VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

lemans

Frank Burrell and General LeMay Part 2

By

LeMay, center, with Frank Burrell on his left, looking over the Warner J2X. Courtesy Barry Burrell.

By Eric Davison

In Part 1 of the Frank Burrell story, Davison tells us how Burrell was Cadillac’s secret weapon, the guy behind the scenes, modifying and supplying Cadillac engines to race car mechanics and owners. And here the plot thickens, as Burrell meets another Allard enthusiast, one General Curtis LeMay and moves on to GM.

Yet another Allard owner and friend of Frank Burrell was General Curtis B. LeMay. LeMay was an Allard owner and he was directed to Burrell after he made inquiries to Cadillac about achieving more performance in his J2X.

Burrell receives his award after placing 8th overall at Sebring in 1950 with Fred Wacker. Burrell rarely raced, but did well when he did! Courtesy Barry Burrell.

While LeMay did not drive himself, he was known to get grease under his fingernails in preparation. During his ownership period, Fred Warner drove his car in several events.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Le Mans 1960: Jack, John and the 750 OSCA

By


The OSCA factory mechanic makes some last minute adjustments on the Gordon-Bentley rent-a-ride. Note the NART shield on the OSCA.

By Jack Gordon with Pete Vack
Photos courtesy of Jack Gordon

Forty-nine years ago, John Bentley and John “Jack” Gordon bought OSCA 750, chassis 769, and entered it at Sebring, where they placed 12th overall and won the Index of Performance. On a roll, they decided to go to Le Mans and try to duplicate their amazing success at Sebring. Jack Gordon picks up the narrative here in this exclusive for VeloceToday.

With Sebring packed away it was time to plan the next move.
It was now late March and we were informed that all the entries for Le Mans were closed and they wouldn’t give us a late entry. It would have been nice to repeat the dual Index wins of de Tomaso.

[In 1958 Alejandro de Tomaso won the Index at Sebring with his wife and Elizabeth Haskell, driving OSCA chassis number 760. Then he won the Index at Le Mans a couple months later, driving OSCA 750 chassis 762 with Colin Davis]. But in any case there was too little time to tear down and recondition our car for a 24-hour event.


Gordon’s OSCA number 54 waiting for the start. Next to the OSCA, number 53 is a streamliner-bodied OSCA 750, chassis 761, driven by Laroche/Simon. I was under the impression the front body section was an after-market modification done in France, as i had never heard of any original Morelli bodies having this configuration.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

A Car Life, by Larry Crane

By


Following Le Mans veteran Oliver Mathai, in the Aston Martin DBS, through the Ford chicanes in Aston’s 2009 V8 Vantage.

Aston Martin’s latest V8 Vantage benefits from 80 years of development for the 24 Hours of Le Man and we chase its history on the storied circuitton

Photos by Nick Dimbleby, Pete Robain and Ian Dawson

Cornering hard into the Ford Chicane–second gear–very tight. How do the LMP cars do this? We have entered from a back corner of the paddock and it is a curious place to begin a lap. Full power up the long hill past the pits, all the way to top gear; two quick clicks down to fourth at the top of the hill and into the new Dunlop curves surrounded by acres of gravel and quickly to the esses and the forest.
[Read more…] about A Car Life, by Larry Crane

MENU