38 replies to this topic

[SHRAEL]

Hi all, hope you can help.

While leafing through Tom Burnside's fantastic book "American Racing", i came upon a reference to the Eagle Mountain race that took place at the Eagle Mountain Air force base TX near Forth Worth in June 1956. This was the first real reference that i have seen for the event. More specifically, it appears that the caliber of cars and participants (Ginther, Shelby, Hansgen etc...) should have made it a memorable event. Somehow, 50+ years past the event very little written material exists.

The reason im looking for any info about this June Airport race, is that, i came upon a picture of Carroll Shelby driving my present car (the 1955 Osca TN chassis # 1169 'the whale'). The caption says it ran to second place in the second race. Any info on this heat and Shelby's driving - and possibly my car, will help me plug a missing period in the car's history.

Any help would be much appreaciated.

elad

[JB Miltonian]

There is a 2-page report on the Fort Worth races at Eagle Mountain in the September 1956 issue of Road and Track, and the results do indeed show that Carroll Shelby finished second in the 2nd race in an Osca. There were six races run that day, June 3rd, 1956.

I can scan and email to you if you wish to see the article, just send me a PM with your email address. Sorry, there are no pictures of the Osca.

[SHRAEL]

perfect thanks.

seems that OSCA chassis # 1169, although widely thought to have been raced and owned by Ernie Mcafee in 1955/1956, then sold after his death to Bill Laydon, was indeed owned by Harry Chapman (the west coast OSCA distributer), loaned to and raced by Mcafee in 55/56 then taken back by Chapmann after Ernie's death and raced by various drivers. It was then sold to Bill layden in 1957 through Mcafee engineering (by that time manged by tom bemford). If i can get evidence that the car was entered in the Eagle Mountain race by Chapman i would then have the evidence to back my theory...

so, does anyone have a copy of the race program that they can share?

elad

[raceannouncer2003]

Some results here:

http://www.wsrp.ic.c...us1956.html#147

Also, another report in Motoracing, Vol. 1-No. 18, June 15-22, 1956.

No more details on the OSCA, though.

Vince H.

[ERault]

I think Ernie's OSCA was entered (and I guess owned) by Chapman. All I have in hand at the moment is from "American Sports Car Racing in the 1950s" by Lynch and all. The caption of a photo from the under 1500 modified in 1956 Pebble Peach (Ernie was to die in the main event) says "Ernie McAfee in Harry Chapman's OSCA has gotten past Jack McAfee in John Edgar's Porsche 550".

PS : Lucky you to have such a nice car. Could you perhaps share some photos ?

[SHRAEL]

here are a couple of pics
one from 51 years ago, the others from October 2007.

http://www.racingspo...-04-22a-176.jpg

[etceterini.com]

Now that's a GREAT looking car!!
Please post some pictures of your Abarth 207a
so we can drool over that too!!

-cliff

[Jerry Entin]

Sharel: This is what Lonnie Rix has to say after I showed him this thread:

"Thanks for passing on the OSCA pictures. Another well preserved classic in a body style I had not seen. I attended the 1955 Eagle Mountain event and the only OSCA was a 1500TN ??, it was blue with round grill, #66, it also was at Coffeyville, Kansas in May."
Lonnie Rix
Elad: I don't know if you have seen this thread on Lonnie Rix. He had a very nice OSCA in his day. It is below:
http://forums.autosp...y=&pagenumber=1

[SHRAEL]

thanks Jerry, i was actually asking about the 1956 eagle race not the 1955 race...
Does Lonnie or anyone else know much about mr. Harry Chapman or his driver William (bumpy) Bell... they seem to often come up in the cars early history. any historians out there that know much about Chapmann?

elad

[Jerry Entin]

Elad: I know you were asking about the 1956 race. I have just put up what Lonnie Rix had to say about Eagle Mountain the year before. I also think you meant Tom Bamford. He managed Bill Doheny's NGK sparkplug and parts company in the 60's. I believe they called it McAfee Engineering. He also was with Ernie McAfee and raced cars himself and appeared as a driver in the Disney movie The Love Bug.

