Is Dean Butler who owns a 73 IROC Camaro a member here?

[Al Weyman]

I see in this months Motorsport that a Dean Butler has restored a 73 IROC Camaro and plans to race it. Does any one know this gentleman as I own a 77 IROC Penske Camaro and I would like to get in touch to compare notes.

[relativtortoise]

I believe it was this car of Dean's which Gerry Marshall was driving at Silverstone when he passed away. Martin Walford had been driving it just before completing the shakedown after the rebuild...so it's here and up and running.

[Al Weyman]

Wow thats amazing if correct, my hero Gerry Marshall was driving my favourite race car on the day he died. I am not being flippant or disrespectful but the old things have given me a few moments in the past but I am sure Gerry had it firmly under control.

[Heebeegeetee]

Al,

You have (or should have) mail.

[Al Weyman]

Got one from a Craig, is that you Heebeegeetee?

Actually quite an interesting follow up on this, I had a scribe from Classic American magazine (a good read actually) phone me at the shop Friday evening and he had seen my post and was trying to also contact Dean as they had Rockingham booked for a photo session this Monday (tomorrow) and wanted to invite him to display the car so they can do a feature on it but he was having trouble finding him. Dean if you read this and are interested contact Dave at the magazine ASAP. He invited me to bring my IROC Penske car but unfortunately that is a year away from completion at my work pace (I am getting on guys) but he has promised to do a feature when finished.

[Fogelhund]

Iin 1973 IROC used Porsche's. Might you mean a 1974 IROC Camaro?

[Al Weyman]

Yes you are correct but the MotorSport article stated 1973 but in fact I think it must have been a 1975 model Camaro. I would edit the post but you can't after a period.

[TimD]

Have a look at this month's Octane, Al. There's a photo of an IROC Camaro captioned as the one Gerry was driving. Blue car, "Petty" on the doors, if that helps with the identification. No mention of whether it's Dean Butler's though.

[Al Weyman]

Wher do I find Octane Tim? Is it a mag or site.

[redshoes]

Both MN and Autosport at the time of Gerry's death refered to it as as being recently imported by Dean Butler. MN described the car as a '72 Camaro built for the '73 IROC brought from Doug Karon in 2004 and includes a picture of it being driven by Martin Walford. I suspect this will be the same picture used by Octane.

[Al Weyman]

I wonder if it was this one advertised here http://www.highwayone.com/Classified...mehCamaro.html That has been up for sale for years (Anyone wanna give me a quarter of a million bucks for mine! )

[TimD]

Al, Octane is a monthly magazine in the Classic & Sportscar, Thoroughbred & Classic Car mould. Available from most of the usual places. It's the new issue with the grey E-Type on the front cover.

[Al Weyman]

Thanks Tim I will try and get a copy.

[eclectic]

I know Dean Butler, if you send me an email for him I will forward it on.

[john ruston]

Sent details to Dean yesterday

[Al Weyman]

Thanks guys.

[edeanbutler]

Don't now if anyone is still following this thread or not. I never saw it before today! Re. my blue series 1 IROC Camaro: According to Doug Karon, who had the car for many years and from whom I purchased it, the car is the prototype Series 1 car and was built by the Penske people from a 1972 or 1973 road car. After testing this car, the others were built from "white bodies" obtained from the Norwood, Ohio, factory. Why my car would be the first and carry the number 11 is a mystry -- so I cannot claim to know for certain mine is the prototype. Certainly mine is the car which ran the series as number 11. The car was in a big accident at Riverside at one point, when the right rear was badly damaged. The repair work is very obvious, suggesting this really is that car. As someone pointed out, the first IROC series ran 1973-74 (over the Fall/Winter months) with Porsches. The Series I Camaros ran the second season (1974-75) and the following two seasons, for a total of three seasons. The Series 2 cars (Banjo Matthews tube chassis) also ran three seasons -- 1977-78, 1978-79 and 1979-80.

[Al Weyman]

Hi Dean, an old thread indeed. Gregor Marshall suggested I seek you out, I must get round to working on my banjo Matthews model, hey I see they are doing a BMW M1 revival demo, race maybe if we got a few of these together we could do the same :-)

[GBRM]

Have you not finished your IROC yet then Al?!

[Al Weyman]

Its me retirement project!