Not sure if it was good fortune or bad, but I somehow managae to acquire Bob Hourihan's old butterscotch 510 from John Townsend. Car is pretty solid, but is suffering from nearly 20 years of sitting. Also had a small engine compartment fire just before John parked it and the wiring is toast. I have started on the restoration process and if all the stars align I hope to have it ready to run next years POR. I hope to put it back into the shape it was for the 73 POR, big mud flaps and all.
Since my memory is not what it used to be (and it was never very good) I am intersted in any stories, history, data or information anyone might have about the car.
Very cool find! Know of any others wasting away under tarps that could be available?
I'm sure Doug Woods will chime in with the relevant facts, but I believe that's probably the car that Bob took to Europe to run in some events with Doug navigating.
Did it come with a FYJIMO sticker or license plates on it?
This is a Brian McMahon photo of Bob and Doug Shepherd(?) most likely in that car.
A 2-23-2008 quote from Dave Weiman:
Doug Woods...ran several European WRC events in the mid 70's with Bob Hourihan in a SSS 510 with the Michigan license plate FYJIMO.
I've got a story I think is about that car, at least a Hourihan 510. Think it was about 73 and POR still started and finished in Alma. Bob rented his 510 to a European, can't remember his name (might have been Jim Callin) and he holed the fuel tank and got the car to St. Ignace. Ralph Beckman and I were drafted to drive the car back to Alma with a 5 gallon jerry can sitting in the back seat with a hose feeding the engine. Must have been the third nite of three nites of rally and we were dead tired.
The Mackinaw Bridge was suffering from high winds and tractor trailers were not allowed to cross. A woman, can't remember her name needed to drive a service vehicle to the lower pennisula but, was afraid to cross the bridge in the wind. Ralph drove her car and I got into the 510 and we met on the south side of the bridge, got together and started driving south when the snow started. It was pure white out conditions on I-75 and we were fighting a cross wind and the lack of site along with lack of sleep and the fumes from the jerry can. Had us switching drivers every 20 minutes or so. Finally got off I-75 and headed to a service at a Total station. Got there before the cars and once they came in asked about snow tires. The common answer was no, snows were necessary as the trees kept the snow from hitting the road and the cars.
We were stopped at the station for about an hour and when we went back to the car, there was at least 4 inches of snow covering it. Somehow we fought the white out and lack of sleep and got the car back to Bob in Alma.
Most difficult drive under aweful conditions I have ever done. Hope Doug chimes in about this car in Europe and especially the 1000 Lakes (now Rally Finland). He's told me some great stories about their travels in Europe.
Unfortunately Bob passed away several years ago, may he rest in peace.
I've got a story I think is about that car, at least a Hourihan 510. Think it was about 73 and POR still started and finished in Alma.
The Mackinaw Bridge was suffering from high winds and tractor trailers were not allowed to cross. A woman, can't remember her name needed to drive a service vehicle to the lower pennisula but, was afraid to cross the bridge in the wind.
Pretty sure that was 1971 or 1972. I was driving an Econoline service van with bald tires across the bridge that day. Big scary fun. We competed in 1973 POR and the rally started on Belle Isle that year. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure we started in Detroit in 1972 too.
Art, I'm pretty sure that I already sent you this link, but just so others can enjoy it also, here are a couple of pictures from the 1973 1000 Lakes in Finland:
In 1973, Bob and I did the Scottish Rally, Circuit of Donegal, Nutcracker Rally (in Wales) and the 1000 Lakes Rally in his 510. It had an 1800cc engine and a 240Z transmission and differential.
BTW, my total cost to do these four rallies (European, British, Motoring News and WRC status events) was just under $3,000 Canadian. However, it was my life savings, at the time.
In 1973, Bob and I did the Scottish Rally, Circuit of Donegal, Nutcracker Rally (in Wales) and the 1000 Lakes Rally in his 510. It had an 1800cc engine and a 240Z transmission and differential.
BTW, my total cost to do these four rallies (European, British, Motoring News and WRC status events) was just under $3,000 Canadian. However, it was my life savings, at the time.
The Mothers Motors Datsun. I figured it was dead and scavenged for parts.
Bob did a piece on car prep for the SCCA mag. I think. He asked me to shoot the piks for the article.
Colin Malkin was the driver who split the gas tank.
The only time I ever jumped behind a tree thinking the end was near.
Bob at Sunriser 400, Bob said the drivers window did not break because he had it down.
End of night 1 POR
Fred Olds bought the car from Bob and rallied it for a couple years after that. Terry Palmer should have some stories from the right seat.
Thanks for remembering it was Colin Malkin with Ralph in the 510 with the split fuel tank. From the pic, looks like this was NOT the car Bob took to Europe as it was a 2 door. The Europe 510sss was a 4 door and I do remember why. Had to get FIA Homoligation Papers for my 510 in 73 and only the 4-door was homologated. The 2-door wasn't homologated by Datsun and would have been FIA illegal in Europe. Here in the states, the number of doors didn't matter as there were many 510's with 2 doors rallying. It was a lot easier to put the roll bar (cages weren't required) in the 4 door. Had to remove the passenger seat but, it slipped right in and back out when I sold it. Simple, only needed 16 bolts to mount the roll bar into the car.
Times were simple back then. Stock seats, seat belt, etc. and a bolt in roll bar. Rallied in blue jeans and a sweatshirt. Did need helmets but, any helmet was fine.
I don't remember Fred Olds ever owning the car, but he may have. As I recall, the chain of ownership was: Bob Hourihan sold the car to Garry Henderson. Garry ran a couple of rallies, then sold it to me. We rolled it at '77 20 Stages (at the end of Hays Tower). I sold it to Steve Maynard, who planned to fix the damage & go rallying. That never happened and Steve sold the car to John Townsend, in whose pole barn it has lived until now.