[JB Miltonian]

May I assume that you have the article "Ernie's Place", from Sports Car International, October 1990, written by Tim Considine? This tells the story of Ernie McAfee's shop in the San Fernando Valley, and has a couple of pictures of "The Whale" OSCA.

[SHRAEL]

Hi JB.
i actually have not seen that article.
im not sure if for copy write reasons you can post it, but if you can that would be great.
no October 1990 SCI offered on ebay.
very corious

elad

[JB Miltonian]

Send me a PM with your email address, I'll scan and send it to you. It's 8 pages. I think you'll enjoy it.

[iicarJohn]

Eagle Mountain (Fort Worth) Texas - June 3, 1956

Very interesting race. More information is always sought. My father has Giaur BT-035 that was raced there by Bill Betts. Betts finished 1st/ Hm in two races while finishing 13th overall in Race 2 and 15th overall in Race 6. Having a focus on the Italian stuff leads to an incomplete account of the event in my files but more can also be found in SCCA Sports Car September-October 1956 with results on page 20.

Some additional tidbits of possible interest ... and about which additional information is sought:

#11 Ferrari 750 Monza (perhaps 0582/M?) John Von Neumann 2nd o/a Race 6 (2nd/ Dm)
#24 OSCA 2000S (N. 2004) Roy Cherryhomes DNF
#29 Siata 300BC Crosley G. Wright was 16th o/a (4th/ Hm) Race 2 and DNF Race 6
#38 Siata 300BC Crosley Mrs. George Koehne drove to 17th o/a (5th/ Hm) in Race 2 while George Koehne drove to 17th o/a (3rd/ Hm) in Race 6.
#68 Ferrari 2.9 (0262/M) Lorin McMullen 9th o/a (5th/ Dm) Race 6
#77 Devin Panhard Jim Orr 16th o/a (2nd/ Hm) Race 6
#78 Porsche 550 Jack McAfee 6th o/a Race 6 (bumped to Dm where he was 3rd)
#83 Siata-Ferrari Tom Johnson 15th/ Race 4 (1st/ Em) .... apparently using a borrowed 2-liter Ferrari engine in his Siata Gran Sport ... apparently without the Ferrari owner's knowledge! He also raced the same car-engine combination at Mansfield May 5-6. A distant (and indistinct) photo of the car at Mansfield appeared in SCCA's "Sports Car" showing other cars as well. I have more history gathered for this car thanks to Millard Almon but we still don't known the chassis number.
#84 Ferrari 750 Monza (0502/M?) Dabney Collins 8th o/a (4th/ Dm) Race 6
#85 Nardi Robert Samuelson 15th o/a (3rd/ Hm) Race 2 & DNF Race 6
#110 Ferrari 750 Monza (0510/M?) Carroll Shelby 1st o/a Race 6
#111 OSCA (1169?) Carroll Shelby 2nd o/a Sunday Race 2

Tom Burnside published quite a number of photos in his book, "American Racing", but I would bet that he has others that he would print (and sell) as well?

Elad, I have quite a listing of potential history for your car but it is complicated by the possiblity of a second car that looked very similar and which may have been confused at times as "1169". To my way of thinking, we need to go back to square one on this car's study and be careful that it is always the same car that is being studied and referenced. As part of the process, we will also describe some history for another car as well. Perhaps more than one? Great car! More study needed to describe the history accurately.

John de Boer
The Italian Car Registry

[SHRAEL]

Originally posted by iicarJohn
Eagle Mountain (Fort Worth) Texas - June 3, 1956

Very interesting race. More information is always sought. My father has Giaur BT-035 that was raced there by Bill Betts. Betts finished 1st/ Hm in two races while finishing 13th overall in Race 2 and 15th overall in Race 6. Having a focus on the Italian stuff leads to an incomplete account of the event in my files but more can also be found in SCCA Sports Car September-October 1956 with results on page 20.

