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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)
 
#383 ·
HarryT green car/white car

Hi Ken and other interested folks,
Harry T used the same chassis and switched motors between 1300/1600 for CS/BS. Don Breslauer who lives locally to me worked for Milestone Garage in Wilton. Ct. It was a gas station/garage owned by Marvin Davidson. They took care of Harry T's cars and eventually prepped the Porsche 911 that Tony A-Z ran in the 69-70 seasons. Don, Mac Tilton and Arnie[possibly others] all worked there at various times. Don said that they often switched engine back and forth for HarryT. At one time I thought that he would run two classes on the same weekend, but I'm not sure if that is actually true.
On another topic, back in October 07 in post331, you posted entry lists for Lime Rock 67 TA. Monty Winkler is listed in the "62" because Mark Donohue had claim to "6". Is this the famous#62 that is pictured as a wreck at Knauz? If so, my car 752573 may not have gone into service until after the wreck, which would explain the Sebring pit lane photo. I think that the "1" car at Marlboro is mine, but not the #35 at Sebring. Later in the year, on the west coast, there is another anomoly. In those rear end photos of the two cars{#3and#6}, the rear trunk hardware and trim changes between Crows Landing and Riverside. I figured that there was either damage or a different car was introduced. also, at some point late in the season, Monty Winkler stops driving and only Kwech shows up in the results. Did they run out of cars? More confusion.
Keith
PS, I'll post the rear end pictures tonight.
 
#384 ·
Hi Ken and other interested folks,
Harry T used the same chassis and switched motors between 1300/1600 for CS/BS. Don Breslauer who lives locally to me worked for Milestone Garage in Wilton. Ct. It was a gas station/garage owned by Marvin Davidson. They took care of Harry T's cars and eventually prepped the Porsche 911 that Tony A-Z ran in the 69-70 seasons. Don, Mac Tilton and Arnie[possibly others] all worked there at various times. Don said that they often switched engine back and forth for HarryT. At one time I thought that he would run two classes on the same weekend, but I'm not sure if that is actually true.
Keith
PS, I'll post the rear end pictures tonight.
Thanks Keith,

This info all helps my goal to sort out the RHD GTA Trans Am story from 1966 to 1972. And confusing issues today are tomorrow's eureka.

Do you know the S/n and where abouts of that Harry T #82?
 
#385 ·
HarryT Green/white RHD car

Hi
No, unfortunately, at the moment I don't know much about the Green car. It was prepped by Knauz/Kwech for the 68 season, so it must be one of the cars that came thru them. Harry T lives in Florida, but apparently has little or no interest in discussing all the old racing stuff. Here is another photo from the Friedman book. It shows Marve Davidson taking to Tony A-Z, with the white Harry T GTA in the background.
Keith
 

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#386 ·
Keith,

If memory serves me correctly, Harry's car does not have a serial number. It is one of two that were constructed by Ausca from the bodies ordered from ARI. I last saw the car in John Murphy's ownership. He had asked me about the car. You might check with Tim Ritter to see what happened to it.
 
#389 ·
A LHD GTA converted to RHD was sold out of the John Murphy estate to Mr Hadfield(sp) on the west coast. It has no S/N ,but it is said that there may have been a serial number as there is evidence of grinding in the area where the serial number should have been. The oldest information on this converted chassis goes back to Bobcor, Buffalo about 1975. Have you ever heard of a conversion, LDD to RHD??

Did the John Murphy collection have more than one RHD GTA?

Can you say when Ausca built the Racers your refering to. Were they GTA chassis or bare of sheetmetal? And is it likely that they would have been able to obtain RHD Chassis?

regards

Ken
 
#390 ·
TriColor GTAs

Hi
I've scanned the two rear end shots to show the differences between Continental Divide in August to Riverside 3 weeks later, with Crows Landing in between. The first photo is a montage of different sized photocopies. Note the fuel filler differences between #3 and #6. Also, both cars seem to have a hood pin disc just left of the central green stripe. It is hard to see on the 6 car because of grain. Then look at the second photo which is Riverside. This comes from the Friedman book if you want a better look. The #6 car is much the same, but the #3 car looks a lot different. The hood pin disc is gone, the trunk is held down with Terry springs, there is a Chrome license plate frame and the Quadrifoglio sticker is gone. My guess is that there was accident damage to the #3 car after Crow's Landing. Both cars finished Continental Divide, but Kwech's car didn't finish Crow's Landing. New tail panel and trunk lid, perhaps? Was anyone there or have more photos? At Riverside, Kwech and Winkler share one car and Del Taylor is listed in the other. In the Riverside photo, Kwech's helmet is visible in the #3 car, so it may be Del Taylor driving the other. Of course, you never know if photos were taken during practice or the actual race. Confused yet? I am, after staring at this stuff for 5 years.
Keith
 

