Hello Paul,

 My name is Chad Raynal, and a friend told me to look at an article on your
 site <http://www.rotaryeng.net/Japanese-TransAm.pdf, because it had a
 brief
 note about Doane Spencer.  I'm currently working to write an article on the
 pairing of driver Jim Adams and mechanic Doane Spencer, and would like to
 know if you might have worked with, or been friends with Doane Spencer.

 Thank you very much for your time and efforts, and I look forward to
 hearing
 from you.

 All the best.

 -Chad

 I was a friend with Doane Spencer. He was a great guy
 to work with.

 I don't recall the exact history of this but I think Jim Adams
 drove the ex Chris Amon 612 or 712 Ferrari Can Am car owned by
 Chick Vandigriff of Hollywood Sports Cars and Chris Cord.
 Is that correct?

 I built the large wing on that car and redesigned
 the chassis from a bird cage to a magnesium monocoque. Doane Spenser
 built the conversion. Doane also worked on the Titus Firebird
 TransAm car. Dusty Roads is still alive and owns an FBO at
 Whiteman Airport here in LA.

 http://www.vistaair.com/

 Pete Lyons may have more info.


 Paul Lamar

 Hello Paul,

 Thank you very much for the response, and the additional detail on your
 relationship with and efforts tied to Doane Spencer.

 Your recollection is quite good.  Doane Spencer worked on the Amon Ferrari
 (612), then it became a car with ownership ties to Chic Vandagriff, Chris
 Cord and Steve Earle.  My gut says that you got involved with the redesign
 of the car, after the 1969/Amon effort.  I have pics, from Pete Lyons, of
 the effort to carry out the redesign of the chassis that I've now learned
 was your doing.  This is exciting new detail for me, so thank you very much
 for that.

 A couple months ago, and because of the same Pete Lyons pic you sent of
 Doane and Roger Bailey working on the Amon Ferrari, I contacted Pete to see
 if he had any more pics of Doane Spencer.  Pete sent me the attached
 thumbnail quality shots for the magazine's review.  FYI, the other fellow in
 one of the shots is Dennis Swan.

 Paul, would you be willing to look at my article outline for this effort,
 and perhaps give your feedback and additions?  I could call you too, so as
 not to make you type up a bunch of memories.

 All the best and thanks again for your feedback.

 -Chad

 PS.  Just a little small world story here.  My best friend, Bruce Thompson,
 and the fellow who sent me the link to the article on the aerodynamic tests
 of the Titus Firebirds, is out of New Zealand.  We met back in 1997 or 1998,
 via e-mail, because we were both into old Trans-Am race cars.  The
 friendship grew out of that connection, but it's become much more.  Bruce
 was one of the groomsmen at my wedding five years ago.  Bruce owns the only
 1969 Firebird originally built by Titus-Godsall.  It's a car that Ron Grable
 bought from Rick Titus (Jerry's son, after Jerry died), and brought over to
 New Zealand to race in 1971.  Instead of shipping it back to the US when Ron
 was finished racing down under, he sold it to a Kiwi racer, Rod Coppins.
 Anyway, that's it.  It's neat to me that my friend in New Zealand, who knew
 nothing about Doane Spencer beyond what I told him about his efforts on my
 McLaren (Hollywood Sport Cars Mk1/Mk2), connected me with you because of his
 research on Titus Firebirds.  Now he'll know that Doane Spencer, and you,
 are also connected to his Firebird.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron Grable is still in contact as I supplied wings on one of his
Formula A cars. RONALD GRABLE <rsrkg@q.com>

BTW Pete Lyons, how much for the full size photos of the Ferrari chassis?
I did not know you had those. That middle picture of the scrapped
bird cage is great. I suspect the current owner thinks it is a real
Ferrari :)

Chad, can you take  or get some pictures of that Firebird in NZ and send
them to me. I have none right at the moment. If I had known it was there I
might have looked it up when I was down there.

I'll review your article. There is a Motorbooks Chaparral book (1993 reprint)
by FaLconer that has some of my corrections on page 207 :)

Paul Lamar