Some additional tidbits of possible interest ... and about which additional information is sought:

#11 Ferrari 750 Monza (perhaps 0582/M?) John Von Neumann 2nd o/a Race 6 (2nd/ Dm)
#24 OSCA 2000S (N. 2004) Roy Cherryhomes DNF
#29 Siata 300BC Crosley G. Wright was 16th o/a (4th/ Hm) Race 2 and DNF Race 6
#38 Siata 300BC Crosley Mrs. George Koehne drove to 17th o/a (5th/ Hm) in Race 2 while George Koehne drove to 17th o/a (3rd/ Hm) in Race 6.
#68 Ferrari 2.9 (0262/M) Lorin McMullen 9th o/a (5th/ Dm) Race 6
#77 Devin Panhard Jim Orr 16th o/a (2nd/ Hm) Race 6
#78 Porsche 550 Jack McAfee 6th o/a Race 6 (bumped to Dm where he was 3rd)
#83 Siata-Ferrari Tom Johnson 15th/ Race 4 (1st/ Em) .... apparently using a borrowed 2-liter Ferrari engine in his Siata Gran Sport ... apparently without the Ferrari owner's knowledge! He also raced the same car-engine combination at Mansfield May 5-6. A distant (and indistinct) photo of the car at Mansfield appeared in SCCA's "Sports Car" showing other cars as well. I have more history gathered for this car thanks to Millard Almon but we still don't known the chassis number.
#84 Ferrari 750 Monza (0502/M?) Dabney Collins 8th o/a (4th/ Dm) Race 6
#85 Nardi Robert Samuelson 15th o/a (3rd/ Hm) Race 2 & DNF Race 6
#110 Ferrari 750 Monza (0510/M?) Carroll Shelby 1st o/a Race 6
#111 OSCA (1169?) Carroll Shelby 2nd o/a Sunday Race 2

Tom Burnside published quite a number of photos in his book, "American Racing", but I would bet that he has others that he would print (and sell) as well?

Elad, I have quite a listing of potential history for your car but it is complicated by the possibility of a second car that looked very similar and which may have been confused at times as "1169". To my way of thinking, we need to go back to square one on this car's study and be careful that it is always the same car that is being studied and referenced. As part of the process, we will also describe some history for another car as well. Perhaps more than one? Great car! More study needed to describe the history accurately.

John de Boer
The Italian Car Registry

John, very helpful.
The body style worn by 1169 is part of a three car run produced by OSCA for the 1955 Le Mans run.
Indeed, one of teh three cars actually raced in the 1955 MM as well. The body - much more streamlined the the usuall OSCA TN, was very distinctive. It is clear that out of the three cars two stayed in Europe, and the thired (1169) did not race in Le Mans and was sold to Chapmann. I see no account of a similar bodied car in western USA in the 50's. Further, the two other cars had open headlights, while 1169 had frenched-in lights. The Zagari book has exact and clear history. After MCafee's death the car returned to Chapmann, and im pretty certain that he entered the car in the 1956 Eagle race. there is a very nice picture of Shelby racing a car with the exact looks and with the chapmann usuall race number of 111.
Anyhow, to my mind nothing is confusing here.
Where it does get confusing is when you mesh this with Tim Considine's recollection of the engine swap between 1169 (then carrying engine number 1522) and his (Considine's) then new car.
It is more then certain that 1169 ran at 1956 Eagle race with a diffrent OSCA engine - a reg' TN vs. 1522 land speed record TN engine.
Today 1169 carries the 1522 engine, and it is my believe that the engine was re-united with the car when the car - along with tens of other OSCA's - were in Edward Wolfram's collection - (mid 1970's ??).. this is the confusing part... can anyone shed some ligt on Edward Wolfram's collection?

rgds
elad

[Jerry Entin]

Carroll Shelby in chassis # 1169
Elad:
Here is a shot of Carroll Shelby in Harry Chapman's 1.5-liter OSCA MT4, chassis 1169. It was taken at the starting grid of Race 2 during the Eagle Mountain National in 1956.

Photo: Willem Oosthoek Collection

Edited by Jerry Entin, 31 January 2010 - 17:42.

[Jerry Entin]

"Sad Sam" Samuelson in his H modified machine

John de Boer brought up the various HM entries at Eagle Mountain that weekend. Here is a photo of Bob "Sad Sam" Samuelson in his Nardi. Samuelson was a pilot for Continental Airlines.

