Mark Donohue – Pulpaddict

‘67 CAMARO: PONYCAR WITH MAJOR MUSCLE

Chevrolet was three years late to the Ponycar Party, but the long-hood, short-deck ‘67 CAMARO: PONYCAR WITH MAJOR MUSCLE made up for lost time!

‘67 CAMARO: PONYCAR WITH MAJOR MUSCLE

When revealed to the public in the fall of 1966, the all-new Camaro could be ordered with engines up to and including the 350 cubic inch small-block V-8. Soon after the Camaro’s public introduction, there appeared a potent 302-inch small-block in Z28 trim and big-block 396 engines with up to 375 horsepower. And, if that wasn’t enough power, Baldwin- Motion (Baldwin Chevrolet), dana Chevrolet, Nickey Chevrolet and Yenko Chevrolet offered limited-production 427 Camaros in various states of tune.

GM’s F-Body twins, the ‘67 CAMARO: PONYCAR WITH MAJOR MUSCLE and Pontiac’s Firebird, represented the carmaker’s first venture into Mustang territory. Slightly longer, wider and lower than a Mustang, they introduced new levels of power. While Chevrolet and Pontiac shared a basic platform and much of the sheet metal, including front fenders, door skins and rear quarters, power choices and options were brand-unique. Pontiac relied on a peaked hood, split front grille and GTO-style taillights to set the Firebird apart. When it came to a rear suspension, GM engineers were penny-wise and pound-foolish. They utilized a less-than-desirable monoleaf rear suspension from the Chevy II parts bin.

After the initial ‘67 CAMARO: PONYCAR WITH MAJOR MUSCLE Public introduction, 302-inch Z/28 small-block and 375 horsepower 396 big-block engines were made available. Even though the Camaro and Firebird shared a common platform and some sheet metal, they looked and drove differently. When presenting the new Firebird, Pontiac took a page from the GTO playbook. Thanks to a myriad of performance, image and comfort and convenience options, buyers could turn a Firebird into anything they wanted.

‘67 CAMARO: PONYCAR WITH MAJOR MUSCLE

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about the ‘67 CAMARO: PONYCAR WITH MAJOR MUSCLE is available online at Over-Drive Magazine @ https://over-drive-magazine.com/2024/03/22/1967-chevrolet-camaro-fact-sheet/

For more information about Baldwin-Motion SS & Phase III 427 and 454-inch Camaros, check out https://www.amazon.com/Motion-Performance-Tales-Muscle-Builder/dp/0760355606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493151743&sr=1-1&keywords=MOTION Performance, Tales of a muscle car builder

MERCEDES-BENZ C 111 CONCEPT SUPERCAR

Few Concept cars have had a longer lifespan with multiple iterations and as many engines as the MERCEDES-BENZ C 111 CONCEPT SUPERCAR.Introduced in 1969 at the Frankfurt Auto Show with a three-rotor Wankel engine; a decade later one of a dozen built and powered with a boosted V-8 is still racking up miles. Originally designed by the legendary Bruno Sacco and developed by a team of engineers led by Rudolph “Rudi” Uhlenhaut, the first and second C 111 platforms were used to experiment with new engine technologies, including its original three-rotor Wankel, a four-rotor variant, diesel and boosted engines fitted with turbochargers. It was also a testbed for multi-link rear suspensions and gullwing doors that originally debuted on the 300 SL coupe.

