What’s up with this GT110/X-1?

All,

I was at Sears Point this past weekend for the CSRG vintage races and there was a car circulating around (rather slowly, if I’m honest) which fully purported to be the Sebring-winning Mk II roadster:

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sorry, the forum software flipped those last two pics sideways (apparently it can’t cope with portrait-style pics).

Anyway, this is a fairly convincing display that purports to tell the history of the car, never mind the fact that conventional wisdom says the car was scrapped and buried and an apartment building was built on top of it?

So, what’s the deal here? Another case of ‘stolen valor’ where a SPF or other chassis is falsely credited as buying a genuine car? You must admit they went to great lengths to replicate the car in its Sebring livery. I meant to ask if it had a T-44 gearbox but never got back to look at it more closely.

I’m curious what the collective wisdommmight be in this car?
 
This article says that 110 was destroyed


Back in late 1965, Shelby had imported the car on a temporary import bond. By 1970, this had long since expired. Shelby was faced with two choices: pay the import tax and late fees or scrap the car. The latter, cheaper option was chosen. GT 110 X was destroyed in the presence of a customs inspector.
 

PaulProe

Supporter
That car looks like the ERA spyder. Only one was made. Sorry, but not an original but a replica.

A couple years ago was on Bring a Trailer but didn't make reserve


Paul
 
That car looks like the ERA spyder. Only one was made. Sorry, but not an original but a replica.

A couple years ago was on Bring a Trailer but didn't make reserve


Paul
Not arguing if it's a replica, but if it's the ERA you reference there are a lot of mods including RHD, RH shift, different seats, etc.
 
I raced my Lola at Sears Point last weekend in Group 7 Wings & Slicks I watched the big bore group and it seems he was pushing to hard going into turn 10 and the rear came around and hit the wall. He was on 4th trying to catch up to the leading group. It’s not an ERA Replica and it doesn’t have the ZF, this one is tricky to drive on the limit with all the big block weight at the rear...but most important the driver is ok
 
I understand from another forum that the car was in an accident with another car on Sunday . The GT40 got the worst of it and was heavily damaged in the rear . The race was red flagged because the track was nearly completely blocked by the two cars.
 
Does not look like it to me.
Doors are wrong.
Chassis does not look right in these photos - needs to be the alloy/steel lightweight experimental chassis and should have the crossover fuel system in the cabin which its missing
Wrong colors to chassis, should be blue as per the photo in the display
Front nose is wrong and missing details relating to items that the pit crew attended to during the pits stops
Details in cabin are wrong
missing rear jacking points which would have been part of the chassis
does not have T44 shifter.
 
It's true that many of the details of this car are not as per 110 as it won at Sebring. However I have read somewhere that 2 of these lightweight chassis were built and numbered 110. One of them was used for McLaren's X1 and subsequently the Sebring roadster. It is also true that the remains of this were buried to avoid the duties. The second chassis was reportedly returned from Shelby to Karkraft and later sold on unassembled. I had been hoping the locate the whereabouts of this and I wonder if it is relevant here?
 
That car looks like the ERA spyder. Only one was made. Sorry, but not an original but a replica.

A couple years ago was on Bring a Trailer but didn't make reserve


Paul
Hi, no the ERA spyder was a left hand drive. But very different to this in many ways. Heres a photo of the ERA car.
The car in the first post is a Tennant Panels replica. I know the car well, and also the convoluted story behind it. Nothing is oroginal. I'll give more details on a fresh reply in a moment.
 