I might add that I really loved this car. It was more fun than any rally car I've been in before or since. Of course, that may be the fog of time speaking, as I've certainly been in some really good rally cars.
A few photos below, with credit to Brian McMahon where appropriate.
Marquette 1000 - Presque Isle Park
1973 POR - Alma
1977 20 Stages - City of Grayling
Marquette 1000 - Presque Isle Park (This photo is the current wallpaper on both home & business computers.)
Gerry was the long time rally editor of Motoring News which for about 20 years was the world's "rallying bible".
He had a wicked sense of humour. Here is an example from the Criterium du Quebec in the late 1970s. Totally politically incorrect these days.
Gerry and I were spectating at a jump on a stage where the cars got about three feet in the air. Night time was closing in and it was starting to get cold. I mentioned to Gerry that it was getting cooler. No comment at all from him as we looked down the road to see one of the works Mitsubishis with a Japanese driver approaching the jump. Just as the car was floating above the ground in front of us, Gerry said:
I think the original story appeared in 1974. Sweep vehicles weren't as common until later. Ham radio wasn't around yet so no easy, fast way to track cars and car counts existed. Rallying for 16 to 24 hours did. Endurance rallies such as the Trans- Canada weren't all that long ago. Getting stranded was a distinct possibility.
Two stories come to mind. We were going to spectate an early morning stage on day 2 of POR '74. Somewhere near AuTrain, I think. We waited and waited and waited. No cars. The sun came up. We finally heard an engine coming. Big excitement- opening vehicles! Lights over the hill! Up pops a school bus. That's how we found out the rally had been shut down three counties away.
While not a competitor story, it's related. Doug Shepard was Clerk of the Course. The event was either POR 75 or the Marquette 1000 ( NARA '76). Doug has borrowed someone's Datsun 510. It was RHD and allegedly fitted with a U20 (2.0 roadster) engine. While doing a final pre-check, the car broke down. Doug and co-driver broke into a cabin for shelter until someone came looking for them. Or so the story goes.
I remember the 1972 Moonlight Monte. Our car broke down and some locals flat towed it out to the highway about one in the mourning. We had a service crew, but no way to contact them. As we sat along the highway, we decided we needed a fire to keep warm. My codriver found a couple of rails from someone's split rail fence which made good firewood. We took out the back seat (back seats were still required to be in cars then) and sat on the seat by the fire until mourning. About dawn our service crew found us and we fixed the car.
1976 Marquette 1000, Parps and I rolled the 510. We were way off the road and about needed about 5 feet more aircraft cable to reach the tree to be able to winch out.
Somewhere along the line a local comes and gives us a couple of beers. Then it starts to get cold. David says - "I wasn't a Boy Scout and neither of us smoke, how are we going to light a fire?" Jimmy - " We have 150 minutes of flares in the back. If we can't start a fire with those, we have a much bigger problem."
Marshals get stranded some times too. The 1976 NARA Chisum Trail Rally out of Denton, Texas was my first event to marshal. It was a bit chaotic and hurting for workers so my first wife and I were split up to cover two intersections. I ended up atop a ridge at a T intersection armed with nothing but a road use letter from the Sheriff and a flashlight while Wanda ended up with a shotgun aimed at her in our Land Cruiser. The stage was stopped, I was later reunited with the rest of the family and we trekked on only to run out of gas trying to find our way back to HQ. Someone (I still think it was Richard Miller) rescued us after several hours of feeling like we were well and truly lost.
So far as topical segues is concerned, Hourihan and Shepherd came third at that event driving a Porsche!
From rallyracingnews.com:
FIN. CAR
POS. NUM. DRIVER/CO-DRIVER HOMETOWN MARQUE SCORE
1 10 Tom Tolles Alexandria, VA Volvo 142 9709
Ginny Reese Ann Arbor, MI
2 2 Gene Henderson Pinckney, MI Jeep CJ-7 9767
Ken Pogue Berkeley, MI
3 1 Robert Hourihan Northville, MI Porsche 911 RSR 9968
Doug Shepherd Ann Arbor, MI
Want to say thanks to all that responded with stories and info. Some I knew, some I did not and some I forgot. All good. To answer some of the questions, yes this is the car Bob took to Europe and no it does not have the FYJIMO plates or sticker. But it will when I am done.
The restoration is moving along. Have the shell pretty well stripped down, just a few suspension pieces left. Hope to start on the body work after the first of the year. That looks like it is going to be the biggest challenge. Car has been rolled at least once (I actually have a picture we took at Sunriser 74 after Bob rolled it) and the roof is not quite square with the rest of the car. We also have found a few odd quirks with some of the body panels, but should be able sort it all out.
Wish we would have had it for the Ohio Forest Rally (Sunriser) last weekend, but still shooting for POR next year.
Garry Henderson switched the hood and rear deck to fiberglass panels. Converted the Marchal light setup to Cibie. Installed new fuel cell. We kept the big mud flaps in the front that Bob had on it. The roof never really got squared up perfect. I would have to dig but I took some photo's of Garry and Terry Palmer test running it in circa 1975 trim.
Yes some old timers on here periodically but, way too many scammers left on here. Most of us are at North American Rally on Facebook. Suggest you send the scans to Randy Graves, Scott Harvey's old co-driver. He has a wonderful sight with lots of historic stories, results, pictures, etc. rwgraves@cox.nethttps://www.flickr.com/photos/rwgraves/collections/72157640780076274/
Hi Dave, yes I believe I have seen his site,,,,good idea to get it into the good hands of a rally historian and pass this stuff on to whoever cares anymore.
The stupid F-book site requires to be a member to just view the stuff there. Pretty stinking useless. Sadly, there isn't much for those not inclined to be on there.
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