That is Mike Adams at Santa Barbara or Pomona
I really like that #77 racer. '56/'57s make the best looking vintage racers. Know anything about this one?
Joe Freitas identified as Mike Adams. Sorenson Chevrolet was in Wittier and Jim Simpson worked there. He was owner/ sponsor of Dave MacDonald's CORVETTE SPECIAL. I do not know Mike, but we are looking for him.
The 61 DAVE MacDonald Special was built by Dave MacDonald and a group of his friends. JIM SIMPSON actually built and owned the car. He was a salesman at Sorenson Chevrolet in Los Angeles. He convinenced the boss to let them make a mold off a new 61 Corvete (hence why I call it a 61). Nar Redder copied the body, and then left out the 17" area behind the seats where the gas tank and convertible top went, there by shorting the chassis wheel base to 160 inches from factory 176.6 inches.
Jim hired Max Balchowsky (from OLD YELLAR) to build his special chassis for the car. He told me it cost him $4500 for the chassis and labor to get a running setup ready for the custom body.
Max used one of his Old Yellar Mark IV chassis, and then he and Jim and MacDonald stuffed a new 1962 Corvette fuel injected 327 driveline into its engine bay.
In only 2.5 months they built the car. Weight was the key to this special, and the car came in a little over 1750 pounds vs. 3250 of a stock Corvette. The special body was built by Simpson, Jim Burell and Nate Reeder from FIBERGLASS AUTO BODY on Sunset Blvd, one of the first Corvette Body shops in the country.
An aluminum flywheel and use of a Studerbaker differential (later became a Chevy II), along with special Jardine header exhaust thru motorcycle reverse collectors that scavanged the exhaust and gave perfect back pressure for morepower out the corners. Use of Pontiac front and Buick Al-finned aluminum drums provided the brakes. The car went to Hawaii in late 62. We have been looking for it for 25 years.
The pictures show the SPECIAL at Pomona July 1962 with the front cover off. #2 Paul Reinhart, Jim Simpson and Joe Freitas at Monterey Historic 1992. We lost Jim in 2002, just 2 months before the 50 year celebration at Monterey. What a fun guy. He would keep you laughing all day. #3 Riverside March 1962.#4 "MOTORACING" news article of the Riveside race. MOTORACING was a bi-monthly newpaper about road racing across America from 1956 to 1965.