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Fastfred92
IPB Image





Does anybody know what bodywork the Kirby / Finch FP car used. Specifically fenders, quarters and the front bumper valance setup?

championgt1
I have no clue. But I have always loved that car. drooley.gif
Brett W
It is either custom made by Raetech or it is similar to what Rich Bontempi sells.
Randal

I've never seen the car, but clearly a beauty. Guess staying out front keeps the fenders in one piece.
GaroldShaffer
Looks like the body of my ole Moby. Built by AirCooled racing in PA.

bam914
Did you give up on the IT 914 idea? Are you moving to Prod?
GaroldShaffer
QUOTE(bam914 @ Jun 25 2010, 06:26 PM) *

Did you give up on the IT 914 idea? Are you moving to Prod?


Actually, I sold Moby this Spring. With the way work has been I rather have some extra $$ in the bank. Maybe some day I will have another.
bam914
Sorry I should have quoted fastfred92. On his question. We had talked about the 914 in IT at one time.
ME733
QUOTE(Fastfred92 @ Jun 25 2010, 12:15 AM) *

IPB Image





Does anybody know what bodywork the Kirby / Finch FP car used. Specifically fenders, quarters and the front bumper valance setup?

............Was that car previously owned by Pete Sones (about 1974-75)???.
ChrisFoley
QUOTE(ME733 @ Jun 26 2010, 08:42 AM) *

............Was that car previously owned by Pete Sones (about 1974-75)???.

Nope. It was built by David Finch in the early '80s.
HAM Inc
Bontempi.
Fastfred92
The quarters look like Bontempi but i have never seen his front end stuff...
URY914
Chris,

I remember hearing some awful big $$$ were spent to get this car back on the track. Do you know what kind of dollars were spent? And what is special about it?

Paul
URY914
Click to view attachment
sean_v8_914
front and rear are Bontempi on teh black car. we would have liked to use his fronts also but these gt fronts were done quickly to comply with rules. I like how Bontempi kept the 914 lines intact.
sean_v8_914
this is close to "as delivered". I primed them thick and sanded once. the black car must have received many hours of sanding to be that straight.
sean_v8_914
Brit runs the same. Herb got them right after JP put these on
sean_v8_914
Brit's fronts are hand pounded steel
ChrisFoley
QUOTE(URY914 @ Jun 26 2010, 06:48 PM) *

I remember hearing some awful big $$$ were spent to get this car back on the track. Do you know what kind of dollars were spent? And what is special about it?

Paul

The rumor I heard mentioned a figure well north of 250K. Basically, no expense was spared to rebuild the car from the ground up since it hadn't received any major updates in about 20 years. David Finch's (2nd from right in the photo) company, Raetech, does work for Sprint Cup and he threw all his resources at this car to complete it in less than 3 months. In fact, they arrived late to the track for the Runoffs.
The driver in '05, Mark Hotchkis (standing at the sail panel), also drives the Wynns 962 at vintage events. His family has owned the 962 since it was new.
URY914
$250K? which doesn't include testing as it sounds like they just finished it and put it on the track. So what could have been done to the car to spend $250 large? Who built the engine?
kart54
The car was owned by Bob Kirby of Santa Barbara and maintained by Ken ? (can't think of his last name right now although he also did work on my car). The car had prepetual updates and at the time it was raced at the runoffs was probably the most well prepared car at the runoffs. He treated the car like most NASCAR and Indycar teams treat their cars; disassembled after each race, motor rebuilt, all suspension pieces checked, transmission checked and, if necessary, rebuilt. He was always prepared at the track.

Bob Kirby passed away very unexpectedly. I had spoken to him a week prior to his death about racing at Willow Springs. He spent, on average, $20,000.oo per race weekend to have the car the way he wanted it. He either won or blew up. There was never any half way point with him. His motors were stretched about as far as you can legally stretch a production racing 914 and he drove them about as hard as they can be driven

When he died his family decided that as a tribute to him they were going to go all out and win the runoffs with his car and then retire it. It was taken from the west coast to RAETECH where it was completely disassembled and rebuilt bolt by bolt from the ground up. I suspect the figure Chris mentioned is correct. Mark Hotchkiss is a winning indy lights driver among other things and was retained to drive the car.

It was retired following the runoffs.

The bodywork came from GPR in San Luis Obispo the same as my car. Who actually made it I don't know.

You can check out the car at www.giantkirbyracing.com. Check out the stories there about him. A Porsche racer all his life. Raced with Elliot Forbes Robinson in the 1970's, stuff like that

Bob was a great guy and is very much missed by people who knew him. when I first approached him I was new to 914's and new to Cal Club. He spent probably the better part of 2 hours of a busy day talking to me about 914's and racing in Cal Club. He was very active in the Cal Club division of SCCA and his local community

Kart 54
Cal Club's last G production Champion in a 914.
Randal
QUOTE(HAM Inc @ Jun 26 2010, 12:56 PM) *

Bontempi.



Yea I think you're right. Look just like Steve N. car.



Randal
QUOTE(Racer Chris @ Jun 30 2010, 09:56 AM) *

QUOTE(URY914 @ Jun 26 2010, 06:48 PM) *

I remember hearing some awful big $$$ were spent to get this car back on the track. Do you know what kind of dollars were spent? And what is special about it?

Paul

The rumor I heard mentioned a figure well north of 250K. Basically, no expense was spared to rebuild the car from the ground up since it hadn't received any major updates in about 20 years. David Finch's (2nd from right in the photo) company, Raetech, does work for Sprint Cup and he threw all his resources at this car to complete it in less than 3 months. In fact, they arrived late to the track for the Runoffs.
The driver in '05, Mark Hotchkis (standing at the sail panel), also drives the Wynns 962 at vintage events. His family has owned the 962 since it was new.



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