23 replies to this topic

[Jerry Entin]

Known for the colorful hats she wore around the tracks, Nedra explained she did so because her race helmets would mess up her hair. [Bob Bellows photo]

 

It is with great sadness we have to report that Nedra Ware, one of the few girl SCCA racers of the 1950s and early 1960s, died yesterday morning, May 12, in Marshall, Texas, at age 87.

 

For the past few years, having suffered a number of strokes, Nedra lived in a nursing home there. She had been in declining health, although her mind and racing memories remained strong.

 

Born Nedra McGilvray in Texas on April 10, 1933, she married Jim Ware and began racing in the mid fifties with an MG-TD. Cars that followed were a Siata [Little Sebring in 1957], a Volvo 544 [Sebring 3 Hours in 1957], then mostly production Porsches, both 1600S and Carrera. One of her final races came at Nassau in December 1962, in Paul Layman's Fiat-Abarth 1000. 

 

Nedra participated at a Regional level of the SCCA at the following tracks around the Southeast: Sebring, Chester, Dothan, Dunnellon, Auburn, Gainesville, Courtland and Daytona. She ran mostly in Ladies Races against her longtime friend Smokey Drolet, but if the program allowed a mixed gender race, she would provide strong opposition to the guys. Dunnellon Park in Florida was her favorite track..

 

Our condolences go to Nedra's daughter Laura and all her friends. Her humor and race stories will be missed.

Edited by Jerry Entin, 14 May 2020 - 00:35.

[Jerry Entin]

Nedra, with one of her fancy hats again, and husband Jim Ware. [Bob Bellows photo]

 

Jim was an accomplished Porsche mechanic, but sometimes Nedra used the famous German born Heinz Bade. She was well connected and was invited by Lee Petty of NASCAR fame to drive one of his Chrysler Valient compact cars at Daytona in January 1960. The event was televised and consisted on a 2-lap race for the girls, with a Le Mans start. That kind of start was fine with Nedra, but Denise McCluggage objected, saying the NASCAR vehicles had bolted doors and that she was not an acrobat, having to climb through the window.

 

In the end the organizers changed the procedure, letting a crew member do the running while the girls were in their seats already. Nedra’s race ended within a lap due to brake problems, Denise ended up third.

Edited by Jerry Entin, 14 May 2020 - 00:18.

[Jerry Entin]

Nedra and her Porsche Carrera in action at Sharpe’s Field in Auburn, Alabama [May 1959].

 

Photo credit: Bob Bellows

Edited by Jerry Entin, 14 May 2020 - 22:25.

[Tim Murray]

Very sorry to read this. Nedra posted here for a while, around ten years ago. Here’s how she introduced herself:

ok guys leave room for the fairer sex some of us love cars too used to burn rubber in lots of good american
cars bought first mg td and raced it some in the 50s, bought 1st porsche 1600s in 60s raced in fla w/the
guys and some powider puffs was supposed to drive lee pettys at 1st daytona but they wrecked main
car so i got to go round in practice but did not want to take chance of wrecking that car before main race
got to ride around nassau w/lloyd ruby in 60s at race week, hope he feels better this week, i love cars
especially panther de villes and porsches, i'vee sold hundreds of whale tales in calif by phone becaused i did phone sales all over us by phone also was sales mgr for air we built special bodies out of fiberglass and
kevlar thats my story and i'm sticking with it got my money on junior in nascar love lewis hamilton too
loived to watch the rodriquez brothers race also fangio at sebring in 60s. used to work with cunninghams 2 top mechanics john donaldson of england and eddie bourgonnoine ciao

She and her great friend Smokey Drolet were obviously characters. I loved this story she told us about Smokey:

funny story was in the miami herald yrs ago, smokes business was out in the boondocks a guy walked in to rob her she told him in order to get her money back he would have to sign a receipt, well he was caught off guard and signed his real name somehow the police caught him.

Sincere condolences to her family and friends.

[JacnGille]

Sad news

[Jerry Entin]

Auburn, Alabama in May 1959 again, with Nedra’s Carrera chasing a Corvette.

She did not like Corvettes as “they got wide in the corners.”