Photo: Willem Oosthoek collection
all research Willem Oosthoek

Edited by Jerry Entin, 31 January 2010 - 23:00.

[HistoricMustang]

Google produced this link:

http://books.google....o...ces&f=false

Henry

[cabianca]

Hi all, hope you can help.

While leafing through Tom Burnside's fantastic book "American Racing", i came upon a reference to the Eagle Mountain race that took place at the Eagle Mountain Air force base TX near Forth Worth in June 1956. This was the first real reference that i have seen for the event. More specifically, it appears that the caliber of cars and participants (Ginther, Shelby, Hansgen etc...) should have made it a memorable event. Somehow, 50+ years past the event very little written material exists.

The reason im looking for any info about this June Airport race, is that, i came upon a picture of Carroll Shelby driving my present car (the 1955 Osca TN chassis # 1169 'the whale'). The caption says it ran to second place in the second race. Any info on this heat and Shelby's driving - and possibly my car, will help me plug a missing period in the car's history.

Any help would be much appreaciated.

elad

Some comments on the discussion so far.

I agree that the Eagle Mountain Shelby car is McAfee's Pebble Beach entry. There are too many physical similarities like the cut down windscreen on one side, etc. I also agree that of the three cars with this body style, only one came to the US.

I believe Chapman was a financial backer of Bumpy Bell. Bell was an OSCA distributor operating out of Arizona. His ads can be seen in R&T of the period.

Regarding the serial number assignments, Collins was definitely in 0502, the ex-Doheney/McAfee car, owned at the time of the Eagle Rock race by Temple Buell.

[Jerry Entin]

A Mercedes-Benz dealer from Houston, Norm Scott, brought his blue Porsche 550RS, the car shown here with Norm's pit entourage.

Eagle Mountain 1956 was the first SCCA National held in the Fort Worth area. The event attracted an excellent turn-out from Connecticut, California and Colorado, plus multiple Texas entries.

John Edgar brought two cars for Jack McAfee, a Porsche 550RS and Ferrari 857S [0588]. Johnny van Neumann brought two cars as well, a Porsche 550RS for Richie Ginther and 750 Monza for himself [0582].

Not to be outdone, Denver's Temple Buell brought two Ferraris, a 375MM for Danny Collins [0372] and a 750 Monza for Dabney Collins [0502]. The latter would soon receive a Chevy engine, installed by Tony Foyt and raced by Jim Hall and Bob Schroeder under the nickname Pig Pen.

And than there was the Cunningham team, with D-types for Walt Hansgen and Sherwood Johnston. Lorin McCullen ran a Ferrari 250MM [0262] that would be raced by Paul Hill with Chevy engine later on. Carroll Shelby raced Dick Hall's Ferrari 750 Monza [0510].

all research Willem Oosthoek
photo: Willem Oosthoek collection

Edited by Jerry Entin, 02 February 2010 - 00:50.

[Terry Walker]

What looks like the former Eagle Mountain AFB near Forth Worth, according to Google Earth space view, is now Kenneth Copeland Airport, owned by the Eagle Mountain International Church. Only one of the three runways in the typical triangle layout is still in use. One runway is grassed over, the third sharply truncated nad basically a hardstand.

[Jerry Entin]

Lining up the big production cars for the start of Race 3.

Front row: Paul O'Shea [300SL], Bob Stonedale [Corvette] and Charlie Wallace [300SL]. Second row: Dick Thompson [Corvette]. Race result: 1. O'Shea 2. Thompson 3. Wallace

all research Willem Oosthoek
photo- Willem Oosthoek collection

Edited by Jerry Entin, 02 February 2010 - 17:56.

[Jerry Entin]

Bob Stonedale's 1956 Corvette at Eagle Mountain
Bob Stonedale ran a public relations firm in Houston.


photo Willem Oosthoek collection

[RShaw]

...
Not to be outdone, Denver's Temple Buell brought two Ferraris, a 375MM for Danny Collins [0372] and a 750 Monza for Dabney Collins [0502]. The latter would soon receive a Chevy engine, installed by Tony Foyt and raced by Jim Hall and Bob Schroeder under the nickname Pig Pen.


all research Willem Oosthoek
photo: Willem Oosthoek collection

The Monza ultimately proved to be something of a disappointment to the Buell outfit, never achieving the kind of success it had enjoyed in McAfee's hands.

