1960 Witton Special Images, Information and History

1960 Witton Special news, pictures, and information
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Roadster
Chassis Num: 01-024

Besides building about 10 specials Canadian Inventor (LFH Witton) Leonard Fredrick Hugh Witton was a photo-engraver, mock-up engineer for Boeing and a world class clockmaker. Building mostly Canada Class and Formula Juniors of the mall bore variety, this special was the only Chevrolet powered roadster Witton built and became his pride and joy. Sometime during 1959, Witton decided to enter the big bore club with his own design of a Chevy powered special. Working in the basement of his house much racing technology from the 'old school' went into the project by using chicken wire and plaster to form the body and chalk lines on the floor for suspension design. if fellow Canadian Bill Sadler was on a 'shoestring budget' Witton's resources were non-existent. This made life difficult but also gave the project Witton's creative heart and should and the time to think things through. Because Len could not afford a test track, the streets of Montreal were often echoing with the road of his race cars which also gave him notoriety. Unlike the Sadler race cars, most of the Witton specials were not front runners; usually due to breakage and lack of horsepower. Driver George pepper of Ottawa, had the most success from 1963-1965 winning several Amateur races. Very few of the 1950's specials competed as built into the mid-1960's being completely out-classed by the mid-engined big budget Lola's, McLarens, and Chaparrals. Lacking the horsepower of the big guns, the Witton could still handle corners like 'a weasel down a drainpipe' even though it was created when wind tunnels, cad-cam computers and exotic light-weight materials did not exist. The Witton was retired from racing in 1965, then driven on the street some and was lost for over 30 years. In 1999, Jim Collins of Vermont, while looking for old models in a garage just south of Montreal found the deteriorated Witton and persuaded the owners to sell it for $800. After several years of restoration and a few races later Collins famed sold it in 2004 to Wes Abendroth of Carson City, Nevada who 'fine-tuned' the restoration.

Len Witton was the 67th member of the famed '750' club in England which he joined in 1947. He died in 1996 while living in Seattle, Washington and is remembered throughout the international racing community as an innovative pioneer of Canada's racing heritage.

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1960 Witton Special news, pictures, and information