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Review by Pete Vack
Photos by Glen Glendenning courtesy Dave Rex

For years, the name Jim Jeffords was just that, a name on a car, a program, a result. Like many of the low key but successful SCCA race drivers, and unlike the international racing stars, Jeffords did not get much publicity on a personal level. After his death in 2014, however, there appeared much more information about this hard driving, multitalented Milwaukee resident whose brief career, according to the SCCA bio, may not have been the longest but almost certainly unmatched.

And now, thanks to the help of Jim’s four sons, Robert Birmingham has written a short (113 pages) but stellar biography of Jeffords, perhaps best known for his B production victories in the Purple People Eater Corvette. Birmingham has brought Jeffords exploits and successes to life in this informative book. Unlike what is posted on the internet, Birmingham is able to put Jeffords’ career in context, explaining even the most obscure events such as the Williams Bay Hillclimb on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Born in 1926, Jim Jeffords’ father was a great influence on him. His father, known as Jeff, ran a service garage in Milwaukee, where the young Jim learned to drive and no doubt learned a lot about cars. Jeff often took him to the Wisconsin State Fair Park, where they would watch the likes of Mauri Rose, Wilbur Shaw and other stars race in the AAA sponsored events.

But instead of taking over his father’s garage, Jim took a different path, becoming a car salesman, then establishing a successful ad agency, followed by a string of imported car dealerships. And like their father, Jim’s four sons, Patrick, Michael, Kerry and Jimmy, became involved in racing as well, and helped Birmingham put together Jeffords’ biography.

Birmingham tracks Jeffords’ competition successes year by year, event by event, as a Jag XK120 was replaced by a XK120 MC, replaced by a series of Corvettes with which he won two National Championships in the B Production class. He was fast, but tough on cars…either he won or broke down. Driving the one of three Corvette SR2s, Jeffords did well in the B Modified class but faster machinery dominated. He did a stint for Nickey Chevrolet, Camoradi and, as Willem Oosthoek related in VeloceToday, a run with Frank Harrison in the Maserati Birdcage.

Jeffords, the ad man, also figured out a way to attract the attention of the press, first by colorful paint combinations, driver’s suits and helmets, but might be most remembered as the guy who drove the Purple People Eater, an outrageously purple Corvette that took him to a National Championship in 1958. The name came from a popular song by Sheb Wooley: Purple People Eater…“It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater..” about a space alien who came to earth to play in a rock ‘n roll band.

In 1959 at Sebring, Jeffords tried to do his friend John Norwood a favor by signing on to drive one of the FDR Team Roosevelt Fiat Abarths. Lance Reventlow found Jeffords in the paddock and asked him “What in the hell are you doing in that little piece of crap?” Poor 6 foot 2 inch Jeffords had to have the seat modified to fit his frame, in essence, giving him only a metal platform to sit on. Jeffords, driving almost solo, still placed 30th overall and 3rd in class.

Jeffords was a man of many talents. After a very busy and successful seven years behind the wheel, Jeffords retired due to health issues but stayed active in the sport, managing a team of AMC Javelins, and was elected to the Road America Board of Directors.

According to his son Pat, Jeffords had a chance to meet famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, inspiring an interest in architecture, and he provided input to several homes designed by the Taliesin architects. Later, Jeffords moved to Palm Springs, California and had Taliesin West design a new home. The “Boat House” as it was called, is still a remarkable architectural site. Jeffords died there in 2014 at the age of 87.

Thanks to Birmingham for this well done, too short biography. Much like Jeffords himself.

Glendenning Gallery: These photos of Jim Jeffords were found in the Glendenning archives and do not appear in the book:

Jeffords in a borrowed 300SL.

Wisconsin GP, May 25 1957, another first in B Production

June 23 SCCA National Road America, Jeffords behind the wheel after another win in B Production.

September 6 1957, RA 1st in B Production, with the Purple People Eater.

September 7, 1958 with SR 2, RA. DNF

September 7, 1958 with SR 2, RA. DNF

Bob Birmingham began racing in the 1960s, knew Jim Jeffords but was not a close friend. Bob later served as the SCCA board member and Drift editor.
Bob has authored the following books:

Mis-Shifting: Fast Cars, Fond Memories, Fine Friendships 2014
Augie Pabst Behind the Wheel 2016
Brook Stevens and the Stevens Family Legacy 2019
Bill Wuesthoff: Smooth and Fast 2020
Fred Wacker-Gentleman Racer
Milwaukee Region SCCA, The First 20 Years

We begin our series below with a biography of Glen Glendenning and a selection of his photographs.

Glen Glendenning, left, with D Jag racer Don Skogmo. Photographer unknown.

By Pete Vack

In 2012, Dennis Shoff and Dave Rex found a 1952 road race special named the “Comet” in the back of a race shop at Virginia International Raceway, and purchased it from fellow vintage racer Larry Narcus, who had restored the car and gathered some of the car’s history including contact information for the car’s ex-owner and driver, Glen Glendenning.

