26 replies to this topic

[Tim Murray]

(posted on behalf of Willem Oosthoek; the following is all from Willem)

I am sad to report that Dave Morgan, the well-known Corvette racer, died in May this year, at age 97. The news was relayed to me by Frank Lance, former mechanic of Jim Hall, John Mecom, Carroll Shelby and A.J. Foyt. Frank did not know the exact date.

Born David Llewellyn Morgan in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on January 22, 1926, Dave spent his professional life as an insurance executive in Tulsa. The racing bug came to him during a California vacation with his friend Hap Sharp. Soon Dave bought a 1958 Corvette from Ebb Rose and for the rest of his career, which started at Mansfield, Louisiana, in 1958, he primarily competed with Corvettes. At Sebring his regular co-driver was Delmo Johnson.

Other cars raced by Dave were his own Elva Mk 5, Ronnie Hissom's Lister/Chevy, a Lotus 20 and 22 Formula Juniors and the original Zerex Special, after it was re-imported into the U.S. His final year of competition was 1968, after he turned 42.


Green Valley, Texas, February 1961. Dave relaxing next to his Corvette. [Bob Jackson, Willem Oosthoek Collection]


Green Valley again. Dave in a tight battle with Delmo Johnson's Corvette. Delmo nicknamed his Corvette Blackie, so obviously Dave's car became Whitey. [Bob Jackson, Willem Oosthoek Collection]

In the past I talked to Dave over the phone, but never met him personally. During the late nineties, during a classic car event at California's Sears Point, Whitey happened to be on display, fully restored by a new owner. A woman from Texas, who knew both Morgan and Johnson, admired the car and told me how surprised she was the two were close friends and formed such a good team in long-distance races, because "Delmo was such a rascal, while Dave was such a gentleman."

WINO

[Tim Murray]

(again posted on behalf of Willem Oosthoek; the following is all from Willem)

Seen here at Hammond, Louisiana, in 1965, the Zerex/Olds Special that Dave Morgan bought early that year. Its new nose section resembles the one of the early Chaparral 2. Dave raced it in 1965 and 1966, then sold it to Venezuela, where the car was recently rescued and brought back to England.

[ReWind]

A short biography and a long interview (from 2020) here.

[JacnGille]

Sad news

[Tim Murray]

(more from Willem Oosthoek)

In Post 1 I forgot to mention that Dave Morgan also raced a Climax-engined Lotus 23B during his career. But it all began with Corvettes, seen here at Mansfield, Louisiana, in March 1958.

Dave and his buddy Hap Sharp ran their light blue Corvettes as a team, with Dave opting for a full windshield and Hap for a small one. In Race 4 they finished 6th oa [Sharp] and 7th oa [Morgan], first and second in BP class. In Race 5, for production entries only, they led the field but failed to finish.

Morgan ran the #89, Sharp the #88. Photos by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection]

[Tim Murray]

(more from Willem Oosthoek)

Dave Morgan in action with his GM class Elva Mk 5, at Mansfield in early March 1960. He bought the car new for importer Carl Haas and decided to exchange its relatively heavy Climax engine for an aluminum Mercury marine engine, offering twice the horsepower. Development problems made the project a failure and Morgan was not even mentioned in the race reports that weekend.

Photo by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection]

[Tim Murray]

(more from Willem)

By September 1961 Dave Morgan was back in another new English acquisition, a Lotus 20/Ford Formula Junior, nicknamed The Pencil.

During Mansfield's Race 6, for FJ entries and the smaller modifieds, Dave was running second oa behind Rich McDaniel's Huffaker/BMC FJ but was forced to retire. McDaniel won.

Photo by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection]

[Tim Murray]

(more from Willem)

In early 1961 four drivers formed a syndicate to build a new racetrack near Midland, Texas. They were Hap Sharp, Ronnie Hissom, Dave Morgan and Dave Fawcett, and the future track was called Rattlesnake Raceway. When Jim Hall moved from Dallas to Midland in May 1961, he joined them.

Construction started in December 1961, but Rattlesnake Raceway was not finished until November 1962. A weekend of racing was planned on November 17-18 that year, with Sharp acting as the event's Chief Starter. By now Morgan had taken delivery of a new Lotus 22/Ford Formula Junior and he claimed the inaugural race.

