Original T/A racing photographs, late 60's & early 70's

[Jon Mello]

Photo shows Larry Drover owned '68 Camaro as prepared for the start of the '69 racing season.


Larry Drover collection

[Jon Mello]

Photos of Donohue's Sunoco Camaro from early in the '69 season (vinyl roof still on).


Jon Mello Collection


Jon Mello Collection

[Jon Mello]

Big smiles from the two winners of the Marlboro 300 Trans-Am race on August 12, 1967. Mark Donohue is holding the cup/trophy and
Craig Fisher is looking directly at the camera. This was the first win for Penske and first win for any Camaro in the Trans-Am series.

Photo by Craige Pelouze

Mark Donohue, with his oldest son Michael in front of him, accepting accolades for a job well done. That's the chief starter Tex Hopkins
(with the cigar in his mouth) talking with Mark's wife Sue, while Craig Fisher (to Sue's left) listens in.

Photo by Craige Pelouze

[69Z28freak]

Great Pictures Jon. Thanks for posting.

[Jon Mello]

You're welcome. Here a shot of the #15 Penske Camaro during a pit stop at Sebring (March '68).


Photo by Dave Friedman

[69Z28freak]

That is my all time favorite Camaro, followed by the 69 model, then Smokeys 68. Just can't get enough of these cars. I have 1:18 scale models of all three still in the boxes. One day I want to build a 68. Just curious why there are pictures of the 67 with 68 doors, or were those 67 doors with the vent windows removed.

[Jon Mello]

The car in the pit stop photo above is a true '67 but it has a '68 grill in it to help it look like the twin of the other Penske team car, which was a true '68 model.
The '68 Sebring race was the only race that year where Penske used this '67 Camaro. Hopefully that answered your question.

[69Z28freak]

The car in the pit stop photo above is a true '67 but it has a '68 grill in it to help it look like the twin of the other Penske team car, which was a true '68 model.
The '68 Sebring race was the only race that year where Penske used this '67 Camaro. Hopefully that answered your question.

Thanks Jon. I guess I should have asked if they ever ran the 67 with 68 doors or thge vents windows removed. Thought I saw  pictures of the 67 like that, or would have been the 68 with a 67 grill?

[Jon Mello]

I am not recalling any '68 Penske car that ran with a '67 grille in it.

Here's the ex-Dick Lang Camaro that ran in the '69 Wolverine Trans-Am as well as several other Trans-Am events in the late '60s.
Dick also won the '68 ARRC event at Riverside with the car. It went to Sweden after Dick sold it and here it is seen at Mantorp Park
Raceway in 1971. The car still survives today but needs a full restoration.

Michael Dunå Collection

This Competition Press ad shows Pete Ledwith as the owner after Lang and before going to Sweden.

Jon Mello Collection

[Jon Mello]

Canadian racer Al Mason circa 1970.

Courtesy of Lance Hill

[oldtransamdriver]

This was a very well built car.  Al never raced it in a Trans-Am but it later was raced in 3 or 4 T/A races by Peter Wiseman of Toronto.  It passed thru my hands in 1980 as a roller (still had wind-up windows).  I, of course, flipped it for a profit, so I could go and race at the 1980 Hallet Trans-Am with the first ex Dick Hoffman 1970/71 T/A camaro   It was supposedly put back on the street, but I heard many years later from Al Mason that it ended up as a drag racer in eastern Canada - whereabouts unkown.

Robert Barg

[Jon Mello]

Thanks, Robert. I did not realize the Al Mason car turned into the Fossman Racing/Pete Wiseman car.
I believe Wiseman did 5 Trans-Am races during the '71 season. (Wiseman's car seen below at St Jovite)

Photo by Yves St Jean

[klvn8r]

This is some good stuff....how about a tab for AS cars only, kinda like the AP and BP cars.  BTW- no one noticed that BP AMX at the front of the grid in front of all of the BP Vettes and Shelbys!  That was Ike Knupp, Cen-Div champion in 69, and nearly won it all at the run-offs!

klvn8r

[kgu]

I am a new member on this forum and joined because I think I can answer some of your questions about Todco racing 1969 to 1972 as I worked there at the time.

[Jon Mello]

Ken, thanks a lot for signing up for the forum and we look forward to being able to ask you some questions about Todco Racing.