Dennis and Dave made contact with Glendenning, who at the time was living in Florida. This began a long relationship with Glendenning, who was able to not only share information on the Comet but many interesting stories of sportscar racing in the 50s. In addition, it was learned that Glenn had been an excellent photographer and owned a PR firm with a film lab, and produced 26 films for the Schlitz brewery.

Just prior to his passing in 2014, Glendenning called Dave and said he had a large box of pictures from races and other car events that he had taken in the 1950s. Glendenning said “I’m not even going to open the box, I’ll just tape it up and send it to you because I know you will take proper care of them.”
The box consisted of dozens of loose scrapbook pages. Most of the photos, as might be expected, were of above snapshot quality, well framed, in focus and taken with a 35 mm SLR with a good lens. That in itself was unusual in an era of brownie cameras and furthermore, Glen Glendenning knew most everyone in the budding sport, and had access to pits, corners and people. The box of photos teemed with promise.

Glen was known by many people, but few knew him well and many have departed the scene. The following is what we’ve learned about Glen from a few of his friends and acquaintances.

He was born on August 20, 1926 in Evanston Illinois, where his father ran a Cadillac dealership. He once told Dave Rex that his uncle Raymond was a sports commentator for the BBC. In a recorded interview with Dennis Shoff in 2013, Glendenning said that he got into sports cars when he bought a Healey Silverstone, then bought an MGTC, perhaps with the help of his friend Larry Whiting, also a prominent Wisconsin enthusiast who was very much involved in early Road America as a racer and also track Public Address Announcer. According to Bob Birmingham, Glen was “a promoter, an interesting sort who could regale listeners with tales of his world travels, and experiences that were almost beyond belief.”

In traveling to events, he used a Ford (or Chevy) Woody station wagon that served many purposes, as a tow car, and filled with spare race tires and tools. It was reported that inside the Woody he carried a parachute and water skis, an empty holster and a ham radio he loudly used to converse with others on a variety of topics while waiting at lights.

Although he ventured to Indianapolis, Sebring, and Bridgehampton NY, he stayed close to home most of the time, attending, photographing and sometimes racing at the many venues close to Milwaukee, including Road America and the Milwaukee State Fairground. His last set of photos as found in his album were taken at Meadowdale, Illinois, September 14, 1958. It is said that at the end of the decade he went to the Bahamas and operated a marine shipping company.

Glen told Rex that he had the 4th Austin Healy that came into the U.S. and met Donald Healy at Sebring. He sold an Allard when the Healey arrived. “Glen also said he drove at Sebring in Larry Whiting’s Morris Minor and Rod Carveth’s Aston Martin (car didn’t do well).” Larry Whiting and Karl Brocken, both from the Milwaukee area, did race a Morris Minor at Sebring in 1950, placing 14th overall, and while Glen may have helped along the way, he is not listed in the official results.

Augie Pabst in the Comet which he shared with Glen Glendenning at the Road America 500 in 1957.

In 1954 Glendenning purchased the Comet, a homebuilt special with a MGTD chassis with a Glaspar body and a Ford Flathead engine. The body was shortened 7 inches by cutting a section from the cockpit. Glen bought the car and began entering it in SCCA races, hill climbs and other Milwaukee area events. Says Rex, “In 1957 Augie Pabst co—drove the car with Glen in a 500-mile race at Road America. Augie told Rex that the car’s brakes were the worst he had ever experienced! In 1956 after blowing up a few flatheads, Glenn was given a Chevrolet 283 engine and transmission by a well-connected friend at Chevrolet. Instructions were included that if any problems occurred, to refer them to Chevrolet engineering. Glen took the car to Granatelli in Chicago and had 3 carbs installed.”

Road America historian Tom Schultz has Glendenning’s race record as:
8-15-54 Milwaukee Regional, 9 OA
9-11-55 Road America National, 18 OA
5-20-56 Milwaukee Regional, 11 OA
7-01-56 Milwaukee MG Car Club race, 2 OA
9-08-57 Road America 500, 32 OA
Writes Shultz: “Glen was far more involved in the social aspects of sports cars than the racing. He did have the Comet special, but did not race it much at all.”

Read more about the Comet:

Connections: Augie Pabst

Putting the Sport in Sports Cars

Along with two other pioneers, the late Robert F. Pauley and Frank Shaffer, Glendenning left us a unique vision of the sports car movement that changed America. We have selected only a few of his many photos to present here as a gallery, for what Glen Glendenning saw was how the sport was in fact a sport; once the invasion of foreign sports cars had begun, the new owners used them in many different ways; rallies, trials, ice races, hillclimbs and sanctioned road racing on both public and private roads. Women were a part of this new exciting hobby as never before; still banned from the pits at Indianapolis, women were active in the pits as timers and assistants, in rallies as navigators. Some, like Betty Skelton, became famous, and others, like Ruth Levy were excellent race drivers in their own right. The epitome of the movement was road racing, and the Maseratis and Ferraris that competed at those Midwest racetracks were and remain cultural objects of high value today. Through the viewfinder, Glen Glendenning saw this and much more. Below, we present just a few of the many photos Glen Glendenning took that reflected the Sports Car Craze that Changed America.