A second event was held in May 1963, during which Fawcett lost his life in an OSCA-powered Bandini. The general consensus was that the track was too narrow for competition. Sharp and Hall bought out the other syndicate members and Rattlesnake became a Chaparral proving ground.

But Morgan's Lotus 22 FJ proved an instant success. At Caddo Mills, Texas, in February 1963 [seen below] he won another feature, beating Sharp who remained faithful to a Cooper T59.

Photo by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection]

[Tim Murray]

(more from Willem)

Starting in 1960, Dave Morgan shared production Corvettes with Delmo Johnson four times in the Sebring 12 Hours. Each year the cars were entered under Johnson Chevrolet in Dallas. But their actual ownership was different.

In 1960 Blackie was used, the 1959 model owned by Delmo, while in 1961 and 1962 they raced Whitey, the 1961 model owned by Dave. Incidentally, Delmo never liked the white color and their participation in 1963 was with one of his own cars again, a black new Sting Ray Coupe.

The split-window Sting Ray used at Sebring in March is seen here in action at Green Valley in June 1963, with Johnson at the wheel. The car still features its Sebring race number and, next to the Texas flag decal, the names of the drivers in the 12 Hours.

Photo by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection]

[Rupertlt1]

(more from Willem Oosthoek)

"In Post 1 I forgot to mention that Dave Morgan also raced a Climax-engined Lotus 23B during his career. But it all began with Corvettes, seen here at Mansfield, Louisiana, in March 1958."

 

AFAIK Morgan never raced a Climax-engined Lotus 23B? During 1962-1963 he raced a Lotus 22 Formula Junior. In 1963 he appeared in a new F-Mod "steel-grey" Lotus 23B, fitted with a Ford twin-cam, winning the Jim Bowie feature at Opelousas, Louisiana, 28 July 1963. Can anybody add to this? 

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 13 July 2023 - 05:10.

[Tim Murray]

(more from Willem)

On February 11, 1962, Bill France of NASCAR hosted the inaugural Daytona Continental, a 3-hour event for sportsracers and Grand Touring [modifieds and production in the US] entries. Counting toward the GT World Championship, the event lured 60 entries, 53 of which would take the Le Mans start. For the Jim Clark fans, he was there with Peter Berry's Lotus Elite. For fans of Pedro Rodriguez, he was there with a Rosebud Racing Lotus 19/Climax. The overall winner would receive $7,500 as well as the Prestolite Trophy.

The spectacular conclusion of the race was broadcast on tv around the world, when Dan Gurney took his Arciero Lotus 19/Climax across the finish line first, courtesy of his starter motor powered by [appropriately] a Prestolite battery. One lap before the checkered flag, his Climax engine had put a rod through its block, but the engine would still churn. Gurney parked the car in front of the finish line, waiting almost two minutes for the checkered to fall. His lead was such that his patience, and the starter button, secured victory. Pushing the car across the line would have meant disqualification.

All official results list Dave Morgan and his 1961 Corvette ["Whitey"] taking the start and finishing 21st overall. During one of the Fort Worth Driver Reunions, I asked Delmo Johnson if the car had suffered problems, since the best Corvette [Dick Thompson's] had finished 13th, with three more laps to its name. His answer was: "Yes, we had problems, but I drove the car, not Dave." I asked him why and the answer was: "Dave did not take to the Speedway."

Now Delmo was known for some of his tall tales, and I didn't know what to think. That is until I found an image at the 1962 Continental start in one of the later Daytona marketing brochures. It showed the #25 Morgan Corvette positioned next to John Mecom's Corvette [assigned to Bob Schroeder], with both drivers sprinting to their cars. The driver next to Schroeder was wearing work boots, always used by Johnson when racing. Morgan used the fancier laced footwear popular with Formula One drivers.

Why the Bill France people never noticed the switch I don't know, but it shows..... historian beware, even when it comes to official results.

[Tim Murray]

AFAIK Morgan never raced a Climax-engined Lotus 23B? During 1962-1963 he raced a Lotus 22 Formula Junior. In 1963 he appeared in a new F-Mod steel-grey Lotus 23B, fitted with a Ford twin-cam, winning the Jim Bowie feature at Opelousas, Louisiana, 28 July 1963. Can anybody add to this?