 

Photo credit: Bob Bellows

Edited by Jerry Entin, 14 May 2020 - 22:30.

[Jerry Entin]

One of Nedra’s many friend was Jesse Coleman, chief starter of most SCCA events on the East Coast as well as Sebring.

 

Photo credit: Bob Bellows

Edited by Jerry Entin, 14 May 2020 - 22:34.

[Jerry Entin]

Jesse Coleman and his daughters join Nedra and her Porsche 1600S at an unidentified track in 1959.

 

[Nedra Ware Collection]

Edited by Jerry Entin, 14 May 2020 - 22:37.

[Ray Bell]

You do a nice job of presenting the human face of racing, Jerry...

 

Thank you and keep it up.

[Jerry Entin]

Dunnellon, January 1960. Based on the hat, that has to be Nedra in the Carrera. Leaning against the car is her friend and fellow Porsche driver Bob Bellows, whose excellent color photography we have been using elsewhere on TNF [“Going to the races with Bob Bellows”].

 

The mock Latin license plate was given to Nedra by one of her colleagues at German Motors, which had taken over the old Briggs Cunningham manufacturing building in West Palm Beach. The text was coined by Briggs’ first wife Lucie, meant to say “Don’t let the bastards grind you down”. Well, in Nedra’s case, they didn’t!

 

She was the parts manager at German Motors from 1959. Before that, Nedra worked in a similar function at the local Rolls Royce dealer Taylor Motors.

 

Photo from the Nedra Ware Collection.

 

Edited by Jerry Entin, 15 May 2020 - 22:27.

[Jerry Entin]

Nedra Ware in a photo taken in Marshall, Texas, in 2012.

 

Looking back at Nedra’s life, her boundless energy stands out. While participating in SCCA events, she also assisted her parents in the running of their popular Texan Restaurant in Chattanooga in the mid fifties.

 

After jobs as the parts manager with Taylor Motors and German Motors in West Palm Beach, she started a high end French clothing boutique called Napoleon’s Closet in West Palm. Mrs. Perry Como and one of the Firestone girls were among her regular clients. An antiques store was run on the side.

 

She divorced Jim Ware, but they remained good friends. After moving to California Nedra became sales manager and VP at American International Racing in Burbank, for whom she sold thousands of Porsche’s “whale tails”. This was followed by sales in the booming California real estate market and the publishing of a cookbook titled Scraps from the Emperor’s Table.

 

If Nedra had been a man, the word Renaissance Man would come to mind. In this case…. Renaissance Woman? One of her favorite quotes was “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History”.

 

Godspeed, Nedra!

 

Photo credit: Willem Oosthoek

Edited by Jerry Entin, 15 May 2020 - 22:25.

[Jerry Entin]

The following comes from Frank Lance, long time Jim Hall and John Mecom and Carroll Shelby mechanic.

 

I should have driven the 40 miles down the road to visit her, but never did. She seems like someone I would enjoy visiting with. She was less than a month older than I. She had an interesting life. A missed opportunity.

 

 Frank Lance

[Jerry Entin]

This comes from Jack Shea: I just wanted to extend my condolences to Nedra's followers. Joe Sheppard, who was quite the ladies man in his younger days , always spoke highly of Nedra.

Always wondered why women drivers today make such a big deal about being behind the wheel.

 

RIP NEDRA

[Edperk1952]

My wife and I have known Nedra for several years.  We met her through her daughter, Laura.  I am a car guy, but compared to Nedra......I was a rookie.  We visited her many, many times over the last several years and if there was a race or car event of any kind on tv she had it on !!!  We loved hearing her stories, talking about her car and racing knowledge, sharing racing and auto books and just sharing a laugh.

 

We brought every car we own up for her to see....even did a massive burnout for her in front of her assisted living facility.  That made her smile !!!  I did the best I could to get as much speed as possible out of her electric scooter chair.  She was special.  She was a character.  She will be missed.

 

RIP NEDRA......WE LOVE YOU !!!!

 

Ed & Rhonda Perkins

Marshall, Texas

[screensmoke]

Also heard the sad news through Willem and just exchanged with Laura, what a wonderful lady....

