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Alfa's In Trans Am

426K views 1K replies 112 participants last post by  kengta 
#1 · (Edited)
There are a lot of people here who have pictures of Alfa's racing in the Trans Am series. Let's post all the pictures we can find here on this thread. Here are just a few of what I have. I need to scan more.

Charlie Thieriot at unknown track 1971

Charlie Thieriot at unknown track 1971

Charlie Thieriot at unknown track 1971

Charlie Thieriot Laguna Seca pits 1971 (Host Kwech coming out of last corner)

Charlie Thieriot Laguna Seca paddock 1971 (BB member Rick Clemente with rain coat and gloves)
 
#353 ·
I looked at my pictures, which are likely from spring 1978, at an AROSC time trial at Riverside.

I have pics of a BSR (just BS on one panel)-classed car in a GTV body, with insanely wide front and rear flares, not done real professionally. It has GTV door handles, which is what makes me think it's a GTV. It had a giant airdam fastened with a bunch of Dzus fasteners, but in the pictures I have, it was both in the pits and on the track without the air dam. So I don't know what it said on it. It had race number 49, and says "Prepared by Barlow Racing" on it, and "paint and body by AJK." This doesn't sound like the car. But maybe someone can ID it?

The two cars I have pics of from this event with the Veloce Motors West airdam at the same event are (1) a street-bodied RHD GTA in red with No roll cage, probably Cal license 393 PXB. A similar street LHD GTA with the same type airdam had Cal license 019 SQJ.

The pics I have are BW prints taken on (gasp!) film. If these cars sound like something anyone wants pics of, I can make prints and mail them. I don't have a scanner though, to make images to post.

Andrew
 
#358 ·
Thank you Ken, I have now corrected my typing errors in the post.
Yes DNA means "did not arrive". The GTA drivers were listed in the Virginia Press Release of ARI, but the result list do not show Brizzard according to Anthony's pdf-files.

Btw the Giulia from your photo in post #334 is very sure:
19671008 TransAm Kent 300 T – Pacific Raceways, Kent, Washington (USA), No. 12 TIS? Don Muellhaupt, Salem, Oregon (USA), 19oa, 8cl (T2.0, DNF)

All the best
Martin
 
#359 ·
Vic Provenzano #97

Here are two photos, That I don't think I have posted before, from Competion Press/AutoWeek showing
-Vic Provenzano on RHD GTA #97 at Riverside TA 1968 on his way to a class win and

-on LHD GTA #97 at Riverside TA 1969 on his way to 5th in class.

Ciao

Ken
 

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#362 · (Edited)
Sebring TA 1966

Following is a series of scans of B/W pictures graciously given to me by a now unknown Alfisti(since remembered as John K Wright of PA) at a Meadowbrooke/Waterford Hills, Michigan event many years ago. If you are out there please make yourself known to me.

The information I give is generally from information written by the photographer onto the back of the B/W prints. I have tried to figure out the correct chronological order but that could be debated.

Some of these have also appeared earlier in this thread. There are some detail on my prints that are lost in the scanning process.

First 2 are are the start of the Sebring event.

Next 3, 4, 5 are the start of a pit stop for #35. 4th pic shows Zeccoli driving
 

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#363 · (Edited)
Sebring TA 1966

End of pit stop for #35 . Second pic shows in helmets, from left, De Adamich and Zeccoli.
 

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#364 · (Edited)
Sebring TA 1966

Start of Pit stop #36.

Picture 2 shows Gus Andrey and Don Black in dark glasses on right
Pic 3 has Rindt in Helmet
Pic 5 has from left, De Adamich, Chiti, Rindt, Terchmann (Dunlop), Capaaletti
 

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#365 ·
Sebring TA 1966

End of pit stop #36 Rindt.
 

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#366 ·
Sebring TA 1966

First picture- Paul Richard, driver GTA 752507, Race #42, Finished 3rd in class.

