1075 at Amelia Island

[Wallace Wyss]

I guess it won a top prize. I wasn't aware it changed hands (maybe I missed the auction?) to some entity called Rock Mountain Auto Collection. I tried to look that up but only found Rocky Mountain Classic Cars which sells much more obtainable cars. Is the Rocky Mountain Auto Collection open to the public? Do they run cars in vintage races? Is there any connection with the Shelby museum in Boulder? I always followed this car because I too wrote Gulf Oil asking if the car was for sale but Cluxton had been on their case from Day one. I thought he was able to buy it because Gulf Oil was not going to use the name Gulf any more in the US. but I think I still see their stations.

 

[Velez]

1075 is owned by Rocky Mountain Auto Collection (located in Little Rock, Arkansas)=Sam Walton. 1074 was sold for last year for $11M ($10M+10%). All 3 JW Engineering Gulf cars and a Mirage were showed at Amelia this year.

 

[Jim Rosenthal]

He bought it but from what I recall a lot of people at Gulf weren't happy about it- they found out after the fact. I asked him what it was like to drive it and he said pretty much like other GT40s, but it had the best shifting ZF transaxle of any he had driven. Of course that was a long time ago, and who knows how many ZF transaxles were in that car over its racing career.

That car is really in a class by itself- one of the most distinguished racing records ever compiled by any automobile.

 

[Wallace Wyss]

RE: 1075 and the Gulf People
JR: can you explain more your comment on why "the people at Gulf weren't happy about it." Do you mean they weren't happy that the car was sold to Harley Cluxton? Does anybody know what was paid? The way I remember it was that Gulf Oil thought they weren't going to use the name Gulf inthe U.S. anymore so they said "why not sell this car to this guy who keeps asking to buy it" (it was on display in their lobby) so they gave in. Later they still went on using the name Gulf in the U.S. and may have regretted they sold such a good PR tool.
Am I wrong in thinking Rocky Mountain Auto Collection is the collection of Robb Walton? I thought the Rocky Mountains were about 1000 miles West of Arkansas but what do I know....

 

[Jim Rosenthal]

Nope.