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It's true that many of the details of this car are not as per 110 as it won at Sebring. However I have read somewhere that 2 of these lightweight chassis were built and numbered 110. One of them was used for McLaren's X1 and subsequently the Sebring roadster. It is also true that the remains of this were buried to avoid the duties. The second chassis was reportedly returned from Shelby to Karkraft and later sold on unassembled. I had been hoping the locate the whereabouts of this and I wonder if it is relevant here?
Hi Pete. The 2nd chassis is not connected in any way to the car pictured in the first post. And theres zero thats either original or connected to the original Sebring car. That 2nd lightweight chassis is also no more. The same guy who owns the above fake car with all the fakes connected story (which is also wrong in many ways) has also claimed title to the 'X-2' car, but thats been separately quashed, as has his claim to have title to X-1
 

Randy V

Moderator-Admin
Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
Hi Pete. The 2nd chassis is not connected in any way to the car pictured in the first post. And theres zero thats either original or connected to the original Sebring car. That 2nd lightweight chassis is also no more. The same guy who owns the above fake car with all the fakes connected story (which is also wrong in many ways) has also claimed title to the 'X-2' car, but thats been separately quashed, as has his claim to have title to X-1

Is the owner of this car a member here? If so, perhaps he can explain this misunderstanding....
 
Hi Mike
I think I know this car.
Who was the entrant/driver listed? Was it AC D’Augustine ?
Yes, the car in your post is the car that was built up by Lilo Benzicron after he purchased an incomplete Tennant Panels chassis from Holman Moody. L.B. is still around but now goes under his racing name' of "AC D'augustine" after his bankrupcy. He has several other names actually. Ronnie Spain seems to despise him. He managed to keep this car from the bankruptcy trustees though.

But its built up on a low quality unfinished all steel 'Tennant' panels chassis with silver painted fuel sponsons to mimic the original. Wrong engine, wrong Trans, wrong bodywork, wrong wheels, wrong interior. These are Lee's words, but its plain to see if you know about the original cars.
Lee has also directly confirmed to me that it has absolutely no connection to the original X-1, even though the owner claims that he found a small piece of metal with 'X' written on it. Lee stated that the person who sold him the original piece of scrap metal in a box of assorted parts and some nice accompanying 'original H&M Title paperwork' was simply "good with Photoshop" . Lee also maintains that he told the seller that the metal was nothing do do with X-1 and probably was something off a MkIV.

But AC still clearly seems to be banding around his fancy story judging by all these nice original photos and literature that was on display. Its a shame in my view.

In June 2019 AC even wrote to the well respected original builder of X-1, trying to lay down his story and get some kind of support from him that he has the original X-1. AC was soon put straight that his car was nothing to do with X-1. I have all these copy emails also. And I have the faked H&M title document. We've done our research properly.

But did someone here say the car got wrecked though? If so then thats a shame for the car as it was an OK lookalike in a few ways, but in my view it had already been destroyed by all these fake stories that AC has created about it.

SO it lookes like Karma played a hand at the weekend!

Attached is another pic from an earlier race a couple of years ago of the same car.

I hope this clarifies things a bit.
 

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Is the owner of this car a member here? If so, perhaps he can explain this misunderstanding....
Hi Randy
I’ve never seen him on this forum under any if his know identities.
We’ve seen his explanation ourselves when he tried to convince the guy from McLaren that his car was real. He then admitted to him it has an all new chassis. He says aluminum but it’s nothing like the original as he has no information on the original car. We have all that ourselves. on X-1 and X-2
He talked about ‘buying up the returned unique parts off X-1 that came back to H&M from Shelby’ and claims that based on those parts he has title to X-1 (and, by a fantastic stroke of luck, also the title to X-2, the 2nd lightweight chassis that went into landfill). But no parts from X-1 ever went back from Shelby to H&M as H&M never had any involvement in X-1 anyway. Lee confirmed this directly with us by email. I’m therefore happy with what I’m saying. So the owner’s ‘Title document’ story has unfortunately collapsed.
It is a nice car for what it is and I’m sure its a great car to drive. It’s sad if it’s been wrecked but is/was nothing to do with the original X-1.
 

Davidmgbv8

Supporter
He is building up a log book as well and unfortunately will pass this off on some not so well informed buyer in the future... but 15-20 years ago this was quite a popular thing to do. People were "finding" a piece of tubing or a scrap of seat material of a jag C type, Lola MK1, Lotus 23 ect and were claiming the heritage and chassis numbers.
 
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