Glen Glendenning Gallery Number One

John Kilborn, June 16, 1957

A great driver portrait by Glendenning. The subject was John Kilborn, a car dealer from Decatur, Illinois, whose family started a Nash dealership in 1925 and by 1953 was selling Dodge cars and trucks under the banner of Kilborn Motors Inc. After serving in the Marines during World War II, John returned home but his interest tended to be more toward MGs and Jaguars rather than Detroit products. He owned and raced several Ferraris until he retired from racing in 1964. Kilborn died in 1980 at age 65. Kilborn is photographed on June 16, 1957 at a little known hillclimb called Rib Mountain located near Wausau, Wisconsin. The event was sponsored by the Milwaukee region of the SCCA; Kilborn set the fastest time of day. The car is a Ferrari 750 Monza Scaglietti, s/n 0518M. Originally went to Jacques Swaters in Belgium, and driven in a number of European events until being sold to Kilborn in early 1957. He raced it all year with modest success before selling it to Dean Knight of Oklahoma in 1958.

Lee Petty, August 12, 1956

And, what have we here? A stock car race? Glen Glendenning was at Road America on August 12, 1956 to witness what was perhaps the first time NASCAR stock cars raced on anything beside an oval. Of course, Road & Track was not impressed. “Cornering techniques (if you’ll pardon the phrase) for the stocks appalling – they half slam, half throw them thru, then appear to pray like mad.” The driver above is the redoubtable Lee Petty, father of Richard, grandfather of Kyle, who was running a Dodge, probably with the Dodge version of the Chrysler hemi. He could only muster up a 13th place as Tim Flock won the race in a Mercury.

MG TC and Model

Let’s say she’s a model, though we have no idea of when or where the photo was taken or the identities of the couple. Let’s say it is probably a SAC event as it is on an airport so that makes it post 1952 and before 1958 when Glen Glendenning gave up race photography. And let’s say that this is a ‘cheesecake’ shot…that’s a term for a sexy woman, or scantily clad which dates back to the 1660’s but was still in popular usage in the 1950s. The model’s svelte lines contrast nicely with the traditional British Upright design of the MGTC. A classy cheesecake though, wouldn’t you say?

Bridgehampton, May 23, 1953

Bridgehampton was a mess, a tragic event that led very quickly to the complete ban of all racing on public roads in the state of New York. Road and Track was brief, one column, no photos. “Robert Wilder of Palmer, Mass. was killed when his car went out of control.” In the second event, “Tom Luck of Philadelphia flipped his Siata and sustained a fractured collar bone and minor cuts.” Glen Glendening was on the scene shortly after the accident and took this photo of the rolled Siata. In the last event, Harry Gray lost control of his Jaguar and overturned, hurting three spectators sitting in an area marked ‘No Spectators Allowed.’ The race was not completed.

Ted Baumgartner, Road America, September 6, 1958

The glitter of black is reflected in this photo by Glen Glendenning of the Alfa Veloce of Ted Baumgartner, who put his Alfa into fourth overall behind three Porsche Carreras in the first race for Production cars during the September, 1958 event at Road America. One might think Ted was a lone Alfa stalwart holding off the German hordes for the glory of Italy. But according to Bob Birmingham, Ted Baumgartner, who was working at Schwarztburg Oldsmobile after WWII, established Concours Motors in the mid-1950s with Bill Wuesthoff selling VWs. A few years later Baumgartner sold his interest in Concours Motors to open his own shop, Baumgartner Motors, selling Porsches, Alfas and Triumphs in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee. Baumgartner was probably chasing Porsches he sold.

Dr. Dick Thompson, SR2 Corvette, June 24, 1956

To counter the increasingly obvious sports car craze, Harley Earl came up with the Corvette in 1953, but with a straight six, performance was lame. Enter Zora Arkus Duntov who in 1956 took a stock Vette off the line and fitted it with a special body designed by Bob Cumberford. The new 265 V8 had a special Duntov cam and with heavy duty suspension, Cerametalix Bendix brake linings and Houdaille shocks, the Vette was ready to face the opposition. Glen Glendenning captured the first appearance of the SR2 Corvette as driven by the Flying Dentist Dick Thompson at Road America in June of 1956. The car failed to place well, finishing in 16th in the B, C, and D modified class. Jerome Earl, Harley’s son, co-drove with Thompson.