The Monza was entered at Eagle Mountain after an engine overhaul, which was not completed until late in the week. So late that it had to be broken in on the road on the way to the race. Alas, the mechanic entrusted with the break-in fell afoul of the Texas Highway Patrol and spent some time in jail on the way. Arriving too late to practice, Dabney was nevertheless somehow awarded a place on the third row of the grid. During the race a fitting in the back of the fuel pressure gauge came adrift, spraying Dab and the cockpit will a good dose of gasoline. Fortunately Dab had an adjustable wrench at hand and was able to reattach the fitting.

He had no sooner completed that when Danny Collins spun and stalled the Buell 375MM Ferrari nearby. Danny was unable to get the Ferrari restarted until Dabney ran over and gave him a push. For his efforts Dab was awarded with the Sportsmanship Trophy for the event.

The Monza was either traded or sold to Chinetti about a month later in exchange for a 2 liter Testa Rossa.

Below is a picture of the Buell 375MM, taken at Torrey Pines in 1955 shortly after the car was obtained by Buell from Sherwood Johnston. The greatly enlarged radiator intake can be seen as well as the air intake for the water-cooled rear brakes installed, I believe, by Alfred Momo when the car was owned by Briggs Cunningham. The water-cooled brakes had been removed by the time Buell bought the car.

Ron Shaw


Dabney Collins Photo, used by permission.

[Jerry Entin]

Danny Collins at Eagle Mountain about to take out the Temple Buell's 375MM, chassis 0372, ex Cunningham, ex Johnston.

Ron Shaw's explanation about what happened to the Buell cars must have taken place during the 15-lap Race 4, in which Dabney finished 9th overall and Danny 11th. In the 35-lap feature [Race 6], Danny did not take the start for unknown reasons. Dabney finished 8th overall with the Monza.


all research Willem Oosthoek
photo-Willem Oosthoek collection

[RShaw]

Jerry,
Wonderful photo. I don't believe I have seen another photo of the 375MM in Buell's livery. Looks like it predates the use of "Scuderia Buell" on the cars.
You are of course right about Danny Collins in the main event. I will try to find out why he does not appear as a competitor in the feature.
Ron Shaw

[cabianca]

The next owner of the Johnston 375 was Chevrolet dealer Gary Laughlin, later known as the creator of the three Scagilitti-bodied Corvettes.

[cabianca]

The Monza ultimately proved to be something of a disappointment to the Buell outfit, never achieving the kind of success it had enjoyed in McAfee's hands.

Ron Shaw

Sort of the same situation earlier in the year at Dodge City KS. The trailer for the Buell Monza failed on the way from Denver to Dodge City and they had to drive the car in on the public roads. Buell had Masten Gregory in the car and Shelby, again in Chuck Hall's Monza 0510, was never challenged. Don't know if was the car or what, but after having seen Shel leave the Cunningham Jags for dead at Elkhart in Chinetti's 121 LM the year before, I think it really sunk in at Dodge City, just how good Shelby was.

[SHRAEL]

Carroll Shelby in chassis # 1169
Elad:
Here is a shot of Carroll Shelby in Harry Chapman's 1.5-liter OSCA MT4, chassis 1169. It was taken at the starting grid of Race 2 during the Eagle Mountain National in 1956.

Photo: Willem Oosthoek Collection

Thanks. Wonderful picture!

Just for avoidance of any doubt, i checked under the front wheel arches, and indeed -altough covered in its current restored state- there are traces on the inside bodywork of the airscoops that are in the Forth Worth picture.

