Here is some additional first hand information from my dad:
---------------------- Forwarded by Jay Laifman/Attorney/Legal/CF/CCI on
11/10/98 08:15 AM ---------------------------
Steve Laifman <laifman(at)flash.net> on 11/09/98 05:50:30 PM
To: Jay Laifman <Jay_Laifman(at)countrywide.com>
cc: (bcc: Jay Laifman/Attorney/Legal/CF/CCI)
Subject: Re: Ken Miles
Jay Laifman wrote:
> Later, while he worked as a service manager for an MG distributor in
> California,
Actually, he worked in Hollywood as service manager for International
Motors, which had Jag, Mercedes, MG, and Simca. What a catch. This
same dealer also raced Simca's and his name was Roger Barlow.
Ken was MY service manager, and had one of his mechanics work on my car,
Phil
Hill.
> he raced MG's, including his special "No. 50" based on an MG TD, then the
MG
> TF based
> "Flying Shingle".
Knew them well.
> After racing an MGA in the 1954 Le Mans, finishing 12th
> overall, he and the general manager of the MG distributor had a falling
> out. As Miles put it, "he decided he wanted to run my service
department,
> and I decided to let him."
At this point he was no longer working for the dealer, but the MG
distributor
Gough Industries, in downtown L.A., where I visited him when I needed some
parts. The dealer, Roger Barlow had absconded to South America with the
deposits he was holding for 300 SL's, and left behind a gold mine of a
franchise.
> Miles left and went to work for a Porsche-VW dealer in Hollywood, John
von
> Neumann.
Johnny, and his sister, Elsa, both added the "von" to their names after he
became a dealer and big time racer. His sister was better and won the
ladies
events. He counted on Miles to bring home the trophies, and he did. He
actually refused to enter some events because "the course wasn't designed
for
Porsches".
> After a couple years, von Neuman retired from racing and Miles switched
to
> Otto Zipper for racing.
As you know, Otto was working on my MG when he opened his one-man shop on
Wilshire.
> He raced Porsches for Zipper as well. During
> 1959-1960, he raced Zipper's Porsche RSK's and an RS-60, without ever
> losing, according to Miles. In 1961, he raced a Porsche RS-61 to more
> success, and something called a Dolphin Jr., including one powered by a
> Porsche.
>
> Note the key words "factory-assisted". This is the first time they
used
> this term in the
> article. This is only conjecture here. But, it seems to me that must
be
> synonymous with "money". Sure von Neumann and Zipper gave him a ride,
and
> he ran his own cars before that. However, he was not racing for Porsche,
> only in Porsches.
All this time he was racing in SCCA and CSCC races, which are AMATEUR
events.
The only prize was a trophy. Of course a job with the sponsoring owner
wasn't
counted. Same thing goes for Phil Hill. It wasn't until he became a
FACTORY
driver for Ferrari that he got paid directly for racing, as these were
professional races. "Factory Sponsored" meant he got cars and
parts, not money. Maybe some mechanics, but he liked doing his own.
Now the Alpine days are when he worked at Worldwide Westwood Motors, on
Westwood Blvd., south of Olympic. This is where Jim [family friend] bought
his Morgan. It
was owned by Lew Spencer (not Doane), who was the first driver to ever win
a
race in a Tiger. It was at this time that Tom Cagan [also family friend]
worked for Lew, and
subsequently Shelby. There was a Shelby-Miles connection, but it wasn't as
a
full time employee at this time. Have to ask Tom for those details. As
you
know, I knew them all, and Lew was a member of Gene's Yacht Club until he
moved out of state.
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