my RX3SP GT3 SCCA
 

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5518/rx3og1.jpg


originally Roger Mandeville's 79 and 81 IMSA RS season-winning RX3SP. (Jim Downing won in 80) purchased by me from Roger in dec 82 for conversion to SCCA GT3. raced for 6 seasons.

engines 83-86 from Mandeville
engines 87-89 from Daryl Drummond
dry sump, 7000-10000 rpm range
tube frames after 86
cockpit adj rideheight
cockpit adj rear sway bar
wide five magnesium hubs
Craig Carter suspension after 87
speedway engineering quickchange rear end
Saenz adj ratio straight cut transmission

raced and engineered by me 83-89
two time June Sprints winner.
Runoffs at Road Atlanta 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 4th
27 National wins in GT3 Central Division back when there was competition
lap records at 6 CenDiv tracks.
set or tied fastest top speed at Road Atlanta every Runoffs
7 of 12 poles in 87

last season run was 89.
ran 3 races.
#1 IRP broke lap record led and won from pole.
#2 Road America, beat Jim Dentici who went on to win Runoffs that year
#3 June Sprints finished 100 yards behind Dentici ahead of all but 2 GT2 cars and all but 3 GT1 cars. ran almost 2 seconds under lap record.

gone but not forgotten. always my favorite Mazda and it took alot of scalps.

howard coleman

nice.

i hope to be in IT in 2 years. lots of learning to do till then.

Wow, that is one bad machine Howard, two thumbs up! :icon_tup: :icon_tup:

Very nice. I was at Mandeville's last weekend. There is a lot of history there. It must have been neat to own a car that helped make some of it.

When Roger had to take a phone call I couldn't stop myself from climbing into one of the late model 3 rotor mid engine prototype cars. When nobody was looking my hand hovered dangerously close to the starter switch :bigthumb:

I use to live down the street from Jim Downings shop in ATL...Rick Engman use to help me some of my motor building. Engman is a very interesting cat to listen too..


Nice Purchase!

that's awesome! was your RX-3 equipped w/ rack and pinion steering when it was racing? if so, how was it?

that thing is sick

Very nice, Howard! It's always good to see a purpose-built machine.

That is a very impressive resume and car you have.

Great Looking car!

Do you happen to know who has it now?

:worship: :worship: :worship: :worship:

:)
 

:bowdown: Beautiful.

-R4tw

Any more pics of that beauty? Stunning!

^ for a friend

That's a stunning picture. Kinda makes my heart skip a few beats!

Beautiful 3!!!! SO what became of her? Where is she at today? IF she even still exists...

my rotary heart aches!

Engine shot please...

Very nice race car. Do you still have the car? Post more pictures. :icon_tup: :icon_tup:

pm sent

very nice

i do have lots of pics of my RX3SP and thought they might be of interest.

i decided to switch over to rotary in mid 1982. Ron Tambourine had purchased an ex IMSA BF Goodrich Radial Challenge RX3 from the SE and was starting to upset the pecking order in the Ultra-Competitive SCCA Central Division in GT3. he finally broke thru and won at wide open Brainerd which pretty much sealed the deal for me.

i did some addtional research as to who had the best RX3s in the RS series and scheduled a trip to the SE to decide which of the (approx 30 ) RX3s to buy.

i looked at Joe Varde's blood red RX3 (Tampa) very well done... i looked at an RX3 owned by the FEDS re-possesed from a drug dealer who had spents zillions building it and never got it ontrack before he was collared. it would have been a steal but had no pedigree. i looked at Jim Downing's RX3 which had won a season (it moved ontrack like a thing of beauty but was a bit cobbled together) i traveled to Spartanburg, SC to see Roger Mandeville's RX3SP.

i still remember the first Ms i saw it and the decision was made. not only was the car absolutely perfect and in a class by itself, so was Roger. Roger, and his wife Nancy are two of the nicest people i have ever had the good fortune to know. not only that Roger was a kick ass racer. his battles w Jim Downing are legend. Roger not only won the IMSA RS Nat title twice but won a boatload of GTU and GTO IMSA races.

make no mistake about it, Mazda made its rep in the USA in IMSA. IMO, Roger's yellow RX3 was the single most important Mazda that raced in the USA.

i bought the car on the spot along w another spare fresh engine and Roger spent part of the winter converting it to GT3 specs.

during the following 6 seasons the car, unfortunately from some aspects, was carved up and went thru 3 chassis.

here is a pic from season one... it's first SCCA GT3 win at Blackhawk. stalwart crew chief Marc Bushman holding the checker... if the wheels look a tad smal it is because they were... rules at that time stipulated 13s. Roger solved the small rotor diameter problem by acquiring rotors from the 6 wheel (look it up) Tyrrell P34Formula One car. IMSA worked o k w smaller brakes as the tires were radial street tires, not the sticky GT3 race rubber. cockpit adj front swaybar and lots of good stuff.

http://imageshack.us/a/img269/6158/84blackhawkfarms.jpg

the first season w the new car was a blast and ended up w a slight hick-up at the Runoffs. i was running 3rd on the last lap and somehow my ignition switch must have been bumped, i have an incar video of the whole race and there is a sickening 1.6 seconds of no engine and i finally reswitched it on to finish 4th. oh well. i relocated the switch to the roll bar above the windshield and never had that problem again.

83 Runoffs Road Atlanta thru the esses w ken Glaesner's Datsun S2000

http://imageshack.us/a/img42/2784/84runoffs.jpg

qualifying w taped grille

http://imageshack.us/a/img801/7792/12779895.jpg

here's a shot of chassis #2. tube frame, quick change rear end etc

http://imageshack.us/a/img88/7396/jps8719.jpg

qualifying into turn 5 at Road America, 141 mph at the four marker. one of the biggest advantages of chassis 3 (thanks Craig Carter) was the additional amount of rear braking available. amazing

http://imageshack.us/a/img268/5716/89raf.jpg

one of my favorites... 1989 June Sprints Road America. the parade lap. notice every car in the picture i outqualified. to my left a tube frame GT1 Camaro, to the rear a very tricked out GT1 Porsche, many GT1 and GT2 cars behind me, only one GT2 car in front and this is on a four mile track where hp rules. i ran under the track record but knew it was to be my last race in GT3. i was beaten by Jim Dentici who went on to win the runoffs that year. 50+ car field. this is a pic of my 3rd chassis which was supersonic. i held the Road America track record for a couple of years at 2:36 and ran 2:33.6 in this race... (it is now 2:23, time marches on and so does tire tech:))

http://imageshack.us/a/img215/9123/89junesprints.jpg

a closeup... notice wide five wheels w magnesium hubs, what's a window net doing on the passenger side? heh heh, how can the rear wheels have negative camber w a solid axle? what's w the exhaust coming thru the door?

http://imageshack.us/a/img811/4480/u...cordroadam.jpg



more to come...

howard

excellent! that car is just awesome.

very nice car. it looks so well balanced.
do you remember total weight ?

2180 w me in it at the end of the race. first 3 cars are always weighed.. that includes 180 pounds of lead under the exhaust in the rocker panel... 53% inside weight, 53% rear weight