Second Picture- from left Gus Andrey, Horst Kwech, Don Black. Andrey/Kwech were on GTA 752648, Race #40, Finished 4th in class.

Third Picture- RHD GTA #4?, either 752507 or 752648, coming into pit.

"and thats all there is"

ciao

Ken
 

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#368 ·
Does anyone know why the Alfa racers decided to use soft-ish spring rates when compared to the 510's of the era? It seems as if they were losing out on extra cornering grip unnecessarily..
 
#369 ·
The early (pre-1971) Auto Delta GTA's had a very low rear roll center with a sliding block pivot point that put the theoretical R-C under the pavement... using the crappy Dunlop tires (pre-Goodyear Blue-streaks) [btw: all these were bias belted...) The soft big leaners put more rubber to the road. The MUCH stiffer Datsuns & BMWs had IRS and, while the bodies didn't roll as much, if you study the pix you will find that the tire contact patch at the rear is not so different.
With the much stiffer sidewall Goodyears in '71 we all went to a higher rear pivot and stiffer springs... this development continues to today with shock settings, tires, pressures, sway-bars and ride hight all making substantial handling contributions. Test, test, test!
 
#370 ·
Ehh, I think the Sliding Block Pivot is the roll center in the rear. The front roll center geometry may well have been below the track surface.
 
#371 ·
Ok, since no one has outed me yet[No not that way}, I will reveal the secret identity of the owner of AR752573. I am Keith Goring, of Alfas Unlimited in Ct. I have owned 752573 since 1989, when I bought it from Mecca Development. They used it in SCCA racing as a test bed for the Accusump oiling system. It has taken 15 years of tracking previous owners to determine that it was one of the 67 season Kwech/Winkler Tri-colored cars. It is most likely the #6 Monty Winkler car, but it appears that they switched drivers frequently. We are comparing small details in old pictures to tell the #3 and #6 cars apart. They used different #'s at different tracks, but the Tri-color paint scheme remained basically the same, during the 67 season. It is under restoration to the 67 season color scheme. I'll post some photos as we go along. I'm trying to get used to the way things work on the BB. As I frequently tell my son, who knows everything: "I'm old and stupid!", so it may take awhile to figure out posting photos.
Keith
 
#373 ·
Welcome Keith



Keith great that you have decided to join in. As you know I have the Letter Don Black wrote to Paul Spruell documenting delivery of your car (752573) to Knauz in March of 1967 and believe I copied you. I wish you luck sorting out the 1967 season as that is more of a challenge than 1966. The comments early in this thread that my car (752648) may have gone to Daytona in 1967 are not correct. Kwech took new cars to Daytona and mine was on the Knauz car lot for sale from late December until March of 1967. The big question is what car(s)did he take to Daytona?

I have attached a Roger Blanchard photo taken at the 1967 Daytona ARRC that may well have been your car driven by John Martino. The story is (from John and Ron Neal) that either my car was not ready or Martino, an Ausca employee at the time, wanted to race the latest Kwech platform to win the National Championship. John did get the pole, but on the start there was a serious pile up and debris damaged his car, he finished third and Vic Provenano won the race.
BTW BB members Roger Blanchard has been very kind in letting us post his photos so here is a plug for his website:

Roger Blanchard Automotive Art Work


Bob

1965 RHD GTA Corsa Ex-Horst Kwech 1966 Trans-Am and B-Sedan Champion
 

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#372 ·
Paul:
Correctamundo! I meant that the whole car {front + rear} roll center was underground... when you do get sideways at high speed in dirt in one of these things it's almost always the FRONT that digs in and starts the rollover, just my observation...
 
