I have two different Friedman photos- one of each crash. As I recall, John
Morton said the crashes were on two different days, also.
The first crash wasn't too bad. The second crash (in almost the identical
spot) shows a lot more sheet metal damage, the front end bent and the outer
part of the steering wheel broken from the center hub. No wonder Lew was
hurting so badly! He hit the steering wheel hard enough with his chest to
break the outer ring away from the center hub!!
Kirk
-----Original Message-----
From: tigers-bounces@autox.team.net [mailto:tigers-bounces@autox.team.net]
On Behalf Of Buck Trippel
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 8:30 AM
To: michael king
Cc: Jeffrey Nichols; tigers@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Tigers] Guldstrand Tiger B9470570 LRXFE
The yellow Shelby American Tiger got really beat up. It took 3 pretty hard
front end crashes where most of the damage was to the right front. It
crashed
twice in May, 1964 at Laguna Seca. Then its last crash was at the Nassau
Speed
Week in December 1964. Rootes had invested something like $40K in it and
wanted to continue its racing program in 1965 with Sports Car Forum.
Together
they decided to start with a fresh tub. Literature describes the old tub as
"all used up". In a letter written in January, 1965, John Panks described it
as a total racing loss.
Lew Spencer told us about his second crash at Laguna Seca. "I came over the
hill, every time a bit faster. And then I lost it and went off. I really hit
hard. I was shook up. I got out of the Tiger and tried to stand, I couldn't.
I
tried leaning against it. I couldn't. So I slid down the side and sat on the
ground, leaning against the door. I couldn't even do that so I laid on the
ground. About then the track doctor drove up and asked, 'Lew, are you OK?' I
managed to to get out, 'Yeah, I think so.' He said, 'Good!' and drove off!"
This was the event that some (Friedman, et al) have described as "Lew's last
race in a Tiger" which is also mistaken. Over the next 5 months, Lew
actually
raced the Shelby Tiger about a half dozen times before it was transferred to
Sports Car Forum.
Buck Trippel
----- Original Message -----
From: michael king
To: Buck Trippel
Cc: Jeffrey Nichols ; tigers@autox.team.net
Sent: Sunday, October 31, 2010 11:58 PM
Subject: Re: [Tigers] Guldstrand Tiger B9470570 LRXFE
Buck,
Why did they want the tub of the shelby car destroyed? Was the shelby car
in
an accident at some point ( i think i remember hearing that)
On 1 November 2010 13:08, Buck Trippel <BuckTrippel@verizon.net> wrote:
It's an interesting story but part of it is not true - at least
according
to Lew Spencer himself.
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