[Mike V.]

There were also several a-body Barracuda's that ran in the series.

Scott Harvey, a Chrysler Engineer, ran a factory backed Barracuda for many years.

Team Starfish Racing has built a '66 Barracuda Formula S to the exact FIA specifications that the Scott Harvey car was built too. Their website is full of documentation regarding the early Trans-Am programs with the A-body Mopar's.

The "D Dart's" (originally for drag race use) and Barracuda's were very quick. Most of the Darts used were not "D Darts" though.

One SCCA used D Dart old at a Mecum auction last year.

http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=SC0513-153641

Here is a link to old photos of Dart SCCA cars

http://www.seriousviewers.com/D-Dart/transam.htm

Mike

 

[Beentherebefore]

IIRC, Scott Harvey actually made his name in Rallying (??).

The factory was supporting his efforts there too, I believe - all the while supporting efforts in Nascar Cup, PCLM (later W.West), USAC, ARCA, IMCA, NHRA, AHRA, and some minor series. Boy, what I'd give to see them put out maybe 20% of that kind of support now.

And, BTW, everyone, things weren't so rosy, financially, for the company in all those years either.

 

[Mike V.]

Nope it wasn't all roses and we all know what eventually happened financially for the company too... Bankruptcy.

Scott Harvey race rally and SCCA stock classes and early TransAm. He was the "sports car" racing guy one could say.

Mike

 

[Beentherebefore]

A couple of miniatures of posters of Swede Savage in his 'Cuda @ the 1970 Mosport Trans Am race that somebody is trying to sell on E-bay.

 

[Beentherebefore]

Also a miniature of Sam Posey's Dodge Challenger @ the Mosport race up on E-bay for sale.

 

[Beentherebefore]

Speaking of Scott Harvey.............

Chrysler didn't hesitate to speak of him in their marketing ads in 1966;

 

[Stéphane Dumas]

Not technically a Chrysler, but we could also mention Mark Donohue racing AMC Javelin in the Trans-Am series. I saw that vintage clip of Donohue posted on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPW1Zoy-e-8

 

[MoparNorm]

Wow! A very young Roger Penske and Carroll Shelby.
Pretty impressive watching the AMC pass both a Corvette and a Ferrari in that clip.

 

[Beentherebefore]

I'll repost this Chrysler publicity card photo that I had originally inserted in post #12 of this thread. It didn't make it through the transition to the new format.

Photo of the Plymouth Barracuda TransAm team - Dan Gurney and Swede Savage.

 

[Jerry Simcik]

There was a Dart that raced in T/A also...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.649117328446416.1073742768.522888894402594&type=3

And, we recreate the classic T/A series in my online racing league. We've got a another season coming up soon. We usually get lots of nice pics, and we run retro-inspired liveries.

 

[DC-93]

IIRC, Scott Harvey actually made his name in Rallying (??).

The factory was supporting his efforts there too, I believe - all the while supporting efforts in Nascar Cup, PCLM (later W.West), USAC, ARCA, IMCA, NHRA, AHRA, and some minor series. Boy, what I'd give to see them put out maybe 20% of that kind of support now.

And, BTW, everyone, things weren't so rosy, financially, for the company in all those years either.

Historically, Chrysler teetered from Engineering running the Company to Finance running it.
Chrysler was too small to be involved in all those venues and still make decent money.
12-15% of the (smaller back then) market didn't cut it.

 

[Beentherebefore]

The original Dodge Dart in Trans Am;

The car was driven for several years by Bob Tullius (who later went on to race Jags) with factory support from Chrysler. The team won multiple times with this car.

(Smaller image of photo being offered on e-Bay)

 

[Beentherebefore]

Here is an interesting page from a 1967 "Motor Trend" describing Tullius' surprise win in the 1967 Daytona TransAm race where he beat the "Brand C" and FoMoCo heavyweights (such as Parnelli Jones and Mark Donohue) with his Dart.

 

[Beentherebefore]

There was a Dart that raced in T/A also...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.649117328446416.1073742768.522888894402594&type=3

And, we recreate the classic T/A series in my online racing league. We've got a another season coming up soon. We usually get lots of nice pics, and we run retro-inspired liveries.



I've seen pictures of that car on another website. It's a tribute car, right? Maybe the original was driven by Ron Grable (???) , another good driver who had some success racing Darts in TransAm.

 

[Beentherebefore]

I don't think that Hemi Darts were legal in TransAM . It'd make a good NHRA SSer though.

 

[Jerry Simcik]

I don't think that Hemi Darts were legal in TransAM . It'd make a good NHRA SSer though.

You're right, but the game we use for the recreations doesn't give us an option to run true-to-life T/A cars. We have to manipulate the system to get as close as we can.

In the game, most of the muscle cars have their top-of-the-line engines, and there is no option to swap in a small block, sadly. The Dart is a Hemi Dart, as are the 'Cuda and Challenger. For the GM and FoMoCo cars, it's similar. Only one or two of the dozen available T/A cars in the game actually meet the 5.0L displacement limitation.

What we've done for the game is create our own O5U7 (Over 5.0L, Under 7.0L) class, and otherwise follow T/A rules of the time in regards to other upgrades.

It's just a game, afterall. We do the best we can with what we have, and we have fun. When we get started up again, I'll be sure to post pics.

 

[MoparNorm]

Not to be picky, but this is the Historical threads where we try to be as accurate and correct as possible, with historical information and data on real cars.
Keeping that in mind, it's fun to see these cars Jerry, but be sure to note what they are or perhaps start a new thread with a qualifier in the title.
Just trying to prevent confusion.

 

[Jerry Simcik]

Fair enough - I was mainly pointing out the Dart. I know we aren't supposed to just post pisc we don't own, so... They do all have Forza 4 watermarks though...

 

[Beentherebefore]

Fair enough - I was mainly pointing out the Dart. I know we aren't supposed to just post pisc we don't own, so... They do all have Forza 4 watermarks though...

I don't think this came out clearly in my post #34 (still trying to cope with the new format). The #18 yellow Dart - a tribute car to the one that Ron Grable drove in TransAm for awhile?

 

[Jerry Simcik]

Yep, that was the one I was talking about. It didn't realize there was another one until you posted.