:bang:bang:bang
Back when the Can Am wound down in the early 70s, Scotty Beckett in Minneapolis had a McLaren M8E for sale, complete with spares, for less than $13,000. There were no takers and he rented it by the race for amateur competition. I almost bought it, but kept the Lola T70 Mk IIIB we raced in the series. Later sold the Lola to an engineer friend of mine who finally sold it last year for the really big bucks. It is now fully restored and was shown at Elkhart Lakes a few weeks ago. By the way...I had originally purchased the Lola for $4400, complete with spares. Value today...around $400K plus in its restored condition, from what I understand.
Hard to believe the cars sold for so little back then when the new models came onto the track.
Isn't it a shame!!!
In the '80's, Don Orosco restored the Tipo 61 Maserati (S/N 2458) that Carroll Shelby won the LA Examiner Grand Prix for Sports Cars on April 3, 1960. He's a good acquaintence, and offerred to sell it to me for $50K; the next year when I saw him, it was $150K; he finally sold it in the early '90s for
$2.5 M.
The "Birdcage" in the pic in the earlier post is S/N 2469, which won the 1960 LA Times Grand Prix for Sports Cars at Riverside on October 16, 1960, under the capable hands of Billy Krause. The picture was taken at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, where it resides. I wrenched on it the following year (1961) when it was owned by Chuck Sargent of Modesto, CA.
Here's a picture of me in the J.Frank Harrison Birdcage (S/N 2467) at that LA Times Grand Prix at Riverside. I wrenched on it there and at Laguna Seca - the Pacific Grand Prix - Shelby's last two competitive races (5th at Riverside & 2nd OA at Seca), and he (we?) won the USAC National Championship there at Monterey. God, was I proud! :cheers
Two years later, Tipo 61's were selling for ~ $5,000!, and not selling.
:bang:bang:bang:bang
