LONG TIME WATERFORD MEMBER TO SHOW HISTORIC CAR AT AUTORAMA AND CAMPAIGN AT 60TH ANNIVERSARY VINTAGE RACES
By Richard Ranville, Jr.
Road racing in the United States, reborn about 1950, was in the beginning a creature mostly of foreign sports cars, and road racing at Waterford Hills, beginning in the late 1950's, was heavily populated with European cars. But: many of the most influential founding members of the Club were American auto industry men, and General Motors and particularly the reoriented Corvette program, were prominent forces in the founding. The second event held at Waterford in 1958 was a Corvette Club rental.
Gib Hufstader, like so many Waterford members, moved to Michigan to attend General Motors Institute (GMI) in 1950 and was involved in the motorsports culture there, participating in what would later be called gymkhanas. He went to work at General Motors (GM) and was eventually assigned at the GM proving grounds. There he met engineers involved in a new car club, Waterford Hills, and joined just after the track was paved.
Ready to go racing, another GM/GMI relationship became instrumental. A classmate and good friend Dick Loynd owned a 1958 Austin Healey that had been set up from new for racing; Loynd was anxious to acquire a newer Healey. Gib owned a 1955 Chevrolet hard top that Dick admired and a trade was arranged.
Gib campaigned the car at "just about every Waterford Hills event in the early 1960s" and throughout the Midwest. Regionally historic sites included Greenacres Goodrich, and Harewood (Airport), Ontario; Mid-Ohio, Grayling Airport and Elkhart Lake in 1964, 1965 and 1966, taking a first place in E Production. Other venues yield a view of the richness of sports car racing in those times: Wilmot Hills (Chicago area), Chrysler Proving Grounds with the MG Club; Claremont, Indiana and the Haven Hill Climb.
In the '60s Gib moved into the Corvette group in Chevrolet as a powertrain engineer, and became involved in supporting Corvette racing and other Chevrolet supported racing programs. He bought parts and built an A Production 1966 Corvette. The Healey was loaned out to good friend Don Burry, a Waterford Hills stalwart, who drove some races at Waterford Hills in the car. Gib's blue number 17 Corvette has been a fixture at Waterford Vintage races and will be joined by a stablemate this summer. Gib's restored E Production Austin Healey is expected to be exhibited at this year's Autorama show, in the Waterford display, and to run at the 60th Waterford Vintage Races in July of this year.
Gib managed the restoration himself, doing much of the work. The car is a 1958 Austin Healey 100/6 BN4, modified as SCCA E-Production rules permit, and with modern safety equipment installed. The engine, rebuilt by Dave Harmon at Engine Craft Inc., was bored 0.40 inch, with the compression ratio 12.0:1; there are other engine and chassis modifications. A Kirkey #47 aluminum seat with a liner, and a Fuel Safe 12-gallon fuel tank was installed. The body restoration was done at Turner Auto Inc, painting in an original Healy color by Barry Glovick. The car will be shown in the Waterford Hills display at Autorama in March.
Gib Hufstader is best known away from Waterford Hills for his years in the Corvette and GM racing programs. He is a member of the National Corvette Hall of Fame. But, in the parlance of 21st century Kettering (GMI) students, he is pretty "geeked" about his Healey right now, to the point that any Corvette discussions will probably have to be deferred during this new campaign of this vintage car. In its 60th year Waterford Hills is lucky to have him and both of his cars on hand to celebrate.
Gib Hufstader, left, with good friend Don Burry at the 2017 Waterford Hills Vintage races.
Gib Hufstader with his restored Austin Healey, early 2018.