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A friend and I owned this car back in the mid-late 70s.
It was the first factory 57 Fuel Injected car built and had the famous cold air box, big brakes and suspension. It was the rest car for the Sebring racers and was supposed to have been destroyed, however as was the custom back then it "slipped out the back door" later to show up at Elkart Lake racing.
My friend bought me out on this car and collected all of the very rare hard to find parts for the car and later sold it to Tim Partridge who owned Lectra Limited repo wiring harness company. The last I knew of the car was painted up to appear as a Sebring racer and offered for sale.
Does anyone know where this car is today and who owns it?
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There are about 15 very active owners of 1957 heavy duty race option cars that visit regularily with email and at events thruout the year like CORVETTES AT CARLISLE's recent RACE CAR REUNION.
At this years event, which occurs every five years, Tim Partridge was present with vin #832, which is his TRIBUTE #P3 race SEBRING car. Tim sold the vin #834 car to an Ohio collector back in the late 1980's who still owns the car.
That car(#834) did show up in 1977 at a NCRS event in Collingsworth, IL. See the NCRS RESTORER magazine Vol 5-4 and 13-2 for Mike Hunt's stories on the car back in the day. We lost Mike in July 2007, but his research is still being treasured by Ken Kayser, I and other 57 history freaks. Back in those days, Mike had 17 "air box" cars identified (today we have 29 of the 43 made), and this car was one that he felt was legit even thou the air box cars production fall into the vin number 3950-6339 ranged of May 57 production and later.
Today the car is presented as the # 4 SEBRING race car that Dr. Dick Thompson and Gaston Audry drove to 12th OA at SEBRING on March 24, 1957.
In May 2009, I found vin #1034 which we believe is the # 3 SEBRING race car driven by Jim Jeffords, John Kilborn and Dale Duncan.
I would like to privately visit with you about vin #834 and put you in touch with the current owner who would welcome your contact. I and five others saw the car just last September 2. I have lots of history to share.
Regards,
JIM GESSNER
[email protected]
909-794-7905