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National Corvette Museum-2025 Artifact of the MOnth-1961 Gulf Oil Corvette

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Work would take Mike away from his beloved hobby and the United States, as his career of running an international trading company put him in Africa, the Middle East and Asia for 35 years. But in the past ten or so years, Mike’s career has allowed him to stay stateside, giving lectures at the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Naval War College, also bringing him back to the hobby that he loves.

“I bought a 1965 Corvette Roadster in the mid-2000s and started racing that,” shared Mike. “Close by me, there was a race shop that had a DeAtley Trans Am car in its stable, and I fell in love with it the minute I saw it.”

The DeAtley Trans Am car was one of four built, and three still exist. Businessman and Financier Neil DeAtley owned the cars as part of a factory backed professional racing team, competing in the SCCA Trans Am series. The DeAtley team had won first, second and third place in the 1983 series championship with Speedway Camaros when in 1984 GM asked them to switch to the new Corvette. “By the time all negotiations were finalized, they had only eight weeks to design, build and test the new Corvettes,” wrote Wayne Ellwood in an article for Vette Vues.

This was not only the first of the full tube frame Corvette race cars that now comprise the majority of racing Corvettes, but the car also marks the return of factory backed Corvette race cars after many years of absence. The bodies were modified at Corvette Creations in Portland, OR and believed to utilize original C4 race panels developed by GM for general use in both IMSA and Trans-Am. The panels offered more clearance with their widened out front and rear, and were manufactured as a special run by Diversified Fiberglass. With little development time, the team had some issues getting the new IRS-style suspension to work.

The DeAtley Trans Am Corvettes were driven by world-renowned race drivers including the likes of David Hobbs (today, a motorsports commentator), Michael Andretti, Darrin Brassfield, James Insolo and Wily T. Ribbs. Competition was stiff, and the new Ford Capri was proving its competency on track, earning the manufacturer’s title that year. With the fleet of DeAtley Corvettes having been stripped down to be refreshed for the next season, they were ultimately reassembled and put up for sale. The car would change hands a number of times, and nearly 20 years later end up with Mike Moss. Mike then prepared the car to go vintage racing.

On its first race outing during Mike’s ownership, at Watkins Glen, it was damaged. The next 4-5 years were spent restoring it on and off. “It’s pretty immaculately restored, and I didn’t particularly want to see it go back on the racetrack,” shared Mike. “The restoration was spearheaded by Scott Michael. The master artisan who did the body work and painted it is a Portuguese immigrant to the United States, Tony Fernandez of Easton, Pennsylvania. He’s the most fabulous painter ever. If you look at the car, you’ll see the reason why I couldn’t race it as he did a magnificent job on the body work and paint. It’s absolutely spectacular.”

Mike shared that the car looked so good, he didn’t want to see it get dinged up on the racetrack. “At this time in my life, I’m finding it very personally rewarding to ‘give back’ after having a successful career. Rather than sit in my race shop under a cover, it’s America’s Sports Car and truly a piece of Corvette history, especially in the mid-80s. America should have a chance to see it, so I donated it. I wanted to share it with the nation and Corvette enthusiasts around the country, and the only way to do that was through the National Corvette Museum.”

Though Mike has given up his beloved 1984 DeAtley Trans Am Corvette, he’s not given up on his hobby. Still active in racing, he competed at Sebring in late February, racing a Lola T-70 Mark III B. In March, he took to the track in Atlanta piloting his vintage ’65 Corvette Roadster in the SVRA Pro-Am Challenge, sharing driver duties with former Corvette Racing driver Max Papis. He also owns other vintage race cars including a Lola T-163 Can-Am car, previously driven by Peter Revsen. Mike also owns the Gordon Johncock 1966 Gerhardt Indy car, and a 1969 Santa Ana Gurney Eagle Indy car driven Denis Hulme.

The car will be back on display at the Museum beginning in April as the Performing and Racing Gallery will be reopened to the public following a five-month remodel. A formal grand opening ceremony is slated for Thursday, April 23 at 3:30pm as part of the Michelin NCM Bash.