(from Willem for Rupert)

Morgan may well have raced his Lotus 23B with a Ford engine at Opelousas in 1963, but according to the USRRC book by Mike Martin, he ran the car with a 1.5-liter Climax engine at Continental Divide [August 18, 1963, 15th oa] and Road America [September 8, 1963, with Hap Sharp, DNF]. In both cases he used his favorite race number 39, so it must have been his own car.

I checked the Road America program and the Nassau program for confirmation, but in both cases the programs only list Lotus 23B, without any engine specification. At Nassau Morgan did not show.

[Rupertlt1]

More confusion: newspaper reports have Sharp/Morgan at Road America in a Ford-powered Lotus 23B, but some say a Lotus 19 (not in film below).

 

See also ref grey car:

 

https://forums.autos...2#entry10188668

 

See also: https://forums.autos...3/#entry4365375

 

Seen at 2:38 here:

 

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 13 July 2023 - 06:02.

[Tim Murray]

(from Willem)

Although none of the Oklahoma newspapers seemed to have mentioned Dave Morgan's recent death, I just found a reference on Legacy.com.

For the record, Dave left us on Sunday May 7, 2023. A Memorial Service was held in the First Presbyterian Church in Tulsa on Wednesday, May 24.

[WINO]

For Rupert,

 

It seems as though the only one with any authority on which engine Dave Morgan used in his Lotus 23B would be his mechanic, George Gobel. While Delmo Johnson took care of Dave's Corvette, Gobel did the wrenching on his Lotus 20, 22 and 23B. Unfortunately, based on Dave advanced age when he died, I doubt that Gobel would be alive today.

 

Gobel used to be the mechanic for Dean Knight.

 

Willem

Edited by WINO, 14 July 2023 - 20:46.

[Rupertlt1]

Fortunately a photograph of the new "steel-grey Lotus 23B" at Opelousas, Louisiana appeared in the Daily World, Tuesday 30 Jul 1963, Page 20. Looks like a white-coloured bonnet. Dave Morgan is pictured with the car with the bodywork propped open and you can plainly see the Ford twin-cam motor. Also looks like #139.

 

Tulsa Man Captures

Grand Prairie Race

STUTTGART, Ark (UPI)—

Dave Morgan, a 37-year old in-

surance agency owner from

Tulsa won the 1964 Grand Prairie

Grand Prix feature race Sunday,

finishing first overall in his Lotus

23B.

Morgan pushed the Lotus, pow-

ered by an English Ford Engine,

around the 5.2-mile track at an

average speed of just over 90

miles per hour.

Tulsa World, Mon 20 Apr 1964, Page 17 

 

RGDS RLT 

Edited by Rupertlt1, 15 July 2023 - 05:53.

[WINO]

Interesting that the newspaper quotes the length of the Stuttgart track [the former air base] for 1964 as 5.2 miles long. I have not looked up 1963 yet, but for April 1961 and May 1962 the track measured exactly 3 miles, with 10 turns. Looking at the track layout, it seems almost impossible to almost double the length.

[Rupertlt1]

Interesting that the newspaper quotes the length of the Stuttgart track [the former air base] for 1964 as 5.2 miles long. I have not looked up 1963 yet, but for April 1961 and May 1962 the track measured exactly 3 miles, with 10 turns. Looking at the track layout, it seems almost impossible to almost double the length.

 

I checked and it definitely says 5.2 miles. Simply an error?

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 15 July 2023 - 17:25.

[WINO]

Just found my files on the two events held at Stuttgart, Arkansas in 1963.

 

April 20-21, Grand Prairie Grand Prix, 3.1-mile-long track at the airport, nine turns this time [source: Competition Press].

 

November 23-24, Inaugural Stuttgart Endurance Races for the Governor's Cup, revised 2.6-mile-long track at the airport [source: Competition Press].

 

Making it more likely that the 5.2 miles quoted for the 1964 edition of the Grand Prix GP is wrong.