 

 

 

 

 

[scooperman66]

I worked at Import Motor Parts on Okeechobee Rd, just west of US 1.  German Motors was about 3 miles south from us on Bunker Rd, I recollect they sold BMW and Volvo at the time.  My boss at Import was Bill Shurtleff, a great guy.  Bill had done some racing before I met him,  I remember seeing pics of him with a Formula Ford (how he fit in it I don't know).  During the time I worked there, he and a partner bought Juan Montalvo Sr.'s BMW 2002  and raced that in Florida IMSA races.  I looked up Juan Sr.'s results and in 73 he raced the BMW and in 74 he raced an Escort, so now I can put a date to all this.    Bill was dating and soon engaged to Nedra's daughter Laura.  On a couple of parts runs to German Motors, I met Nedra, maybe 2 or 3 times total.  She would look at the part number scribble from BIll and knew exactly what it was and where it was and in just a minute she would appear with part in hand.  Sorry but that is all I can remember of Nedra, pleasant and polite to me a doofus parts runner kid, and very efficient at work. Godspeed, Nedra. 

[Jerry Entin]

This is the white Siata that Nedra raced at Little Sebring in 1957. The car was prepped by George Roberts, but its actual ownership has not been established yet.

 

As Nedra remembered, the Siata was light, but very under powered due to its Crosley engine.

 

In Europe Frederic Levaux is currently restoring a Siata and he is trying to establish if his car was the one that Nedra drove.

 

Photo credit: Nedra Ware Collection.

Edited by Jerry Entin, 18 May 2020 - 02:25.

[Edperk1952]

She talked about this Siata as well as her Porsche.  I owned a 55 Speedster for many years as well as many other Porsche’s....so we had some notes to compare.  Would love to have that little Siata in the garage !!  Really appreciate the photos you post.  Tomorrow’s funeral will be tough for her daughter and our friend,  Laura, but I am sure she is looking down on us while trying to find Cunningham, Fangio and  others up there To chat with !!!

[screensmoke]

 

This is the white Siata that Nedra raced at Little Sebring in 1957. The car was prepped by George Roberts, but its actual ownership has not been established yet.

 

As Nedra remembered, the Siata was light, but very under powered due to its Crosley engine.

 

In Europe Frederic Levaux is currently restoring a Siata and he is trying to establish if his car was the one that Nedra drove.

 

Photo credit: Nedra Ware Collection.

 

 

This is Frederic, 

 

Yes I believe the Siata I have is the one Nedra drove in Sebring.... we are still working on a definite identification with Siata Expert, John de Boer, but it seems very, very likely...

[Jerry Entin]

Laura Ware wedding photo

Scooperman66,

 

Here is a picture of your old boss Bill Shurtleff on the day he married Laura Ware in West Palm Beach.

 

Photo credit: Nedra Ware Collection

Edited by Jerry Entin, 18 May 2020 - 20:56.

[Jerry Entin]

Dunnellon Park, January 1960.

Nedra Ware and her Porsche Carrera in action at her favorite track, leading George Robertson’s Corvette. Jim and Nedra bought the Carrera from Johnny Cuevas in Miami.

 

Photo credit: Nedra Ware Collection

Edited by Jerry Entin, 19 May 2020 - 21:30.

[Jerry Entin]

Nedra Ware: Queen of the Road, even in the wet.

 

Photo credit: Nedra Ware Collection

Edited by Jerry Entin, 19 May 2020 - 21:36.

[tampaguy]

I traveled to Florida few years ago to visit Joe Sheppard. We spoke about Dunnellon being a very interesting track. Now as a kid I went to Dunnellon to hunt and fish and never realized that it had a race history. After leaving joe’s please my brother and I headed up to Dunnellon for a visit. My brother who is 12 years older, remembers the racing vividly, but he could not recognize any parts of the track still remaining. The airport was locked up behind a tall fence so we where unable to examine any of the older buildings still standing. We did sit quietly for a moment to see if we could hear any sounds remaining from those glorious times...RIP Nedra....Jack 

[Jerry Entin]

The Dunnellon Airport sign

 

photo: Tampa Guy