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#392 ·
Ar752573

Hi
Tell me if you get sick of my posting too many pics. I feel like I'm hogging up the thread. Here is some automotive archaeology. This is the original Autodelta modified trunk lid. It shows several layers of paint, rivet holes for the original humped cover for the Monza filler, rivet holes from cover plates, when they went to a fuel cell, accident damage, the hood pin hole, etc. It was originally white from the factory, Tri-color with Knauz, then red with Prutton, red, then yellow with Wilbur Pickett, then black with Mecca.
Keith
 

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#393 · (Edited)
Keith, I don't think you need to worry about posting too many pictures of the of the GTA race cars.Images like yours are a welcome tool to help us unravel the past. Thanks again,
Cheers
 
#394 ·
Harry T.
The white Harry-T.-GTA is LHD (see post 280), whereas the later used green one is RHD.
The white car could have been #613151, sold to Filipo Theodoli, New York, according to "Alleggerita". Harry T. showed up with Theodoli for the 1966 Sebring TransAm race, race no. 37, a Theodoli entry (not sure if it was a white car); later Theodoracopulos drove a white car (with race no. 37) throughout the season without Theodoli. In 1967 the same white GTA got race no. 82, 37 was mostly used by Jim Baker in a yellow one (see post 278). The last pic I saw of the white car was at Lime Rock 19680530. Harry won a 1968 North-East Championship, it is said to be the ex Kwech one transformed to GTAJ, but the first pic of that green car with Harry T. is from Michigan 19690511.

Since the GTAJ was introduced in mid 1968 and did not run in FIA group 2 (T1.3) before 19690201, I am not sure if the american equivalent CSedan saw GTAJs in 1968. Harry T and the others should have converted their GTAs to 1300 cc not before 1969 (and Harry raced both BS and CS in 1969). For 1970 the FIA banned the GTAs to group 4 (GTS1.6, similar to the Porsche911), that is why many GTAs were converted to GTAJ to race the standard touring car class. Since the TransAm rules saw only two classes (from 1966 to 1970 O2/U2, in 1971 and 1972 Championship and 2.5Challenge) the CSedan and BSedan were in the same class and it is not sure which car got a new engine.

Knauz
In the late 1960s you could have ordered a complete GTA body from Alfa Romeo (according to the spare parts catalogue), but I do not know if they had a VIN stamped.

Knauz is known to have got GTA #752648 in February? 1966 (before the Sebring race), #752573 in March 1967 and #752536 in July 1967. Interestingly the highest VIN was the earliest one delivered to him; and #752536 was built 19650722 to an unknown source, two years before it had been delivered to Knauz. GTA #752536 should be the car instead of the destroyed Winkler no. 62. So what was the second car they did enter at Sebring 1967? #752648 was already sold before to John Martino.

Monty Winkler was together with Horst Kwech in one car at Riverside TransAm 1967, the other Knauz car was driven by Del Russo Taylor. The next TransAm race at Las Vegas saw Kwech in a Knauz car, possibly Del Taylor in a second, Winkler is not mentioned. And the last race at Kent had Kwech and Taylor mentioned, but not sure about their cars.
There was a Bill Taylor with Robert Pratt in the 1967 Mont Tremblant race and with Gaston Andrey at Lime Rock Park TramsAm, not sure if it is Del Russo Taylor or another guy.
 
#395 ·
In the late 1960s you could have ordered a complete GTA body from Alfa Romeo (according to the spare parts catalogue), but I do not know if they had a VIN stamped.
To my knowledge all the spare parts shells were unnumbered, but the distributor usually had tools to put a replacement # in (same is true for replacement blocks). There is at least one ex-Bobcor GTA running around that has an unnumbered body.
 
