Photo by Darin Schnabel, courtesy RM Auctions
We include this auction listing in part to support the immortal creator of this racing special, John Fitch, our pal and almost-neighbor from northwestern Connecticut. John joined with artist Coby Whitmore to plan an assault on the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1950. Both guys soon realized their Jaguar XK 120 was way too heavy to race in stock condition.
They turned to body man Andy Salada, who created this cycle-fender shell that saved 800 pounds just like that. The fenders and cycle wheels still produced too much drag for Mulsanne, so the new Fitch-Whitmore Special remained stateside. It went from Fitch’s ownership to Gerry Georgi, who fitted a Buick V-8, and later to Corvette-Cobra specialist Bob Grossman and road-racing historian Joel Finn. During the 1990s, it appeared at Pebble Beach and then entered the collection of the late John O’Quinn. His estate is offering it at the RM Auctions sale at Amelia Island, Florida, on March 12. Incidentally, you can see excerpts from Joel Finn’s latest book, on racing in Cuba, in the May 2011 issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car.