GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby mahoy78spyder » Fri Jan 06, 2012 9:36 pm

Can I just say that this is the best thread on this site?!! WOW what a great read!
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby monzaaddict » Sat Jan 07, 2012 2:00 am

this is only mildly related. it might deserve its own page. it is a link to people who worked on the imsa skyhawk project. the web page owner or the person who posted the pics might be able to answer some questions as to who built the car as both seem to have been built by gm.
http://buickcity.blogspot.com/2010/10/5 ... t-car.html


I agree that the owner of the imsa 75 monza built for ken gray should get the report from vintage vehicles. find the dealer and if it is still in business see if anyone remembers the car.
ken grey was a very powerful congressmen. in 75 he was in the peak of his career. If anyone would have had a "hook" to get a car special ordered it would have been him.

the cutouts on the rear flares for the taillights were a design que from the original styling exercise. The panels are the 2nd design (1st available to the public) they are the mildest. I dont think this design initally included the hood bulge as it was added at the request of racers running injector stacks. also the leading edge of the front spoiler is fiberglass. the later designs got the rubber edge at the bottom to prevent the nose being destroyed when it inevitably made contact with the ground. later designs got progressively wider and more aggressive/aerodynamic looking.
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby stage169 » Mon Jan 09, 2012 4:27 pm

What do you guys think should we start another thread or just go here?

If you want me to ask something about the Show & Go Skyhawk now is our chance. Brian

Brian,
I am very familiar with the formation of the post and the project including the turbocharger v6 motor. It launched the turbo technology for Buick and GM. I was the leader of both.
Any questions , I'd be happy to help
Ken Baker
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby mahoy78spyder » Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:32 am

Brian, are you referring to the Buick-specific questions or anything Mirage-related? If it's Mirage-related topics, I would argue this is THE thread to go to - probably for the next decade! Never has there been such an outpouring of information that has finally answered many long-outstanding questions from H-body nuts like me and many others. Let's keep it going!
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby stage169 » Wed Jan 11, 2012 7:43 pm

I agree everything Mirage/Rapide stays here.

I now have all the items Jack has sent me scanned so if anybody is interested let me know. I should be able to email from work as of now the total size of all the files equals around 20 meg. PDF or JPEG files your choice.

I emailed Ken with a couple stories off the net about the Turbo V6 and Show/Go Skyhawk. He emailed back and said its not how he remembered it and he led it all. Don't know if they want story direct from "the horse" or not.

So I'm not sure where that is going but I'll give him a few days. If he gives us the real story I'll start another post.

Brian
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby mahoy78spyder » Wed Jan 11, 2012 8:35 pm

DEFINITELY interested!! Send to ken dot mahoy at gmail dot com. If I'd had more time when I was visiting the other day I would've asked to see this stuff for myself.... I finally finished the entire thread today and to say I was sitting on the edge of my seat is no exaggeration! This is good stuff!

We'll be waiting with baited breath on anything else Jack has to share.
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby hammerdown7 » Wed Jan 11, 2012 10:25 pm

Brian,
I'll take a set in jpeg if you would be so kind. Thanks, I appreciate it.
hammerdown@wowway.com

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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby gerbsinmd » Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:21 am

Hey Brian,

I'll take a copy of that stuff. xxxxx.xxxxxx@gmail.com. pdf plz

Thanks a million.
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby gerbsinmd » Fri Jan 13, 2012 8:43 am

Brian,

The scans are awesome!!!! Thanks!
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby jpb04619 » Sat Jan 14, 2012 9:55 am

if the offer is still good , i would appreciate a copy too john b jpbars@nb.sympatico.ca thanks
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby parallax_ca » Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:58 am

would love a set of the pdf/jpgs too, either format
thx
gord
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby IMSA75AL » Thu Feb 02, 2012 7:13 pm

Bryan,
Well it's been awhile but I finally tracked down the ex-Congressman Ken Gray who is now 87 and I have been corresponding with his wife because Ken has had three strokes. However, his wife said that he is mentally alert and she showed him the pics of the car but he did not remember it! She said that he had many cars in his museum and this was just one of them. And I looked over the paperwork that came with the car and Ken Gray was not the original owner, it was a woman in Illinois and I'm sure that she would be much more difficult to track down. Also, the car was originally yellow but it looks like the IMSA kit was also yellow.

Ken Gray still has one car left from his collection - a '62 Studebaker Hawk that he is willing to sell for $6500 if anyone may be interested!

Also, I contacted the GM Heritage Group here and they advised me that GM only delivered the Mirage models to dealers. I'm not sure if they know about any special builds other than the Mirages so I think that I need to keep digging. The next steps will be to try and talk to the dealer SM that Chuck talked to and confirm that the car was in fact delivered with the IMSA kit installed. I'll also try to see what the Vintage Vehicle Services may be able to add. Meanwhile, the mystery is still unsolved.

Thanks to all that contributed to this subject - to be continued ....

Al
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby stage169 » Thu Feb 02, 2012 7:19 pm

Al good luck with the research. It is definitely a story worth tracking down. Brian
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby johnk » Sat May 05, 2012 11:04 pm

Thank you for all the information on the MIRAGE here I love reading about the car I am now getting ready to bring mine out of the garage. It was a fun car to drive when I purchased it in 1977 from a dealer in Augusta, GA. But I was interested in going fast in those days so replaced the 305 with a 400Cid chev with a power glide put a 3:90 posi in the stock rear and went racing. I still have the 13" recap slicks on the original rims. LOL It has been in storage for many years and now I am going to replace the eng/trans and rear so I can do the Hot rod power tour in a few years think it will bring back a lot of memories. I kind of wish they had numbered them or kept track of how many there were, have not seen any on the road for a long time. There was a second one in Kennesaw, Ga a few years ago but I have not seen it in a long time.
[Edited by Mod, for link to work]
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i38 ... 078c6b.jpg
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Re: GM Dealer-sold IMSA Monza

Postby stage169 » Sun May 06, 2012 10:33 am

John, your Mirage looks very nice! Are the original wheels on the front? You might be the only person to have bought new and still own their Mirage!

Maybe you know this already but if not you might like it. GM Regular Production Option code ZX1 is for the Mirage Interrupt Shipment and there were 4,097 recorded with the ZX1 RPO. There are people here that know of Dealership made Mirage's but I would guess that the total for those would be less than 500. Welcome to the board! Brian
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