MERCEDES-BENZ C 111 CONCEPT SUPERCAR was not always just a C 111, however. There were two different generations of this design, both finished in unique Mercedes-Benz Weissherbst (Orange) livery. The best known one was actually variant II, revealed at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show. Compared to the original first-generation C 111, it had a completely different front end and a series of detailed improvements.Starting with a three-rotor Wankel, Rudi Uhlenhaut, above, the father of the 300 SLR and 300 SL, added a fourth rotor (1969/1970) before he retired in 1972 as the Director of Passenger Car Development. The four-rotor C 111-II had a top speed of 180 mph. A succession of powertrains included a turbocharged diesel in 1975 and, Its final iteration, a 4.8-liter turbocharged V-8. A racecar variant with an impressive wind-cheating front spoiler and twin tailfins was added to the mix. A total of a dozen C 111s were built!While performance more than met its original goals and orders/reservations for a production C 111 projected a sold-out first year, the MERCEDES-BENZ C 111 CONCEPT SUPERCAR never became a production car. Fitted with both diesel and turbocharged gas-fueled V-8 engines, C 111s set a variety of speed records. A C 111 averaged 156.46 mph over 10,000 miles, a record that stood for more than two decades. The purpose-built C111-IV, the fourth and final version of the series in 1978-1979 had a redesigned body with a large front spoiler and twin tailfins. Power came from a twin-turbocharged 4.8-liter (bored-out 4.5-liter engine). In May 1979, the C 111-IV was clocked at 251.02 mph on the Nardo test track, eclipsing a record held by Mark Donohue in 1975 by approximately 30 mph!

For the complete MERCEDES-BENZ C 111 CONCEPT SUPERCAR story, please visit Petrolicious @https://petrolicious.com/articles/50-years-ago-this-week-the-mercedes-c-111-ii-debuted-at-geneva

There is a special connection between Mercedes-Benz, Rudi Uhlenhaut, the C 111, and the Schorr family. Between 1993 and 2001, our son Stuart Schorr was Mercedes-Benz Regional Communications Manager for the Northeast U.S, working out of the carmakers’ Washington DC office.

I first met Rudi Uhlenhaut during a press event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1971 when I was the editor of Hi-Performance CARS magazine, and Mercedes-Benz demonstrated prototype Anti-Lock (ABS) brakes on the new R107 Series SL 350s. The experimental SLs could be driven with conventional or ABS brakes controlled by interior switchgear. ABS brakes would not be available on production models until 1980.

There was a slalom course set up on the straight and I thought I could go through the cones as fast in an SL with regular brakes as I could when the new Anti-Lock brakes were engaged. Mr. Uhlenhaut rode shotgun with me. Of course, I was dead wrong as I started scattering cones at an alarming rate. He later gave me a verbal driving lesson on the infield. My friend and accomplished racing historian, author and photographer, Harry Hurst, had a “Rudi Uhlenhaut Taught Me How To Drive” T-Shirt made for me a couple of years ago to commemorate the occasion!A few months later I was privileged to meet Rudi Uhlenhaut again, this time at the Mercedes Unterturkheim Proving Ground in Germany. The occasion was the introduction of 1973 models which included driving new models in Monte Carlo and through the Maritime Alps, and a stopover in Germany. The highlight of that trip was the stopover, and riding in a Wankel-engined C 111 with Rudi Uhlenhaut at the wheel. It should be noted that among the many titles he had at Mercedes, he also headed all racing development. He was also a masterful driver.

More than four decades later, I received a call from our daughter, Collier who was at the wind tunnel at the Unterturkheim Proving Ground. She was shooting the 2015 Mercedes-Benz International Fashion campaign, Champions of Fashion. The C 111 and an AMG Coupe shared the spotlight with Formula I World Champion Lewis Hamilton, driver Nico Rosberg, and model Dree Hemingway.

Photo: Collier Schorr

Here’s what Mercedes had to say about the campaign: “The leading men are the ace racers, rivals and team-mates Lewis Hamilton – Formula 1’s newly-crowned World Champion – and Nico Rosberg. Starring alongside them is one of the fashion circuit’s hottest models and actress, Dree Hemingway – who as great-granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, is herself a scion of adventure in the grand tradition. This new season paean to the siren calls of speed, sleekness and style has been masterminded by Collier Schorr, the Yale faculty member, and photographer nonpareil.”

