Hey SRF folk, it's been a while. I'm Neil Tilbor, known or maybe even infamously familiar to many of you.

After assembling the #51 SR kit I bought from Bob Swenson(RIP) back in '84, I raced SR in the Lucas Challenge, then built the first customer SRF conversion to hit the track, in '94 from the totally wrecked SR #452 I bought from Mike Stephens(RIP), by buying bare frame #525 from Swenson. I ran that car in nearly every Pro Spec Racer Ford event ever ran, before the relatively recent sort of reincarnation that existed last year. I used the #452 logbook and a few parts from that car by changing the serial number on the chassis from 525 to 452. The original Sports Renault #452 and #525 cockpit plates are still hanging in my shop.

Warren Stillwell bought #51 as his first car from the guy in PA I sold it to.
Does anyone have that car or know who does?

I sold #452 to Jack Willes when he bought up a container load of SRF's to ship to Bahrain or one of those Mideast oil money places where the western oil men couldn't have alcohol or women so they decided they would start a racing series for themselves on the mostly unused F1 track with those, subsequently modified, Spec Racer Fords. I had heard that most of those cars eventually came back to the US. They could be recognized by their plywood front splitters and aluminum rear wings.
Does anyone have that car or know who does?

Why does this guy want to know? you may ask.

I moved to ESR, it's now called, by buying the first production SRSCCA Van Diemen, #002 and running John Baytos' Cooper Tire series and then IMSA Lites3. I had this car and the #452 SRF for a while until my son Ian's Kart racing became more important than my own driving when he was about 9. I sold the #002 SRSCCA to Jay Motorsports where it became Nick Evans' Runoffs winning FSCCA car.

To make a long story end, (eventually) Ian - soon to be 15 and after 10 years of serious and successful Karting in the toughest series, tested a Spec Racer last August and is moving up to SCCA now.
We are looking for a potentially very good SRF to start his road to the Runoffs, in June.

It sure would be cool to buy one of my old cars, preferably #452 but posssibly #51, to use as the starting point from which to build a Nationally competitive car for the 2012 season and beyond.

As importantly, we are in the market for a car. We don't need Weld wheels, used tires, trailer, spares, jacks and stands, etc. Just a good solid car that hasn't been converted, wrecked, repaired or wrenched badly.

So let's hear from old friends/foes and soon to be competitors of Ian's. He will eventually beat you. No brag or offence intended, although that would fit with my own - past - persona. He is a great kid; fast, experienced, fearless - and nice.

#452? #51? Car for sale UNDER $15K? We are in Florida, but we can get the right car from anywhere in North America from a base in KC.

Neil
ntilbor@gmail.com
386 426 8996


Thanks for reading, see you at the track.

I don't have the answers for you, but you story intersted me as you mention you built 452 with 525 frame.

I want to know if Enterprises has ever had 2 different Chassis' with the same serial number.

I currently race frame 525 which I bought from the original owner who raced it in California as a Renault throughout 1989 and 1990. I have the logbook from back then, I just don't know if it was the original. The car then sat in storage and was relocated to Michigan where I bought it and converted it to a Ford in 1997. I think the year of the car (when I called Enterprises a couple of years ago) was either a 86 or 89. I also have the Renault frame plate with 525 stamped on it (actually looking at it as I type).

Just interesting.

The story told to me by Bob Swenson, a CSR at the time, was this;
When the deal with Enterprises was made to build the Shelby Can Am, Shelby asked for a SR chassis to be sent to them as part of their design effort. Shelby wanted to study the design and construction of the production SR frame.
When I was looking for a new chassis in '94(93?), I called Bob and he said he had one that he had gotten from Shelby. It was hanging from the ceiling of his SoCal shop. I bought it, it had #525 stamped in the usual place.
I suppose that since Enterprises had taken a frame out of the line to send to Shelby, that they then stamped another with number 525 and put it in that kit. Then it would have been sold and shipped with a new Plate and logbook #525.

That is interesting.

The guy I bought the car from worked for Shelby as one of the engineering leads. He transferred to Michigan to work for Chrysler directly after the Shelby Omni, Dakota and Charger parthership programs were completed. He raced the car in California out of the Shelby shop before he transferred. I have pictures of the car with Shelby graphics on the side. Additionally, I still have the orginal steering wheel on the car (to cheap to upgrade) and it has a signature "CS" emblem in the center.

Neil-Dr. Bruce Meyers in New Hampshire has chassis #051.

I believe that Bruce has Warrens last Chassis, # 631....?

I believe that Bruce has Warrens last Chassis, # 631....?

Oh yeah, Shawn, that's right...Didn't Vic Kicera have #051 for his son?

Same car Dave, Vic got it from Warren and then sold it to Bruce-

Kimberly checked log book records...not too sure this will help:
051 Robert Lorenz...but nothing new since 2003
452 Cecilio Hernandez...not sure the date on that one

Incidentally, the club is building new capabilities into their systems; one feature is they will be able to build customer databases / contact and email lists, by class, from race results. SO, at least for drivers who ran a race in recent history, we will have access to that information starting in 2013 I think. We have not found a reasonable (read - not terribly time consuming) way to build a unified database and often lean on the CSR's for help distributing information.

We have not had a duplicate frame / chassis issues to our knowledge, but we can issue "reman" car numbers for old frames being resurected; I think I copied the engine system and they start at 5000 (so as not to confuse them with original car numbers). We did it only once so far. Cars with known frame replacements get a -1 or in some cases -2

Neil, good luck with the search and I hope to see you around!

Neal... great to have you back .. and especially your son Ian's ... one of the top karters in the US.... you still have on record the longest running discussion on SPECRACER.COM ......... Donovan