#396 · (Edited)
Vin #

The #17 Joe Locario RHD GTA Corsa I have is also currently Blank on the firewall,however 10504/A can still be seen on the boot rail edge.
When I spoke to one of the past owners (Jon Norman) he informed me the GTA had it's firewall replaced when they shunted at Sears Point in 1970.
I wonder if Alfa has any records showing what Vin # was raced by Joe Lacario (Southwest Motors in Texas)
(drivers Russ Simon and Bill Steel) at the 1966 VIR Trans-Am.
anyone know where # 525 and #642 are?
Alfa rcords show G.D. (RHD) cars produced have Vins between 752501 and 752550.
Cheers,
 
#398 ·
Ar752573

Hi all,
Thanks Martin for the clarification on the Harry T. cars. I have the photos, but you supplied much more of the story.
I have scanned in the identification photos out of the Mecca SCCA log book.
This log book begins in in the summer of 1974, when Jack Evans wife, Bonnie, went to drivers school. She raced it 8 times in 1974-5, ending in a crash at LimeRock in Sept 1975. Spare body work from the Roger Lewis GTA was used to repair the body damage. The log book takes up again in 1978 with Jim Crittenden driving. He drove in SCCA races every year until Oct,1983. The car was parked and Mecca switched over to a GT-1 Camaro. Jack Evans told me that it was also run at the first ever IMSA race at Bridgehampton, NY, being driven by Peter Schuster, who usually drove a BMW 2002 in Trans-Am.
 

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#401 ·
Thanks again Roger!

Since bob kindly mentioned my art website and photo I though I'd root around and see what else I had in the way of photos, so here goes.

Roger Blanchard View attachment 90012

View attachment 90014
Roger thanks again for sharing your great photos. In case the board doesn't know Roger Blanchard is a first rate automotive artist that has contributed some of his photos to the VIR Trans-Am site and graciously let us post some on the BB.
Here is his website location again.

Roger Blanchard Automotive Art Work

This thread has the best collection of Trans-Am Alfa photos in the world!!


Bob

1965 RHD GTA Corsa Ex Horst Kwech 1966 Trans-Am and B-Sedan Champion
 
#400 ·
Marlboro photos

Hi
Dumb question!! Aren't the captions backwards? I think that Winkler/VanderVate typically ran #27. I think that there 66 car is now owned by Scott Gray and should be LHD. If so, is the #32 really Richards/Alderman and where did it go?
Is it for instance the Baker&Hein car from Vt that later became the Gaston Andrey car,which would make it Ken G's 752507?? I'm the new guy, so don't pick on me if I'm wrong!
Keith
 
#406 · (Edited)
Hi
Dumb question!! Aren't the captions backwards? I think that Winkler/VanderVate typically ran #27. I think that there 66 car is now owned by Scott Gray and should be LHD. If so, is the #32 really Richards/Alderman and where did it go?
Is it for instance the Baker&Hein car from Vt that later became the Gaston Andrey car,which would make it Ken G's 752507?? I'm the new guy, so don't pick on me if I'm wrong!
Keith
Hey Keith and others, I think #32 at Marlboro 1966 is indeed GTA 752507. See that the front paint identifiers on #42, 752507 from VIR 1966 are the same as the #32 at Marboro 1966. Note the white stripe across the hood and the 3 triangular flashes at the bumper line. Perhaps there was a numbering conflict with one of the other racers as Richards had used #42 at both Sebring and VIR. There are more pics of #42 at the VIR web site. edit: I had un-referenced notes elsewhere indicating Richards/Alderman on #32 at Marlboro.

Thanks Roger for posting the above 2 previous unknown, to me, pics of 752507.

Ciao

Ken
 

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#403 ·
#32 in latest photo

Hi
I just noticed that the #32 car in the latest photo contribution has the quick lift rear bumper jacking system. This is a rare factory item pictured in the FIA papers. I've never seen one on a car here in the US. I would guess that this car is a former factory team car, from Sebring or Daytona perhaps.
KG
 
#404 ·
Tricolor at 67 Riverside

Hi All,
News Flash!! I've just been sent Xerox copies of some 67 Riverside Tran-Am photos featuring the TriColor GTAs. I am purchasing the originals, but couldn't wait to post one of the Xerox copies. It's the the Kwech #3 car, slammed in the tail and rolled over. The results show Kwech/Winkler sharing a car in the race, so this may have happened in practice. My guess is that a bigger car hit it under braking for the previous corner. I'm going to quiz Kwech and Ron Neal when I get the originals. Was anyone there at this race? It was late in the season and Winkler doesn't show up in the results for Las Vegas or Kent. Perhaps Kwech finished out the season in the other car. Eventually we will stir up enough info to answer all these questions.
Keith
 

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#409 ·
I have edited my posts 320 , pg 22, #25 at Bobcor; post 333, pg 23, #2 Wetson Orange GTV at NY auto show 1972; and Post 362, pg 25, series of B/W photos at Sebring 1966, attributing the source info for the photos and adding some other info.

