1967 A-Sedan or...Mystery Mustang
© Jim Lange, Wolfgang Kohrn - December 8th, 2009, updated
September.2020
Is the rear clip from Jim Langes A/S
Mustang a former 1967 Shelby Group 2
notchback? |
The History of a "1967 AS notchback", but we hope to find more track records that may indicate it is Ray Wolffs #9 car entered at a Mission Bell 1968 race in September. One of the earliest pictures: The car with door number 22 as raced in Phoenix/Arizona by Ron Burns in the early 70ies. Previous owner was Dick Guider. Jims recent mail from February 8th, 2011: Wolfgang, During the past 10 months I have personally interviewed the previous owners of my Father’s car documenting the many phone calls, emails, letters, and face to face visits as well as obtained period photos. The chain of custody and brief individual histories are as follows: -1969 Richard “Dick” Guider, then living in the Los Angeles area, purchased 2 1967 Shelby competition coupes from Shelby Racing Company in Torrance, CA. both cars having been updated to 1968 Trans Am specifications and were back up cars for the 1968 Tran Am season. Dick, in my Father’s car, competed in SCCA A Sedan races throughout the West that 1969 season to include the 12th Annual Los Angeles Times Grand Prix A Sedan support race at Riverside Raceway in October. The car was campaigned that year painted orange and entered as M & R Racing Enterprises. The car was parked in storage at the end of the 1969 season until it was sold to Ron Burns in 1974 for the sum of $2500 and “installation of a burglar alarm” and delivered to Ron in Phoenix, where Dick also had a small auto shop competing with Don Roberts’ Mini Sports. -1974 Ron Burns, then living in Phoenix, AZ purchased the car specifically because “it was my clear understanding it was one of 2 left over Shelby American cars from the 1967 Trans Am season” and the car had “all the right bits and pieces”. Ron painted the car gold, secured sponsorship with Black Forest and enlisted fellow Phoenician Don Roberts as his mechanic (Mini Sports and Don Roberts Race Engineering). Ron raced the car in SCCA and ASRA (Arizona Sports Racer’s Association) events in 1974 and shared driving duties with Don Roberts in endurance events that year. The car was sold to Don Roberts for $2000 in 1974, but he never raced it. -1975 Robert “Bob” Barker of Las Vegas, NV purchased the car for the sum of $2500 and “some JC Penny’s stock”. Bob participated in various SCCA races the period 1975-1977. Late in 1977 the car was painted black, given large flares, a California Special rear deck treatment and “signature gold racing wheels”. In 1977 the car was advertised for sale in the Competition Press. -1977 Jim Lange of Phoenix, AZ (my Father)
bought the car for $1700 in December of that year, and picked the car up in
January 1978. The car was raced in various ASRA events, Hill Climbs, and the
Eloy Grand Prix where it was damaged in 1984. It was then repainted red with a
black hood and raced until 1998 when it was again damaged, this time at
Firebird Raceway in Phoenix. The car is currently undergoing preparation for
restoration back to 1967-1968 specifications. Although I have proven an unbroken chain of custody since 1969 I cannot prove, at this time, how the car became clipped even though I do have my suspicions. When questioned, the responses were “not me”. This matter has caused skepticism as the original rear clip, sans VIN, has been enjoined with a 1967 Shelby GT500 front clip. Please share my up to date research findings with the readers of ponysite.de as I hope that someone might come forward with even more information that may be useful in solving the few remaining unknowns. Hopefully, this plea for assistance from your readers and the SAAC community will bear fruit. I am anxious to learn more from the experts. Jim Lange, February 8th. 2011
|
A
major milestone in the research as of 2nd. December 2011:
Dick Guider visits Jim
Lange sr. and together they inspect for 2 hours the welding, individual
parts and pieces of the rear 1/2 of Jim Langes surviving AS racer with the
67 Shelby front.
|
Dick Guider and Jim Lange sr. after a 2 hour inspection of the mystery A/S racer that Jim bought in 1977 - not knowing the details of its colourful race history. Now after years of research. Richard Dick Guider makes Jim sr. smile again. One could certainly picture the relief that Jim had here, still he would have of course accepted bad news. |
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