oosthoek

Edited by Jerry Entin, 03 May 2019 - 23:51.

[Jerry Entin]

One of the three Scaglietti Corvettes that Gary Laughlin commissioned in Italy. The car was photographed in Fort Worth in December 1960, although it is not certain this was Gary’s car. The second car went to Jim Hall, while Carroll Shelby did not have the funds to buy the third one, as per the original plan.



Photo Credit: Bob Green

Edited by Jerry Entin, 03 May 2019 - 23:58.

[Jerry Entin]

Gary Laughlin in his third Ferrari, a 250TR bought again from Luigi Chinetti.



After his 1959 Eagle Mountain victory, Gary Laughlin ordered what he expected to be the latest Ferrari sportsracer. Instead, Chinetti provided a year-old 250TR, relatively underpowered compared to some of the bigger Ferraris raced around the Southwest.

At Hammond, Louisiana, in July 1959, the 250TR could not match the top speed of E.D. Martin’s 315S, and Gary finished 2nd overall [DM1]. At Midland Airpark in October an even bigger-engined Ferrari, Alan Connell’s 335S, caused Laughlin to finish second again [DM1], 39 seconds behind Connell.



Photo Credit: Bob Jackson [from Sports Car Racing in the South, Volume 2]

Edited by Jerry Entin, 04 May 2019 - 00:07.

[BobGreen]

The car pictured  is indeed Gary's personal car. That day he drove it to a Fort Worth Sports Car Club gymkhana held at the Leonard Bros. parking lot in Fort Worth, Texas. Sorry for the quality but it is from an old slide that aged a bit and it was a cold cloudy day,

Boob

[Jerry Entin]

Gary Laughlin in action at the tight OKC Fairground track in 1959.

 

Photo Credit: Bob Jackson [from Sports Car Racing in the South, Volume 2]

Edited by Jerry Entin, 07 May 2019 - 00:15.

[Jerry Entin]

Oklahoma City, November 1959. In what looks like a chilly day, Gary Laughlin warms up his 250TR. Next to him is his mechanic Burney Russell of Dallas. The event was held on a short and twisty 2-mile course at the OKC Fairgrounds.

Photo Credit: Bob Jackson [from Sports Car Racing in the South]

Edited by Jerry Entin, 07 May 2019 - 00:47.

[Jerry Entin]

Gary Laughlin finished 2nd overall [DM1] at Oklahoma City, ahead of Jim Hall’s Chevarri but beaten by the unusual combination of a former Indy car entrant and a borrowed car. Victory and EM1 went to Jack Hinkle in Ernie Grimm’s Maserati 200SI, a former Hap Sharp car.



Photo Credit: Bob Jackson [from Sports Car Racing in the South, Volume 2]

Edited by Jerry Entin, 07 May 2019 - 20:27.

[Jerry Entin]

A shot taken in the early 50s shows Gary and one of his daughters on a [homebuilt?] pit bike or mini bike..


Gary Laughlin raced his 250TR one more time, at San Marcos in April 1960, where its engine blew. Although entered at Longview in May, Burney Russell was not able to repair the V12 in time. Having lost faith in Chinetti being able to supply him with the latest and a more competitive Ferrari, Gary quit racing. The 250TR was sold to Gary Wilson.



Why didn’t he order a Birdcage Maserati, one may ask? The order book for those cars were filled and required a long waiting time, even when friends with Maserati distributor Jim Hall.



Photo Credit: Willem Oosthoek Collection

Edited by Jerry Entin, 08 May 2019 - 01:00.

[Jerry Entin]

William Gary Burton Laughlin
1923 - 2019 Obituary Condolences




William Gary Burton Laughlin Obituary
William Gary Burton Laughlin DALLAS--"Only those are fit to live who do not fear to die; and none are fit to die who have shrunk from the joy of life and the duty of life. Both life and death are parts of the same Great Adventure."--Theodore Roosevelt On Saturday, April 20, 2019, William Gary Burton Laughlin, "Quail,"' took flight for his next Great Adventure. The teller of many stories, his epilogue was peaceful and quiet, but his absence will be audible. He will hold his place in our stories now as hero and comic, racer, prankster, husband, father, grandfather, and friend, and can rest assured that within each story he will be remembered with honor and respect. Part wildcatter, part gentleman, part good ol' boy, part statesman, part warrior, part rebel, indisputably a beloved Texas legend, he walked a thin line between everyday man and larger-than-life figure, unabashedly comfortable at a garage party or a black-tie dinner. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Philip Edward Laughlin and Loma Burton Laughlin, Gary lived an extraordinary life with paths crossing many worlds. A captain and pilot in the U.S. Marines, Gary served in World War II as part of the VMF-111 Devil Dogs Squadron, logging more than 1,300 hours in an F-4U Corsair, and in the Korean War in VMF-214, the Black Sheep Squadron. With his respect and dedication to serve, he continued to contribute to the military to this day with his unwavering support for the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation. After attending the University of Texas, Gary began his business career drilling and producing oil in West Texas, then expanding into New Mexico, Louisiana, South America (Tierra del Fuego), and Africa. Known and respected for his business acumen, he lived by an honor code where a handshake still meant something, a code that comes from living an upright life with integrity and regard for others. Along with his interest in oil came his love for fast cars as he participated in "Gentlemen" racing in the '50s and '60s, winning the 1953 Pebble Beach Road Race in his Allard J2X, just one of many race stories that he loved to share with friends. A lifetime golfer, Gary was a member of Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas; Brook Hollow Golf Club, Dallas, Texas; Old Baldy, Saratoga, Wyo.; Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Colo.; Seminole, North Palm Beach, Fla.; The Fort Worth Club, Fort Worth, Texas, where he was nicknamed "Lash"; and the Cypress Point Club, Pebble Beach, Calif., where he was also nicknamed "The Mutant." Gary's greatest joy came from sharing his golfing passion and hosting visitors from around the world for a round of golf at the Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach. A scratch golfer himself, he was shooting his age well into his late 80s, and reveled in his golfing stories and memories of his close friendship with golfing legend Ben Hogan. Gary was a collector of friends. His travels around the world at a young age honed his skill for striking up a conversation with strangers and making them into friends. He loved his family, his friends, and animals. He loved a great story and a good laugh, driving fast and flying high, and the military. He loved chocolate, ice cream, and Texas barbeque. He loved to send a handwritten note and knew the importance of saying "Thank you." Gary's energy and Southern warmth endeared him to many, and he will be profoundly missed by his family, friends, and those on his "traplines," whom he dropped in on daily just to say "Hello." He was an inspiration with his high-octane energy, razor-sharp wit, and was never too busy to share one of his priceless "Texas-isms" to brighten up your day or leave a "Happy Birthday" song on your voicemail. Truly one of a kind. We can hardly say goodbye. Gary is survived by his wife, Sandy; four daughters, Lisa Schneider, Susy Weaver, Robin Laughlin, Cary Johnston; stepdaughter, Mary Shelmire; grandchildren, Kitt Boyd, Philip and Thomas Duggins, Vivienne, William, and Alexander Binnie, Olivia and Sanders Johnston; and stepgrandsons, Wesley, William, and Thomas Shelmire; and half sister, Phyllis Mason. Gary was predeceased by his brother, Phil E. Laughlin Jr. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Gary gave generously to numerous nonprofit organizations, including the California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, and the SPCA of Monterey County. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in memory of Gary to your favorite charitable organization.
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Edited by Jerry Entin, 11 May 2019 - 19:27.