MGB Sebring

I know it's finished but thought this might interest some:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1962-EX-WORKS-LIGHTWEIGHT-SEBRING-MGB_W0QQitemZ260513573360QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAutomobiles_UK?hash=item3ca7d1a9f0#ht_1104wt_1112

That is an amazing car...good to see it is wearing its original bits...

Never ...ever...thought I would see the day that a B reaches 64,000 pounds = $Aus 115,000.

I suppose this is good that they are now being recognised for their history.

I believe it was Joe Huffaker sr that was working with qvale on those and many other race projects.

That car was one of the 3 that ran in '64. My avatar is one of the teammates (I owned it for 10 years).

The red car (as we called it) was crashed badly several times back in the day. and there is a lot of non-original stuff on it. It was restored by Butch Gilbert of Westley, California. It sold at Monterey for about $50,000....went to the UK and the price went up 50%,

The red car now has a non-original hood retention devise. It did not use leather straps in 1964 but aircraft shock cord. The leather straps were installed at scrutineer's insistence in Europe.

My (former) car, the blue car, is a numbers matching car. Original engine, gearbox, all original alloy body panels, and such. Butch also restored this one. It went for about $100,000 at the same Monterey auction 5 years ago. AFAIK the guy who bought the blue car still has it.

These two (and a white one) formed the red-white-and-blue "factory" team in 64. All 3 were very early prototype production line cars built in May 62 that were part of the first shipment to Qvale's BMCD in San Francisco. They were damaged enreoute and insurance paied up and the vin numbers were yanked...the cars could not be sold for the street.

After the BMC debacle at Sebring in 63, the factory accepted Qvale's plan to build up a tead using these chassis. Joe Huffaker was Qvale's Competition Director at the time. Joe was also deeply involved in the indy car project (the MG Liquid Suspension Specials) so much of the work was overseen by Frank Morrell. In fact, Morrell had been slated to drive the blue car but Joe couldn't make it to Sebring so Frank ended up as crew boss. The white car lost a rear end early on. The red car and the blue car finished I think 2nd and 4th in class, behind a couple Porsche Abarths, but ahead of the two Corvette Gran Sports.

After the race the 3 cars were sold to privateers who removed the FIA alloy panels and such and raced them in SCCA. The red car was raced mostly in Cal Club while the blue car stayed in San Francisco. The white car vanished. Butch searched long and hard for it over the course of decades and found no trace of it other than some mention of it having been in the midwest at one point.

the auction bit refers to the car as the 110th MGB built....actually it was the 11th ! !

Mac, PM me on info regarding the white car.

Lloyd

Lots of details not correct on the description. Butch Gilbert did the final restoration with the aid of Joe Huffaker Jr. I personally viewed this car at the 2004 all MG race at Laguna Seca, and I must tell you that its better than new. Or was anyway.

GREAT history lesson, Mac!

Tell Rick Stevens hello for me!

the red car had been endo'd at Riverslide during an enduro and Rodriguez and Bill Young (65 CP Champ in an Elan) thrashed and got it ready for a National a couple weeks later. One result was that the wheelbase on one side was off a couple inches from the wheelbase on the other side<G>

Later the car appeared on the Johnny Carson show with Jim Garner and Johnny, playing a pit crew, whanged at a wheel spinner with a hammer and hit the fender.

Some years later it nailed the T11 wall at Sears Point totalling it yet again.

Someplace I think I have (or had) lots of resto pix of both the red car and the blue car.