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Shortly after this photo was taken, having passed a quarter-million miles and one very busy dead-odometer year, the GT made it known by simultaneous exhibition of several unequivocal and debilitating symptoms that it was interested in retirement, or at least a respite. I escorted it to a place of honor at the rear of the house, where it has reposed since. This is what it looked like in the South County Courthouse parking lot, shortly before it laid down:

I have most of the parts but little of the dedication requisite to early resurrection, but I did promise it would be available for Kelsey to drive when she reaches the age. She's ten-and-a-half as I write this (May 14, 2001). Her daddy has been making noises about getting it out of there and into his yard, a much bigger space. He's a good and fast worker, and may get it on the road in time.

Here is the same car earlier in its life.This was probably within the first few months, before I imported five of the 5½-inch rims from Derrington, in the UK, and laid on a set of 175-70 radial Pirellis. These days I look at those skinny little 5.60 bias-ply tires and wonder what we, they, anyone was thinking in those days. OK, maybe they were 6.40. Still had a contact patch considerably less than four inches wide.

With that stock setup and some high inflation pressures I ran a "slalom" at Riverside International Raceway. The odometer showed right at 00340 miles when I started my first run. Eighty-five of those miles were between my house and the track, on the morning of the event. I set myself a limit of 3,500, 4,000, and 4,500 rpm in the lower gears. The restriction seems to have done its job: during the couple of years of my tenancy in the car it never, ever had any engine mechanical problems.

At this Riverside event, the staging area was outside Turn Six, with the start at an angle from the edge of the track, accessed through one of the gates at the east end of the grandstands. Finish was to your left, at the join of the NASCAR road and the Six pavement. You must have guessed by now that we did not run the entire track. Entering at Six and making a run down to Seven, around Seven and Seven-a, restricted to the right half of the straight by a line of pylons, a U-turn and back up the other side to Eight, around Eight and up the NASCAR road to finish. It was great fun and a real exciting adventure on those skinny tires and in a new, unfamiliar car.

I have some 8mm film of the GT going around 7, 7-a, the U-turn and on up toward 8. I'll see if I can get a frame or two of it to post here. Meantime, have a look at the view of this Morgan at the ARRC a year or three earlier; it's about the angle and scale of the film. Just imagine a B/GT there instead of this yew-wood wonder. Or go to this Vega page for a more-or-less reverse view.

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*The hatted guy on the right is Wayne McGaughy. He bought a 1964 289 Cobra, new, and was very successful in slaloms. A while later he sold it to Butch Engelbrecht, who also did well. In that car Butch set the world's record for the Holtville Raceway-Holtville Foster's Freeze-Holtville Raceway round trip. The record still stands. Butch made me drive the Cobra in a demonstration slalom at Naval Air Station El Centro. Oof.