Cool fact pattern.

elad

[Robert Wilder]

I am restoring the Bro Crim OSCA, raced by Bro Crim in race # 3 at Eagle Mountain in June 1956 according to Tom Burnside who attended the race and took photos of the car which he sent me. I also received an SCCA race sheet for the race signed by R C McKissick. The car, listed as a white OSCA, was #5, G Modified and the entrants were L.N. Crim, Jr. and Boris Said. The race sheet was sent to me by R. David Jones, formerly the president of SCCA, who worked in high school at Bill Parham's race shop in Ft. Worth and remebers the Bro Crim OSCA speciale. I have lots of information about the history of this car if anyone is interested. Like most specials built in Itlay in the early 1950's, there is a long story to these cars that were often rebodied and had new engines installed as a result of the improving technology and changing race rules of the early 1950's .

Apparently the OSCA MT 4 1100 cc motor (#1111) threw a rod (I beleive in the June 1956 eagle mountain race) and was removed by 3 guys, Harold Hartman, Lawrence Johnson (or Johnston) and an unknown individual. It is this unknown individual that appraently moved in 1957 from Dallas Ft. Worth to the Chicago area with the OSCA motor (according to R. D. Jones) and the whereabouts of this motor has never surfaced. I spoke to Berdie Martin who raced in Chicago after leaving the Dallas Ft. Worth area and he doesn't remember the OSCA motor, Johnson or Hartman. However, by 1957, a 1951 1100 cc OSCA motor was outdated and not competitive. Hartman, Johnson and "Mr. X" were in the Air Force at the time in Waco. All attempts to track them down through the air force or the Dallas ft. Worth racing network, activer in SCCA in the 1950s, have been unsuccessful. Any help on re-uniting OSCA 1100 motor (#1111) with the Bro Crim OSCA now nearing completion of a 2 year restoration would be much appreciated.

[ERault]

This is a long shot, but I had a quick look for OSCA engined cars racing in 1957 and 1958. All I could find was Tom Fox in a Lotus-OSCA in 1957, and John Haas, also Lotus-OSCA in 1958. I don't know if it was the same car, and I am not sure the engine was a 1100 cc one.

[raceannouncer2003]

This is a long shot, but I had a quick look for OSCA engined cars racing in 1957 and 1958. All I could find was Tom Fox in a Lotus-OSCA in 1957, and John Haas, also Lotus-OSCA in 1958. I don't know if it was the same car, and I am not sure the engine was a 1100 cc one.

The results for both seem to indicate they ran in FM, which I think was 1100 to 1600 cc.

Vince H.

[David McKinney]

FM was traditionally 1500, but I think changed to 1600 about that time

[RA Historian]

FM was traditionally 1500, but I think changed to 1600 about that time

My recollection is that the SCCA increased the class FM displacement limit from 1500cc to 1600cc in 1962.
Tom

[David McKinney]

That would certainly be more logical, ie following the European lead

But I had a feeling I'd seen reference to a 1600 limit as early as perhaps 1958. Maybe that was FP, rather than FM

[RA Historian]

My recollection is that the SCCA increased the class FM displacement limit from 1500cc to 1600cc in 1962.
Tom

One practical example of why I believe my earlier post to be true. Bill Wuesthoff, a renowned Porsche driver of the era, was from my home town, so I followed his career closely. In 1960 he bought a Porsche RS-60 with the 1500cc engine and ran in FM. For 1961 He screwed 1600cc barrels onto the engine and ran in EM. But for 1962, while he still had the 1600cc engine, his car was now back in class FM. Hence, FM went from 1500cc to 1600cc in 1962.

David, I cannot verify your thinking about the FP class, but you very well may be right, as the SCCA displacement limits in those days was not the same for the Production and Modified classes.
Tom

[etceterini.com]

Here are my 1956 Eagle Mountain records:

[JoBo]

Here are my 1956 Eagle Mountain records:

In the 4th race I see on position 15 the "SIATA-Ferrari" of T.D. Johnson in EM1. Has someone more info about that car?

JoBo

[ERault]

In the 4th race I see on position 15 the "SIATA-Ferrari" of T.D. Johnson in EM1. Has someone more info about that car?

JoBo

George Arents had a Siata 208 CS with a 4 cylinder Mondial engine (if I remember correctly) around that time. Maybe the same car ?