Gulf Oil Research (CD) ignition box

[JoeGulf]

Hello,
I was searching the internet for GT40 Gulf cars and found this site.
I have a question about an old CD ignition box I found with some items that came from Gulf Oil Research lab in PA,USA
Attached is a picture of a Captive Discharge (CD) ignition box that I believe is to the Gulf Oil GT 40 program. It looks like a late 1960s Delta CD box. I purchased some items that are from Gulf Oil Research that was in Harmarville, PA. run by Grady Davis. They did work on the Gulf VP Grady Davis's racing programs.
What I would like to know is if this was ever on a GT40 Race car. I have not found a picture of it on a GT40 but it may have been mounted out of view. It has # 2 written on the side which I think means engine # 2.
Any help is appreciated in finding what this CD box is from or a contact person who knows about Gulf Oil Research GT40 program.
thank you
joe

[Canuk40]

Hi Joe, Sounds like an interesting piece although it may not be related to the GT40 program at all. Oil companies have huge reasearch departments and many different incorporations. If memory serves me correctly, the Gulf race division was: Gulf Research and Racing Corp. My 2c worth, I hope someone can shed more light on your CD box.

[Mark Clapp]

Email the guys at info@racingicons.com and see if it applies. They restored 1076 and would know.

[JoeGulf]

thanks for the replys
I found some pictures with this collection of Gulf stuff
maybe you guys know who they are and what car that is.
It has to have something to do with Gulf
I have been searching around the net reading about the GT40s - cool cars!

[RobBeddington]

Hi Joe

I hope this helps - there's probably more but this is off the top of my head: The car is Doc Wylie's Bobsy that he raced in SCCA B Sports Racing in the late 1960s - he always raced #2 - the engine cover is different on your photo but Doc heavily modified this car over the period. What's interesting is that Doc worked for Gulf Oil, and he brought this car to the UK when he got transferred by Gulf to London. The car ran a Climax engine and then a BRM V8. It could be a BRM engine in the other photo, but I'd need to see a larger pic.




Doc was still racing in 2000 when he was invited back to the VIR invitational race.

Not sure about the driver pics - they certainly could have GT40 connections. If you want any more info it may be a little while coming, but email webjournals@aol.com if you are interested.

How do I know all this rubbish? I write articles for US mags like Grassroots Motorsports etc.

Cheers

RobBeddington

[roaldin]

The driver on the upper and lower right is Jo Siffert. I recognise the others but can't put names to faces yet. When I remember I'll get back to you.
Can you give enlarged views of the engine and the driver donning his helmet?

Tim.

[JoeGulf]

here are more Gulf pictures. The previous pics engine looks like a DOHC with REPCO on cam cover? The guy putting on helmet I think is ED Lother who was from PA and drove AC Cobras and Corvettes. I can only make out the "ED". New post pics upper right has caption "Tyler Alexander director and engineering manager McLaren racing and the Gulf McLaren M16C".

[RobBeddington]

There's only a little GT40 interest to follow, but it may help:

Ed Lowther, the guy in your pic, was a big friend of Doc Wyllie, whose Bobsy is also featured in these images. Ed was a very successful club and track racer, scoring successes with Corvettes for the Gulf Oil Racing Team in the late 1950s and went on with his crew chief Ray Heppenstall to real success with Cobras, racing with Shelby and the John Wyer GT40s with Jacky Ickx, Dick Thompson and others. He also raced the Howmet gas turbine car.

Both Ed and Doc Wyllie raced in the Steel Cities region of the SCCA, along with Grady Davis (Vice President of Gulf). With pictures of Ed and Doc Wyllie's Bobsy, these photos could well have belonged to Doc.

Gulf sponsored Brabham in F1 for 1968 (Repco V8 engined cars) so I imagine this pic comes from that era. It's worth visiting the Repco Brabham website for more info and an ID on the engines.

In F1, Gulf went on to sponsor Motor Racing Developments (1969) Bruce McLaren Racing (1969-71) and Yardley McLaren (1972-1973) (all Ford engined cars between 69 and 73).

They also sponsored McLaren in the Indy 500 from 1969-1974 and your top right photo looks like Johnny Rutherford's 1974 McLaren M16 Offy which won the Indy 500.

Tyler Alexander was McLaren's chief engineer in 1974. He was no more than a mechanic for McLaren in the late 1960s. Teddy Mayer and Peter Revson brought him over from the USA when they raced Formula Junior, and when Mayer helped Bruce McLaren form his racing team, he was taken on as a mechanic. Tyler is now special projects manager for McLaren-Mercedes.

The bottom right image is another of Gulf employee Doc Wyllie's Bobsy in its later years. Here's the best image I can find of the car when it was campaigned in the US. Note Doc's Gulf sticker and the Gulf Brabham colours of orange and green:



Cheers

Rob

[Pete.]

I think the guy in the tartan cap might just be a young Jackie Stewart [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[roaldin]

The driver in the centre at the bottom is Gijs Van Lennep.
The driver on the bottom left I think may be Vic Elford. I have seen this pic' before somewhere and it was also said to be JS but I really can't see the resemblance except for the tartan.

Tim.