GTP 1079 "to whom it may concern"

Chris Stahl · 3rd December 2009, 06:22 AM

Some pictures and documents!
Enjoy it

Chris Stahl · 3rd December 2009, 06:27 AM

The restoration was accompanied by supervisor Ronnie Spain.
The engine was overhauled by Tim Adams.
As the body was stripped and blasted we did found the weldingstripes of the Lemans 68 damage.

Chris Stahl · 3rd December 2009, 06:31 AM

The car on the Nürburgring Grand Prix Circuit and Green Hell 11/2009
Look at the red brakedisc.

Chris Stahl · 3rd December 2009, 06:41 AM

Tour de France Automobile through Paris with 240 Km/h and Police Guards

Chris Stahl · 3rd December 2009, 06:55 AM

Remark the person with the Shelby suit is me and myself.
The Person with the helmet is the famous Lemans Legend Hervé Regout.
The Person with the blue suit is Pieree Alan Thibault, the director of the track.

Jack Houpe · 3rd December 2009, 06:57 AM

Very nice, thank you for sharing this beautiful car!

Chris Stahl · 3rd December 2009, 07:13 AM

In the first training, we were leading, but in the last section a Triumph TR4 closed the curve at Blanchimont. I was spinning 360 degrees with 280 km/h.
But i hold the car on track to get the TR4 one corner later

All 4 tyres were flat.
In the race Pierre Alain did the start and was leading at the 2. lap.
It was a bumper to bumper race in the first 2 hours.
Look the fuel station during the race.

Jack Houpe · 3rd December 2009, 07:22 AM

You are very lucky! That would give me a heart attack.

Chris Stahl · 3rd December 2009, 07:26 AM

1000km Monza 68
1000 km Spa 68
24H Lemans 68

Jim Rosenthal · 3rd December 2009, 09:12 AM

Chris, thanks so much for posting these. We are delighted to see photos of original cars here, especially when they have been restored to look as they did in the 60s. Are you planning to attend more track events with 1079?

Chris Stahl · 3rd December 2009, 09:59 AM

Hi Jim,
clearly i will spend a lot time with 1079 on tracks. We are planning to go on the Tour Auto 2010, where the car is confirmed, Le Mans Classic 2010, Modena Cento Ore in Tuscany, Oldtimer Grand Prix Nürbugring, Spa Summer Festival 4 Hours, Spa 6 Hours and perhaps Goodwood in Withsun race.
It was a hard job to restore the car a third time. The accident in 68 was tremendous and there were written a lot of bad stories about the car, but that are all rumours. The car was never a replica. The chassis is 100% original and there are all marks of the accident to see today.
With help of gelscoe and Tim Adams and not to forget Ronnie Spain, who has accompanied the car on the Oldtimer Grand Prix this year, we hope, we will set and keep this historical car in its delivery state. Its one of the few Wyer race cars. The matching engine with weslake eagle heads are always in my occupy.
Send more pictures, spoken in Ronnie Spain words "to whom it may concern"

Neal · 3rd December 2009, 10:05 AM

Very cool! Nice to see it's been put back in action.

Chris Stahl · 3rd December 2009, 10:41 AM

Very rare original documents of my car

Chris Stahl · 3rd December 2009, 10:53 AM

Enjoy it!
The man who is sitting in the car with the cap is Claude Dubois himself.
He was the french Shelby importer 1968. He bought the car from John Wyer and let it race for "Ecurie Spa Franchorchamps" under belgian flag with the drivers "Mairesse" and "Beurleys (alias for Blaton)".
Regard: Startingnumber #8 is for Lemans, #32 1000km Spa, #43 Monza.
The car had 1968 approximate 380 PS and the weight was 905 Kg without fuel and driver. Today the car has 430 PS and the weight is 940Kg. Where the 35 Kg are to find is a guess.

Randy V · 3rd December 2009, 12:49 PM

Simply marvelous Chris! Thank you so much for sharing!

Do you have a website with more pictures of the car and it's restoration?

JimmyMac · 3rd December 2009, 02:06 PM

Chris,

Thank you very much for allowing us to see this rare car being returned to racing service.

Was this an alloy bodied car hence the lighter weight in the 1960's ?

Mike Drew · 4th December 2009, 01:00 AM

Chris,

I can't tell if that photo of Claude Dubois in the car is a recent photo, or one taken from 1968. He and I are very good friends, and he is just as great a rascal today as he was then! If you're not in contact with him and would like to be, let me know and I can put you in touch with him.

Also, do you know the source of the body that your car has right now? The original body was destroyed in the crash at Le Mans '68, true?

Pete McCluskey. · 4th December 2009, 02:59 AM

Chris, a wonderful story, thank you very much for sharing. It is good to see that you intend to continue campaigning her. Cars like that don't deserve to be idle.

Chris Stahl · 4th December 2009, 03:28 AM

Hi Mike, the accident in 68 of the car was very hard, but the body was not destroyed. But its looks harder than it was, because the car was the first car to have a monocoque. So the power of the energy hits away the outer body parts like a formula one.
The body was repaired and it is 70% original. Ronnie Spain did research by himself and wrote about it. As we restored the car this year we had iceblasted the body completely, because there were always rumours that sbarro had chanced the body in the 70th.

On the pictures above you can see that threre are new parts welded on the old parts.
We have changed the new parts again and restored the car by a german specialist for porsche racecars (908, 935..) with the help of lanzante and gelscoe and ronnie spain to receive a 100% original delivery state without changing original parts.
That might be got the car much lighter, but our task was to keep an original car.
To start the car in events to 65, we have changed the engine and the brakes and wheels. Tim adams build an engine with the right valves and heads for 65. The original weslake engine "67/16" with the 68 lemans verified serial number is stored in my garage.

The fact is, that even the engine wasn`t destroyed. On the pictures of the accident you can see that the wheels and the front axles were without damages.
The accident happened because in the 60th the driver has to jump in the car in the start ceremony and after starting the car he has to close his belt on the long straight.
Mairesse didn`t closed fully his door and after a while the door opened. The wind streamed in the body and the car jumped 5 meters in the air.
I was driving on the tour auto this year behind shaun lynns light blue gt 40 as my door suddenly get open too. look at the pictures we have fitted a blue security belt. This car seems to wnt always fresh air

If anybody wants to have more pictures of the restoration before and after the work, i will send it.
Chris

Chris Stahl · 4th December 2009, 06:01 AM

Here are the pictures of my car from the accident 1968.
This pictures are not been published and are my properity.
On these pictures is to see, that the wheels are without any damage.
The body was damaged but to safe. The right door was diappeared. The outer body parts were strong damaged. But regarding the fact that every GT40 racecar has had different accidents in its career, there might be some stronger accidents in the last years. Adrian Neweys accident Lemansclassic 2006, or some other see next reply.