 

As for the July 27-28, 1963, edition of the Jim Bowie Races at Opelousas, neither the SCCA magazine Sports Car ["Lotus 23B"] or Competition Press ["brand new Lotus 23B twin cam"] quote a specific engine, but Rupert's mentioning of a clear image of a Ford unit in the Daily News leaves little doubt what it was in this particular race.

[Rupertlt1]

"Brand new" Lotus 23B thought to be 23B-S-92, ex-factory 14/07/1963 to Lotus Southwest, Dallas, 1600TC, White.

 

RGDS RLT

[WINO]

I have been scanning the ads posted in the back of the 1964 editions of Sports Car, the SCCA magazine. Many race drivers/car owners use that avenue to sell their cars. I had hoped to find a reference to the engine[s] used by the Morgan Lotus 23B. No such luck and I wonder to whom he sold the car to.

[Rupertlt1]

I wonder too!

Dave Morgan won the International FJ race at Sebring, Florida, Thursday 21 March 1963, driving a Lotus 22-Ford.

This car was reportedly sold to Mack Barlow, a Wichita chemist, and later driven by Gordon Gresham.

The Lotus which Morgan drove

has since been sold but he still

keeps his practice car in Tulsa.

"We found our practice car was

faster than the one I drove in the

race but didn't know it until

later," he said. "You learn a lot

of these little things in retro-

spect."

The Tulsa Tribune, Wednesday, 17 Apr 1963, Page 47

 

In 1965 Gordon Gresham was editor of Witches Wail, the SCCA regional newsletter?

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 19 July 2023 - 04:52.

[APace]

Thank you to all who contributed here. I have really enjoyed reading these stories about Dad. Most I knew, but some info was new to me, so please keep it coming.

I am sorry I can't clarify the Lotus engine debate, I only knew about the #39 FJ. Dad used The Pencil to tow the L88 Corvette to the track, just to tick off the other drivers. I can say that many of the race records back then had errors and omissions, and it would not have been out of character for him to pull a driver switcheroo. Delmo was nicknamed "Dirty" Delmo as much for his tactics as for the state of his uniform. The truth, however, is that Dad--despite his "Mr Country Club" image--was the one who goaded Delmo (and everyone else) into doing his dirty work.

For those who don't know, Richard Prince is a photojournalist for Corvette Magazine. His favorite subject has always been my dad and his cars. Richard even bougt the 1956 L88 and restored it himself, before selling it to Glen Spielberg. Much of his work is posted at https://www.rprincephoto.com/ and on his FB page, https://www.facebook...hard.prince.311. He is who I go to when researching something about dad's racing days. Maybe he knows the answer about the Lotus engine?

Again, thank all of you for your interest in Dad's history.

Sincerely,

Anne Morgan Pace

I am thrilled to see that the Zerex has been found! If anyone has updates on the restoration I would love to hear more.

Edited by APace, 09 March 2024 - 18:58.

[WINO]

Anne, welcome to the forum. I met Delmo a number of times at the Fort Worth Old Drivers Reunion, but your dad never showed so I never had a chance.

 

Yes, the Zerex had been found in South America and is currently being restored in England. I will leave it to the people involved in the restoration to provide you with updates.

 

Willem

Edited by WINO, 09 March 2024 - 20:37.

[Doug Nye]

I am contacting Dave Morgan's daughter Anne separately re car restoration but may I take this opportunity to say that the restorers here in England are still seeking (most eagerly) any contemporary photos of the Cooper-Zerex-Olds' engine bay and installation 1964-66.  Any shots showing that rear bay without bodywork would provide very useful reference.  I have beaten the bounds of the usual agencies and all photographers from the period I can recall or who are still with us.  Result?  Nada.  One 1964 shot was published in 'Autosport' but we have been unable to find either neg or print and the published version was too small, and with far too coarse a screen (dot matrix) on the magazine's poor paper to make out any real detail.  Any shots from the 1964 Olds-powered races - Canadian sports car GP at Mosport, Brands Hatch Guards Trophy and finally (in Bruce's hands) the TT at Goodwood - could provide so many answers.

 

DCN

[Adrian Beese]

David Llewellyn Morgan, obviously some Welsh heritage somewhere down the line. Anybody got some information?

[APace]

Adrian, he was indeed full blood Welsh.