For an in-depth history on the DeAtley Corvettes, pick up a copy of the March and April 2020 issues of Vette Vues magazine. Special thanks to Bonnie Wolf, editor of the magazine, for allowing us to utilize information from their research.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Race Series: SCCA Trans-Am

Team Sponsors:

• DeAtley Motorsports
• Budweiser Racing
• Union Bay Sportswear

Colors: Budweiser Red

Engine: 310 cu-in by Dennis Fischer, 550 HP
NOTE: Lower engine displacement allows cars to be run at 2615 pounds (including 45 pounds of ballast)

Driveline/Suspension:

• Tubeframe construction by Speedway Engineering, Sylmar (CA)
• Front suspension and steering parts taken from race-proven manufacturers
• Independent rear suspension, including coil-over shock-springs
• Tilton bell housing
• M-22 transmission
• Franklin quick change differential using standard positraction or spool depending on course
• Speedway Engineering hub carriers
• Short track racing hubs and axles
• Half shafts fabricated from DANA truck driveshafts

Tires: Goodyear 16×10 racing slicks

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The 4th Annual Atlanta Concours d’Elegance, set for October 19 and 20, blends the historic atmosphere of its new location – the original Fort McPherson Army base at Tyler Perry Studios – with the vibrant community of South Atlanta, all while showcasing vintage and modern-day vehicles from some of the rarest collections to be found nationwide. The first premier Concours automotive event to grace the metropolitan Atlanta region, it includes more than 180 vintage and collectible entrant vehicles on Sunday, as well as approximately 200 rare and high-interest privately owned automobiles on display Saturday.

The National Corvette Museum will partner with the Concours by displaying three iconic Corvettes: a 1953 Corvette, one of only 300 made the first year America’s Sports Car was produced; the 1968 Astrovette, a concept Corvette created as part of an aerodynamic study; and the 1977 Murphy Knives SCCA Corvette Racer. It’s notable to mention that the Astrovette has been housed at NCM since its restoration in 1992, and the Atlanta Concours will be its first public showing in nearly 30 years outside the Museum.

“We were invited by the Atlanta Concours because they knew it was the Museum’s 25^th Anniversary and they wanted to celebrate the Museum at the Concours,” shared Derek Moore, Director of Collections / Curator for the National Corvette Museum. “I have also been invited to serve as a judge for the Concours and am looking forward to sharing our passion for Corvette. For me it’s an opportunity to bring the Museum’s story out to people who have not yet had the opportunity to visit us. We get to share the cars with a large audience outside of Bowling Green.”

In addition to the Museum’s three Corvettes, five of the Corvette Clubs in the Atlanta area are also involved and will be participating throughout the weekend.

“When the Atlanta Concours team visited NCM earlier this year, we realized what a natural fit the Corvette brand provided for the regional audience. The timing was ripe to showcase our milestone with the ever-growing Atlanta show,” said Moore.

According to Harry Krix, co-chairman of the Atlanta Concours d’Elegance, the Corvette marque has been one of the most prevalent additions to the overall concours since the show’s inception in 2016, especially for entrants with their own collectible models from the ’50s and ’60s. “The significance of the notable Corvettes that NCM will be sharing with us elevates an already popular segment at our show to new heights, and we’re proud to be one of the few concours events that can blend its participants passion with a true historical legacy.”

Saturday’s activities include an invitational Cars and Coffee at the Concours featuring cars selected by the Concours team. The chosen automobiles will be displayed on the parade field and compete in the ‘Magnificent Seven’ competition. Cars will compete in two classes: General and Preservation. Judges will select seven exceptional cars in each class from the show field to participate in Sunday’s Concours within their own unique classes. The ‘Magnificent Seven’ is the first program of its kind offering a Concours role to non-Concours-ready vehicles.

Other weekend activities include a Shifting Through Time Autocade, Play Along Spectators Choice, Docent Tours, Phoenix Rising Awards Ceremony, Fashions From The Past, Exotics and Luxury Showcase Cars, Ride and Drive Experience, Artists and Vendors, Lifestyle Merchants Market, Food and Beverage, Beer and Wine Garden, Storytellers and Tech Talks.

