by Steve Holmes » Tue Aug 16, 2016 3:41 am
To keep the car current, and help attract sponsors, in 1978 Wutke had it re-bodied as a Dodge Magnum, which is how it continued to race until Feldner eventually retired. To that end, Wutke also retired the Dodge, and in 1993, had it retro-fitted with a Charger body, as it was when it won the 1977 USAC crown. In this guise, Larry Nau drove the car at a couple of vintage racing events at Road America in 1993 and ’94. Mopar collector and Silver State record holder Chuck Shafer then bought the Charger from Wutke in the late 1990s.
It was Dick Pierson who informed Christophe of the car, and Christophe was able to purchase the Charger from the Shafer in 2005, whereupon it was sent to Europe, and became the Olympia Beer Charger tribute car. Incidentally, Shafer also owned the McGriff 1971 Roadrunner, and was excited to see the Hartman/Feldner machine take up its new guise as the Olympia Beer car. Sadly, he was killed when operating machinery on his farm and never got to see the car in action at Classic Le Mans. To honor Chuck’s memory, a bronze plaque is affixed to the Chargers dash.
With the funding in place, and the Charger decked out as the McGriff Olympia Beer machine, Christophe and his team finally achieved their goal of racing in the 2006 Classic Le Mans, and celebrated 30 years since the original car raced there. To further sweeten the pie, Dick Pierson was also present, and got to drive the great La Sarthe circuit, having missed out on the McGriff adventure back in 1976.
In 2007, Christophe invited Hershel McGriff, alongside his wife Sherrie, daughter Marilyn, and son in law Tex Powell (as in Tex Racing transmissions, shifters, and other racing components), to visit Le Mans. For Hershel, the visit marked 25 years since he was last at the track.
Christophe and the ‘Oly Charger’, as he affectionately calls it, have contested Classic Le Mans each time it has been run since 2006. The Charger has been continuously developed, and more recent acquisitions include purchasing a Ray Nichels Hemi, direct from the man himself. In addition, in 2010, Christophe was able to purchase one of the actual original Wedge motors from the Le Mans 1976 campaign, off Tom Hegbert of Rocket Restorations, in Olympia, WA. This motor is referred to as a Hemi-Wedge, due to being a 426 Hemi that was converted into a Wedge in period.
[video=youtube;GiczQ9L-1hs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiczQ9L-1hs[/video]
As well as Le Mans, the Charger has also been raced at other legendary road courses, including Hockenheim, Monza, and the mighty Spa Francorchamps. But for Christophe, racing this magnificent and thunderous old monster is only a part of what has made this whole project so enjoyable. For him, the rewards have come through learning the history of the McGriff teams various efforts, and getting to meet and build strong friendships with many of those involved.
All told, when stripped back to its most simplest of forms, a race car is essentially an assortment of parts mated together as one. Aside from race history and success, what determines the character and intrigue separating one car from the next are the stories it reveals through the people involved in its creation and history. And the more fascinating the people, the more fascinating the history. As far as tribute cars go, the Olympia Beer Charger combines as many of the original pieces from that 1976 Le Mans challenger as its possible to muster. In addition, its also involved a great many of the original 1976 Le Mans cast as Christophe has been able to bring together. As far as tribute cars go, this one is pretty special.
Story courtesy Muscle Car Digital Magazine: http://musclecardigitalmagazine.com/[attachment=2]olympia_beer_16.jpg[/attachment]
To keep the car current, and help attract sponsors, in 1978 Wutke had it re-bodied as a Dodge Magnum, which is how it continued to race until Feldner eventually retired. To that end, Wutke also retired the Dodge, and in 1993, had it retro-fitted with a Charger body, as it was when it won the 1977 USAC crown. In this guise, Larry Nau drove the car at a couple of vintage racing events at Road America in 1993 and ’94. Mopar collector and Silver State record holder Chuck Shafer then bought the Charger from Wutke in the late 1990s.
It was Dick Pierson who informed Christophe of the car, and Christophe was able to purchase the Charger from the Shafer in 2005, whereupon it was sent to Europe, and became the Olympia Beer Charger tribute car. Incidentally, Shafer also owned the McGriff 1971 Roadrunner, and was excited to see the Hartman/Feldner machine take up its new guise as the Olympia Beer car. Sadly, he was killed when operating machinery on his farm and never got to see the car in action at Classic Le Mans. To honor Chuck’s memory, a bronze plaque is affixed to the Chargers dash.
[attachment=1]olympia_beer_17.jpg[/attachment]
With the funding in place, and the Charger decked out as the McGriff Olympia Beer machine, Christophe and his team finally achieved their goal of racing in the 2006 Classic Le Mans, and celebrated 30 years since the original car raced there. To further sweeten the pie, Dick Pierson was also present, and got to drive the great La Sarthe circuit, having missed out on the McGriff adventure back in 1976.
In 2007, Christophe invited Hershel McGriff, alongside his wife Sherrie, daughter Marilyn, and son in law Tex Powell (as in Tex Racing transmissions, shifters, and other racing components), to visit Le Mans. For Hershel, the visit marked 25 years since he was last at the track.
Christophe and the ‘Oly Charger’, as he affectionately calls it, have contested Classic Le Mans each time it has been run since 2006. The Charger has been continuously developed, and more recent acquisitions include purchasing a Ray Nichels Hemi, direct from the man himself. In addition, in 2010, Christophe was able to purchase one of the actual original Wedge motors from the Le Mans 1976 campaign, off Tom Hegbert of Rocket Restorations, in Olympia, WA. This motor is referred to as a Hemi-Wedge, due to being a 426 Hemi that was converted into a Wedge in period.
[video=youtube;GiczQ9L-1hs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiczQ9L-1hs[/video]
As well as Le Mans, the Charger has also been raced at other legendary road courses, including Hockenheim, Monza, and the mighty Spa Francorchamps. But for Christophe, racing this magnificent and thunderous old monster is only a part of what has made this whole project so enjoyable. For him, the rewards have come through learning the history of the McGriff teams various efforts, and getting to meet and build strong friendships with many of those involved.
All told, when stripped back to its most simplest of forms, a race car is essentially an assortment of parts mated together as one. Aside from race history and success, what determines the character and intrigue separating one car from the next are the stories it reveals through the people involved in its creation and history. And the more fascinating the people, the more fascinating the history. As far as tribute cars go, the Olympia Beer Charger combines as many of the original pieces from that 1976 Le Mans challenger as its possible to muster. In addition, its also involved a great many of the original 1976 Le Mans cast as Christophe has been able to bring together. As far as tribute cars go, this one is pretty special.
[attachment=0]olympia_beer_18.jpg[/attachment]
[i]Story courtesy Muscle Car Digital Magazine: [/i][url]http://musclecardigitalmagazine.com/[/url]