SAAC Forum

Baja 1000 addendum

Garner also competed with his American International Racers fielding a team modified SC/Ramblers.

Interesting information and no suprise it has taken over over 50 years to surface. And it raises new questions.

Who ever swapped the rotors had to know which was which. As for the AOC changing their minds on a dead heat that's no surprise.

“Ken said, ‘They don’t want me to win the race. They want the Amon/McLaren car to win.’

Who the heck is they? HFII? Leo Beebe? Lee Iacocca? Is there any historical clues or witnesses for this animosity? Where was CS during this time? What did he say/do?

In Ford V Ferrari (a very lazy and sloppy script IMHO) it was suggested that the media would promote a Ken Miles hat trick victory (with Daytona and Sebring) and not a Ford victory. There might have been an element of Ford corporate pr paranoia. 

Ultimately, Miles was team player which may not always pay off for the individual involved. Nonetheless, I always wonder why Miles just say to hell with it and win. What was Ford going to do, fire him? He was at the top of his game and I presume he could have written his own ticket with another team.

And don't forget he was involved with driver Vern Schuppan in an entry in the 1981 Indianapolis 500. Running a McLaren M24B, the team was comprised of a cross section of amatures, including team head John Sullivan.


They were dealing with various handling issues. On the last day, driver Schuppan said he couldn't drive the car 500 miles the way it sat. Horsman and Sullivan conferred and determined the key lay in the aerodynamics. Horsman whacked 4 inches off the rear wing trailing edge.

They qualifed 31st out of the 33 car field. During the race Schuppan was asked how is the car handling. Great was the reply. They finished third.

No, Ford's pr rep said, it doesn't look like Land Rover's Discovery.

IMHO, GM had to migrate to a mid-engine design because that's where all the world class hyper cars were and this is a global market.

The upside is that GM has the engineering resources to design and build a quality car at a bargain price, compared to its competitors. But never forget that Detroit led the world in front engine/rear drive performance vehicles, such as  C1/7 Corvettes and Shelby Mustangs. One reason, I believe, is the OHV V8. For decades, "sophisticated" enthusiasts would tsk tsk OHV engines compared to OHC configurations. But the C8 has the LT2 that delivers world class performance. That's because over the decades, Detroit refined V8s that delivered power and were daily driver durable. 

Yeah, there's rumored a DOHC V8 down the road, but I'll take the OHV engine. It maybe old school, but it's very refined old school. 

Things aren't like they used to be.

However, while I appreciate magazines, they are physically limiting for text and photos. Besides 1 column x 1 inch tech photos, I was reading a tech story I was interested in. One photo, that I wanted to see the detail illustrated, was run down the gutter (magazine print lingo) so I couldn't see it.

At least on line, there's room for more unobstructed photos.

PS: Ford no longer sells cars in the North American market (not including Mustang and I believe the Fusion will be gone after 2020).
      America no longer shops at Sears.

Thank you for the historical perspective. I have nothing but comtempt for the villification of Leo Beebe's character in the film. But you have to have a corporate villian in films today. 

Here's a quote from Leo Beebe, on page 112 of Shelby GT40 by Dave Friedman:

".....When Henry Ford saw me at the starting line before the race, he handed me a card that said, "You better win, HFII."

Not much pressure there.

Out of 7 Mk. ll's entered (4 Shelby American and 3 Holman Moody) only three finished. Imagine Beebe's mindset if they hadn't.

As for the US verus THEM, Ford funded the racing effort, so I don't think managment was all bad.

PS: I know: FvF isn't a documentary.