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CHAPARRAL GALLERY -Page 2
Friday, April 21 began with a guided tour of
Chaparral Cars and Jim Hall's private test track Rattlesnake Raceway
located about 5 miles south of Midland and the Petroleum Museum.
Rattlesnake Raceway was built in the early 1960's by Midland area
road racers, looking to organize SCCA and other events. Jim Hall
invested in the project with the stipulation that he could build
a shop on the property to prepare and maintain his own race cars.
Hap Sharp and Ronnie Hissom also built shops on the property and
the three buildings eventually became the nucleus of Chaparral
Cars. After only 2 events (and one fatality), Rattlesnake Raceway
closed to the public.
Left - Our Tour Guide. Right - Jim
Hall's T-Bird parked in front of his office.
The Brands Hatch winning 2F Coupe,
was the sole remaining Chaparral on the property. It would be
driven to the Petroleum Museum by Jim Hall on Saturday, April
22 to officially open the Chaparral Gallery.
Yup, that's Dan Gurney in the tan hat,
making his first visit to Chaparral headquarters - after all,
he was the Hall's prime competition back in the day.
Chaparral Mechanic Troy Rogers (right)
was on hand to greet visitors. That's Pete Lyons in the white
cap.
Two cars remained in the garages -
a Lotus driven by Jim Hall in the 1960's and a Reynard campaigned
in CART during the 1990's.
A few of Chaparral Cars's trophies
encircled the room - including several from the 1965 Sebring win.
Off in the corner of the complex was
the Dyno building.
The tour included a look at Jim Hall's
private office, decorated with 30+ years of trophies, memorabilia
and great artwork.
Prominent in Jim Hall's office is this
aerial photo of Rattlesnake Raceway, located right next to the
shops.
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