For full coverage of the Champions of Fashion campaign, check out, https://emercedesbenz.com/autos/mercedes-benz/corporate-news/international-fashion-campaign-for-mercedes-benz/Unfortunately, I never got a chance to drive a C 111. Over the past few years, a number of automotive journalists and magazine editors have driven C 111s at special events in Europe and the U.S. One of those journalists is Fabian Hoberg, writing in Hagerty.com @ https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/even-after-55-years-mercedes-wankel-powered-c111-is-still-a-marvel/?hashed_email=e323c71347790f699ba35a9dc01d49ac3f938885a7df6321087c8c9b4c0dd333&dtm_em=e323c71347790f699ba35a9dc01d49ac3f938885a7df6321087c8c9b4c0dd333

Photos: Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

LEGENDS OF LAGUNA SECA

As WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca celebrates its 65th racing season, we take a look back at some of the LEGENDS OF LAGUNA SECA, the iconic characters who helped mold the mystique of the now world-renowned race track.

In 1960, Laguna Seca had three years of racing under its belt and started to form into an elite racing venue. Its competitions often attracted not only the best drivers in the U.S., but around the world. Beginning that October, the Pacific Grand Prix implemented an innovative way to race. The competition was divided into two 200-mile heats, with a 30-minute break in between. This time was used for repairs on the cars which struggled in the first heat, and to tune up the ones that finished. Let’s focus some of the LEGENDS OF LAGUNA SECA:

Enter Sir Stirling Moss – a London native who was downshifting into the twilight of his International Motorsports Hall of Fame career in the early 1960s. Moss won 212 races between 1948-1962, including 16 Formula One Grand Prix events. Two of those 212 wins came in the 1960 and 1961 Pacific Grand Prix, where he went back-to-back. Moss would return to Laguna Seca later in his life to take part in the Rolex Motorsports Reunion.

As Moss took the trophy home during the 1960 Pacific Grand Prix, the man who finished second to Moss in the overall results was taking his final competitive laps.

Carroll Shelby navigated the Laguna Seca course in car No. 98, a bright red Maserati Tipo 61, in the final race of his legendary career, which was cut short due to heart problems. Shelby finished fifth in the first heat and fourth in the second to place only behind Moss as the two icons went one-two in the final standings.

Shelby became notorious for popping nitroglycerin tablets to ease chest pains from a chronic heart condition. After finishing second to Moss, Shelby complained to the press that he would have won the damned thing had he not had to slow down to take his heart medications while driving.

Footage of that race can be seen @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/smuckatelli/4929779422?mc_cid=24ef720990&mc_eid=ef6f751cd9

The most famous drive of the 1961 season didn’t happen on the Laguna Seca pavement – but rather at the Mark Thomas Inn hotel pool. Yes, you read that right. Augie Pabst, fueled by adult beverages and a bet from Roger Penske and Walt Hansgen, drove his Hertz rental car into the hotel pool.

“I said, ‘Augie, you’ve had a really bad day. I bet you $100 that you won’t drive your rental car into the swimming pool,’” Penske later recalled. “So, sure enough, Augie stripped down to his undershorts, got in his rental car and drove right down between the diving board and into the pool. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen!”

The car was totally submerged, and unfortunately for Hansgen, he had forgotten to take his camera out of the trunk first. The following day the car was removed from the pool, and both Hertz and the Mark Thomas Inn – which is now the Hyatt Regency – received more publicity than they ever could’ve dreamed of as a result of the prank. When the group returned to the hotel the following year, the staff had placed a floating “NO PARKING” sign in the pool. The late 1960s saw high-powered muscle cars take over at Laguna Seca, as the Trans Am series roared into Monterey in 1969.

Mark Donohue became a fixture on the podium at Laguna Seca, as he captured the final USRRC race ever held in Monterey in 1968 behind the wheel of Roger Penske’s McLaren M6A. Donohue would go on to clinch the 1968 USRRC title, which was his second in a row.

The always popular Donohue also found great success in the Trans Am series. Behind the wheel of a Camaro Z/28, he won the inaugural Over 2000-cc race at Laguna Seca in 1969, which also clinched his second consecutive Trans Am series championship.

For more about the LEGENDS OF LAGUNA SECA and all eight 2022 premier events at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, please visit https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/government-links/weathertech-raceway