FWIW

Ken
 
#410 ·
What Ever Happened to Horst Kwech's Trans-Am Alfa GTV

Attached is a PDF of the 1980 answer to the question, What Ever Happened to Horst Kwech's Trans-Am Alfa GTV, from the Alfa Owner November 1980.

Also attached is a scan of the owner cover.

Those in the know please please fill in the intervening 28 years.

Ciao

Ken
 

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#411 ·
Kwech GTV's

Hi Ken,
The #3 car went to John Sampson/Rueben Romero{Samero Racing}. I saw it at Ontario, Ca. in an IMSA race when the Bobcor Montreal was being run. It eventually went to Camelot Historics for a resto and then to Sam Cummings in Mi. Roman re-restored it more correctly and takes care of it. It is the the orange one. The blue#4 went to Oskar Feldman, head mechanic for Gaston Andrey. It sold to the West Coast a few years ago and was featured in a Road & Track article. I'm sure that someone can fill in much more than what I know.
Attached is a photo that I just found. It was taken at Lime Rock in Sept 1990 at the Vintage Fall Festival. Black #36 is my 752573 in it's last Mecca configuration.
I threw it back together for a few vintage races, but never liked it's 1983 SCCA looks. The red #32 is Roman's first GTA, a European car with no T/A history. He sold it to buy the Midgely car.
Keith
I've got new photos coming in a week or so.
 

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#416 ·
Hi Ken,
The #3 car went to John Sampson/Rueben Romero{Samero Racing}. I saw it at Ontario, Ca. in an IMSA race when the Bobcor Montreal was being run. It eventually went to Camelot Historics for a resto and then to Sam Cummings in Mi. Roman re-restored it more correctly and takes care of it. It is the the orange one. The blue#4 went to Oskar Feldman, head mechanic for Gaston Andrey. It sold to the West Coast a few years ago and was featured in a Road & Track article. I'm sure that someone can fill in much more than what I know.
That sounds about right for those two cars. The third car was sold to Joe Cannone (who also prepped the #3 car for Samson/Romero) of Tarzana, CA. He and his partner, Jim Newman ran it in IMSA. Newman crashed the car pretty hard at Riverside in 1975. According to my dad who was working for Cannone at the time, the left front wheel was under the door. My dad cut up the car and saved all the parts. I still have the original fiberglass seat. I'll post pictures of the car and the seat over the weekend.
 
#412 ·
GTA jacking system

Hi
In answer to post#405, refering to the photo in 399, I actually answered it in #403, but here is the photo of the rear quick lift "bumper" from the FIA papers in the Alleggerita book. There may also be a photo of it on cars in the Spa 24 hr race, shown in the same book.
Keith
 

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#413 ·
Advertisements for some Trans Am (or not) GTA's and a GTV

Here are some adverts for some GTA's and a GTV,most if not all are ex Trans Am cars. If these help you and/or you can add to their story please do. I am particularily interested in 1,2 and 4

1- From Road & Track April 1970
2- From R&T Nov 1970
3- From R&T July 1972
4- From Alfa Owner March 1981
5- From Alfa Owner Nov 1985

FWIW

Ken
 

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#414 · (Edited)
Thanks for the great post Ken, # 4 contact is Bill Winne, My GTA Rhd (Vegher-Norman-Locario) was sponsored by a Bill Winn at the 1979 Riverside Times Grandprix.I believe he owned a clothing store.I wonder if it is the same person.I'll make some calls and repost what I find.
Cheers,
 
#415 ·
Thanks for the great post Ken, # 4 contact is Bill Winne, My GTA Rhd (Vegher-Norman-Locario) was sponsored by a Bill Winn at the 1979 Riverside
Times Grandprix.I believe he owned a clothing store.I wonder if it is the same person.I'll make some calls and repost what I find.
Cheers,

Hi. The Bill Winn store was my dad's (Jack Becronis); he sold tailored gentlemen's clothing from his store in San Marino, CA. Dad passed in '93. Bill Winnie was a different person, though the names are so close it's no wonder there's a bit of confusion :D Dad sponsored Dave as a courtesy gesture.

I'd love a photo of the car sporting it's Bill Winn sponsorship if anyone has one.
 
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