Why Cars?


      Dick Harper started a love affair with anything with wheels when he backed Chan and Mary's 1950 Ford Convertible out of their garage in Minneapolis and all the way across the alley.
      At age three.
      On the starter motor.
      That escapade came shortly before or after Dick spent hours imagining racing Dean Stanton's midget while Dean and Chan shaved the hood and built a Continental spare for the Ford.
      Corner worker turned driver, Dick was an SCCA amateur racer in the 70s and 80s. The Sports Car Club of America holds races on closed, paved road courses in most U.S. states. As an SCCA National license holder, Dick competed primarily on Northeast, Southeast, and Central Division tracks including Bridgehampton, Lime Rock, and Watkins Glen.
Race Car Collection

      The Triumph saw him, um, triumphantly through drivers' school at New Thompson Speedways. Bob Post and Dick built the gold Camaro in Bob's mother's milk house. After it ended its career against one of Charlotte's unforgiving monuments to the concrete sciences, it returned to the same barn. They bought the "blue" Camaro which was really red and white but started its life painted yellow. Confused yet? So are we. The blue Camaro is interesting primarily because Dick molded the IMSA flares as an early composites project. Dick also owned an ex-Donohue TVR and raced a Formula C (at Pocono, of all places!).
      Racing Introductions: Then-New York Region Flag Marshall Tom Crowley took Mary on a lap of Lime Rock. They stopped at every flag station where he introduced her as "The unfortunate mother of Dick Harper." Dick once introduced both Anne and Mary to P. L. Newman, another amateur driver of the time who also had a day job. Since the ladies collapsed in a puddle of drool, Dick was able to keep both of them.

      Click here to continue the saga.


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