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Did somebody buy this racing photo on Ebay?

alpine_64

Donation Time
Man, DUCK!!!

Nice photo... well sort of.. sad to see an alpine about to become a restoration project. We should set up a trust to buy these images and satrt an archive.
 

sunbeam74

Silver Level Sponsor
Sadly, I believe that is "Rosebud" the Alpine that Jack Brabham and Stirling Moss raced at Riversidea and Steve Froines regular Alpine. (Grimsgard flipped at the Santa Barbara race in 1966 but I think he was from the SF Region)

The rollbar looks right - with trailing supports added. The stripe is right... black rondel is right.... oddly it looks like the fins have been chopped and SIV-V taillights installed.

I would love a better image of that car.

Steve
 

RootesRooter

Donation Time
I bought the photo. It's a bit fuzzy and doesn't offer too much more detail than the scan you got from the auction page. You can see pencil lines drawn around parts of the car to make it stand out better.

I assumed it was a Series IV, but perhaps it was chopped like the late Carl Christensen's old Series III racer?

From Elmo's sideways position, I'm guessing his seat belt must have failed.

Behind the right rear wheel, the blurred lettering possibly reads, "FOR SALE."

Is Elmo still around? I tried looking him up, but the most likely name that popped up was an Elmer Grimsgaard somewhere in Arizona I think. His name (Elmer) also showed up on an SCCA race result archive site as being very active back in the '50s.

Dick Sanders
Kent, WA
 

64beam

Donation Time
He should have bought a lottery ticket after getting away with that :eek:. Did that particular category require a racing harness or just lap/sash seat belts for racing back in the day?

Regards, Robin.
 

sunbeam74

Silver Level Sponsor
By 1966, shoulder and lap belts were required. However, flips like that are very violent (I guess that goes without saying). So, seats fail, belts stretch, etc. It wasn't uncommon for drivers to be belted in but hanging out of the car.

There was one great photo of an Abarth Zagato driver at Bridgehampton in the middle of flipping. He is still belted to the car but hanging half way out of the car. Feet were still in the seat and the door is hanging open. It was really a heart-stopping image. He walked away with a broken collar bone from what I have been told. Years later a friend found that car sitting in a barn.

http://users.ntplx.net/~kinukoyc/Pages/700_bialbero.html

Look at the wreckage closely.... amazing. Of course, it is currently worth stupid amounts of money.

Steve
 
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