WATKINS GLEN 1957

The track is finished and the SCCA has sanctioned the race. Cunningham arrives with 3 D Types, Bucher races the Allard and Spankeys MGA and wins both races. We see our first XK-SS, Paul O’shea is winning everything in his 300SL roadster. Nicholas and Tierno are both at the race but have not met.

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1957 Grand Prix Program. 50 cents not $15.

Bob Bucher in the fericious Cad Allard won the Seneca Cup, jumped out of the V8 Allard into an MGA and won the Collier Cup.

Briggs leaves his 57 Ford Fairlane as he arrives for the day.

Hansgen had it all his way in team Cunningham’s D Type.

Jack Ensley’s yellow D Type sits with Cunninghams 3 sister cars.

Briggs himself driving one of his D Types to 8th overall.

The D Type fins were all new in 1957 and we were fascinated by them.

Ensley and Cunningham talk it over among the D Type fins.

Ray Erickson's Lister Bristol, #270 and #133 Tom Gilmour's Lotus IX

Gus Andrey's 2.0 Mondial Ferrari on the start grid. He finished 11th OA. 1st in EM

Paul O'Shea in the 300SL roadster that won in DM and was 3rd overall. O’Shea had won it all in 1956 with a coupe but M-B wanted to showcase the new roadster and Paul was the man to do it.

Richard Kessler's XKSS was a DNF after 16 laps. Today that very rare car is worth millions.

Rich Lyeth's big 4.5 liter Ferrari came home 5th. In 1958 he would install a Chrysler V8 in the car and call it the Hi-Tork Special

Bucher was scheduled to drive John Edgar's 3.0S but the car never ran well and it never started. Jake had plenty to do that day with the Allard and the MG.

Rod Carveth rolled his gorgeous Aston-Martin DB-3 in practice. His friends covered it up immediately and did not take kindly to me snapping a photo.

George Constantine got a ride in this 300S Maserati and took it to 7th place.

Great photo of BARCboy original member Joe Tierno standing next to Ensley’s D Jag. Nicholas and Tierno had not met yet. Tierno proudly has his SCCA patch on his jacket.

A good look at the big 4.4 liter V12 in the Duncan Black"s Ferrari 375 MM. Black was 7th overall. The car was outdated by 1957.

John Fitch in the paddock next to the Maserati he would drive. Note the huge crowd across the track. The new track was a success.

Fitch's 2 liter Maserati motor gets some final tweaks before the start.

The grid for the Queen Catherine Cup for under 2 liter sports racers. Bob Holbert #140; Paul Sagan #241, John Fitch in the Maserati and Charley Wallace in #0

Bob Holbert and wife get congratulations from starter Tex Hopkins in his very famous lavender suit. Holbert won the Queen Catherine and then doubled it up with 2nd overall in the Grand Prix,.

Holbert on the grid waiting for the race. Lewis is next to him with Wallac’s #0 just behind.

Farther back on the grid are Len Bastrup's Lotus #41, Suzie Dietrich #131 in the Porsche and Gus Andrey in the #25 Ferrari.

BARC member Chuck Dietrich is inspecting something under his Elva. He was 1st in GM.

Charlie Kolb's Elva leads the Dick Kessler’s XK-SS. Both cars were DNF in the Grand Prix

The number 141 Porsche 550 of William Lewis. The car was a DNF.

Denise McCluggage tapes numbers on Sagan’s 550RS. Denise won the women’s race on Saturday, Sagan was 2nd to Holbert in the Queen Catherine Cup.

Harry Carter;s AC Bristol. Carter had a busy weekend in the AC and the 300SL. Harry got 3rd in DP behind two other AC Bristols.

Horace Ott #130 on the front row. He finished 4th in Schuyler Carrera

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Bucher drives “Big Jake” through traffic to the course. Then he took it out in the first race of the day and won the Seneca Cup. Never happen today.

When Bucher was finished winning the Seneca Cup he hopped into Spankey Smith’s MGA 029 and won the Collier Cup.

029 sits proudly in front of the timing stand. Sherm Decker’s 4th place #112 is on the right.

Duncan Black’s 4.5 Ferrari finished 7th in the Grand Prix.

Two Corvettes fight it out on the back straight. No shoulders or run off areas until years later.

The old false grid where cars lined up to head out to the course. This is a practice day shot of George Constantines Aston DB2-4 in front of Lt. Col. Bob Kuhn’s AC Bristol.

Charley Weiss and his Thunderbird tried hard for a few years but it was too heavy and had no brakes.

The T Bird had power and here on the first lap he leads Grossmans Jag, Constantines Aston and Carter’s 300SL

R Mason’s Jag about to be passed by the 300SL of Harry Carter. By 1957 the Corvettes were beginning to dominate and finished 1-2-3.

Glen stalwart Homer Daisey spins in the chicane

A rare Effyh Formula III car driven by W. Jennings Bryan

John Petrone's TR3 races Bert Niblocks Healey in Dix Cup

Tom Gilmour’s Lotus IX sits in the paddock. We think the #3 MG TD was like a barcboy and had numbers but never raced.

The stewards drove the track in this priceless BMW 507

The original permanent course map.

The Grand Prix course logo from 1957