The show will take place Saturday, October 19, 2019 from 9am-3pm ET, and Sunday, October 20, 2019 from 9am-5pm. Weekend general admission tickets are $75 if purchased online through October 18, and $85 at the gate. Discounts are available for veterans and children. VIP, and other tickets are available online. Learn more at atlantaconcours.org.

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July 1, 1927 – October 6, 2009

Affectionately known as “The Lady in Pink,” the late Donna Mae Mims became a true Corvette enthusiast from the first moment she spotted one, a 1957 Corvette, for sale on a dealership lot. At the time she and husband Mike had never heard of the model, but ended up purchasing a brand new one from Don Yenko Chevrolet. An invitation from a fellow motorist to a sports car meeting is what got Mims involved in SCCA, and in 1961 she started racing, winning the B Production national race that same year at Cumberland. While Mims liked her Corvette, she was not fond of the color. Her husband would not let her paint it pink, so she painted ‘Think Pink’ on its side. Her subsequent race cars bore the same name, while Mims sported pink coveralls, a pink crash helmet, and full pink wig behind the wheel. In her championship driving year, she was part of the Yenko/Chevrolet race team that dominated A/Production and B/Production SCCA racing with Corvettes, all while she was driving her little pink H/Production bug-eyed Sprite.

Her dedication to racing was not only recreational, but also professional, serving as Manager of Hi-Performance at Yenko Sports Cars. Her duties included helping other racers specify parts and even find sponsors, and her “company car” was a 1969 L88 Stingray. Mims freelanced as a writer for several car magazines, including Competition Press, Corvette News, SCCA’s Sports Car, and Sports Car Graphic magazines, among others. She participated with an all-female team in the 1972 Brock Yates Cannonball Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, driving a Cadillac. Adrienne Barbeau’s character in the Cannonball movie was based on Mims.

After retiring from racing in 1974, Mims stayed busy as a worker in Race Control at three Ohio race courses, and remained active in events of the Steel Cities SCCA Region, Corvette Club of Western Pennsylvania, Three Rivers Corvette Club (which she founded), Steeltown Corvette Club, and the Tri-Rivers Car Club Council. Sadly, Mims passed away on October 6, 2009 at the age of 82. Fittingly, her body was displayed in her pink 1979 Corvette during visitation at the funeral home, and a large group of forty plus Corvettes participated in the funeral procession.

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Allan Barker: February 1935 –

Don Barker: August 9, 1933 – February 13, 2020

The National Corvette Museum is proud to induct Allan and Don Barker into the 2008 Corvette Hall of Fame, for these two racers exemplified amateur racing in the 1960s and 1970s. Their hard work, perseverance and “keep-it-simple” approach, at a time when Corvette racing was reaching its zenith, was a model for how to win races. The NCM is inducting two racers into this year’s Hall of Fame because the Barker brothers were a team — a team which probably would not have been as successful individually, and because their racing careers were coupled as only those of brothers could be.

Allan was the driver. He received the publicity. He stood by the race queen for the photos after the race. Don was the mechanic, the controller of vehicle preparation. He stayed in the background, and he cheered from the pits as his brother won race after race. A more symbiotic team you could not find.

The Barkers competed from 1957 through 1972, racing Corvettes for most of those years and compiling five Sports Car Club of America National Championships – four of which were claimed behind the wheel of B Production Corvettes.

The Barker brothers have left an impressive record in the annals of Corvette racing.

Don Barker passed away on February 13, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky.

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July 9, 1920 – September 14, 2014

Dick Thompson, a dentist by trade, started racing in 1956 with the support of Zora Arkus-Duntov. Thompson won numerous races in the late 50’s and 60’s, and took the SCCA championship in 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961 and 1962 in Classes A, B and C. In 1963, he won at Watkins Glen driving a Corvette Grand Sport, and was class winner at Sebring in 1957. He also took third place at Daytona in 1963, and took the win in 1970 in the GT class. Thompson used his knowledge of the Corvette to write “The Corvette Guide” in 1958. Thompson was distinguished as “The Flying Dentist,” and he brought credibility to the Corvette as a world class sports car.

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