#375 ·
AR753573 Winkler GTA

Hi Guys,
I'm goin to post a couple pictures here for the first time. Several of you explained the process to me, but I've probably done it wrong, anyway. These are photos of the Knauz 67 T-A cars at Marlboro in the early part of the season. My car{I believe} is the #1 car with Monty Winkler's name in front of the door. If you look at the two photos, the silver hood pin discs are mounted slightly differently. My hood, which is original to 752573 has the discs closer to the back edge, like the#1 car. I have a lot more unpublished photos, but I want to get the sizing correct, before I post anymore. Apparently, you can't post an image much large than 240k, but another spot says no larger than 800 pixels wide. I sized them in Photoshop to 800 wide and got photos that are only 91K in size. How do you juggle the pixels width vs total size in Kbs? Many of these photos are hi-res images, which I would like to post as large as I can. Help!!
KG
 

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#376 ·
Ar752573

Hi
I guess that the first post with photos worked. I'll send a couple more tonight to keep the thread running. These are also from 67 Marlboro. I have to credit Pete Luongo for these Marlboro photos. He asked me not to publish them for profit, so to speak. I hope that this doesn't break our agreement. If anyone wants to use them for another purpose, other than these discussions, you will need to ask his permission, I believe. More to come.
KG
 

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#377 ·
Ar752573

Me Again,
I cropped the #1 car photo to just the hood, so you can compare it to my actual hood from 752573. Compare these to the large photo of #3 for reference.
See what you guys think, but I believe that my hood is the same as the #1 car.
KG
PS
It does appear that the rivets are not in the same place, but I imagine the the discs have been removed several times for stripping and paint. I will have to remove the rivets at some point, but I think that there are several sets of rivet holes surrounding the original pin hole.
 

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#378 ·
Keith:
Marlboro was my home track back then, good memories.
Talk about different safety standards in those days, the track wound back & forth such that opposing traffic was separated by only a narrow grass divider. Note the upper photo in the first post on this page, you see the pace lap cars coming at you with stragglers in the top right and a course worker, all going in different directions with no barriers in between.
Wil
 
#380 ·
Green GTA at Sebring

Hi
There have been several mentions of the green GTA that Kwech drove at Sebring. He told me that they only used it once and then sold it to Harry T.
The first image is from a 1968 SCCA magazine, probably May68. I can't find the original right now, so I scanned a copy that I made previously. Note the placement of the trunk hold down pin/disc and the Monza filler. Then see the photos of the car, Harry T. and mechanic{Arnie}. Note the trunk pin and the plate riveted over the Monza cap hole in the trunk lid. I think that the trunk pin was offset to the left to clear the GTA script. The trunk pin on my car{752573} is offset the same way. I was given copies of these photos a couple years ago, by Arnie.{Can't remember his last name, right now.}
The same car, I think, later shows up in white, although it might be a different car. It is pictured in one or the other books. I have a small photo of it which I added after the green pictures.
KG
 

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#381 ·
752573 at Sebring????

Hi
This next photo came from Jim Hayes website. I think that he took the photo at the 67 Sebring. It is the #35 car which shows up in the pit lane photo previously posted by Wil Painter. In the pit lane photo, I see that #34 has the fuel filler like the #3 Kwech car for the rest of the year. So I figured that the #35 car was mine, but then I recently looked at the hood pin discs and it doesn't match the placement in the #1 car photo from Marlboro. So I'm still confused!!
See also photos from the VIR site from the summer of 68. This is 752573 after it was sold off to Ed Prutton at the end of the 67 season. He raced it for 2 years and then it went to Wilbur Pickett for 70-71, then to Mecca from 72-89, then to me.
KG
 

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#382 · (Edited)
Hey Kieth thanks for coming "out" and contributing what you have figured out about your GTA 752573. I enjoyed the photo contribution and the ownership chronology. It answers some questions I had about the pre Mecca ownership of your GTA.

In the series of photos of the Green #82 the second photo shows a CS for C-sedan? on the door. Any comment. I seem to remember a pic of Harry T leading the pack at a SCCA runoff in a RHD C-Sedan.

Regards

Ken
 
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