looking for article on Bob Sharp Racing GT-33 280z

[Guest okdan]

I own one of 3 known surviving GT-33's (if you are not familiar with it -- it is a performance/appearance modified Z that Bob Sharp built from 75-78) -- I am getting ready to sell the car and am trying to get my hands on some literature on the GT-33 to provide to the next owner to help establish the history of the car

 

Several years ago someone sent me a pdf of an article from a magazine from 1975

The title of the magazine was either Small Car Performance Magazine or maybe it was Small Car Magazine

 

The article was entitled "a couple of sharpies: one for the road and one for the track"

 

Unfortunately the hard drive on that computer crashed (about 5 years ago) and I lost the article and have never been able to find a copy of the magazine or figure out who sent me the pdf so I could get another copy

 

The article is a side by side comparison of a GT-33 and Bob Sharps 240z race car

 

facsinating article

 

--

also there is a photo of my car as a pace car at Road Atlanta in 76 --- would love to get a copy of this if anyone has one

 

there is supposed to be a poster of the GT-33

 

and in the late 70's/early 80's BSR catalogs there is a photo of the rear spoiler of my car with the lettering GT-33 (the only white/gold GT-33) --- also looking for a copy or pdf

 

there is also a press pack on the car that was issued in 1975

 

(I once had most of these items and a past owner had the rest -- unfortunately both of us lost our folders on the car)

 

If anyone can assist me -- I would greatly appreciate it

 

just let me know

 

thanks

 

Dan

[jhaag]

Since you sent me a private message before posting here a day later, I sent the following info to you via a private message. Since it does not appear that you have read your private message, I am posting the info here.

I do not have the article but I did a little checking. Unfortunately my golden source of old car magazines was called Car Books (a bookstore in Denver) but it is now closed.

 

1. I did the obvious by Googling the article title - no hits.

 

2. I Googled "Small Car Performance Magazine" and found a magazine listed on eBay by that name so I think that is likely to be the magazine title you want.

 

3. I checked the periodicals held by the Denver Public Library system but no luck.

 

4. I checked a database of magazines but did not find it listed.

 

5. I searched WorldCat without luck. WorldCat is a world-wide database of books in all of the public libraries in the U.S. and Britain. It does not seem to index magazines but I thought I'd try.

 

6. I searched online for 'used magazine stores' and there are some listed. However, in my experience, they do not have the more obscure magazines since there is probably not much demand for them. They tend to stock the big names like Car & Driver or Road & Track. You might want to contact some of them to see if there is any kind of national 'hot line' or method that magazine shops work with each other to find obscure magazines for customers.

 

7. My last and best hope is something called "Request It" offered through my library. I submitted an official request for the magazine article. I have been able to obtain an amazing number of obscure and out-of-print car books using this service. The down side is that the service tends to take several weeks and sometimes I strike out.

 

I will keep my fingers crossed for good luck. I would like to read (and post to this site) the article.

Some things you might consider doing:

• You could contact the Detroit Public Library's National Automotive History Collection http://www.detroit.lib.mi.us/nahc/ . They have the largest collection (by far!) of automotive books, magazines and newspapers in the nation. They will help people on a fee basis.
  
• Just for reference, here is the link to the eBay listing for the magazine. The issue for sale is the June, 1975 issue but the cover photo and articles listed on the cover do not refer to your car. The magazine is being sold by someone who sells 'Vette stuff but it might be worth contacting him to see if he has any other issues. Here is the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/JUNE-1975-SMALL-...cmd ZViewItem
  
• If you could learn the name of the publisher of the magazine and if the publisher is still in business, perhaps they would have some back issues. I think it is unlikely they are still around but it might be worth asking the eBay seller to look on page 2 or 3 of the magazine and tell you the name, address and phone number of the publisher. Send him a couple of bucks for his effort.
  
  
• If you haven't already done so, you might want to post your message in the Dime Quarterly on the 510 website. There are some parts that fit the 510 and the Z so there are a number of Z lovers on the site. http://dimequarterly.tierranet.com/

Regards,

 

John

[jhaag]

Dan: I regret to say that the Denver library responded to my article request this way: "This item cannot be found as cited." We know the magazine existed because of the 1975 issue on eBay. I'm guessing that it was such a small circulation magazine that no libraries have felt the need to archive it. Have you had any luck on the suggestions I gave you?

 

Can you post a "wanted to buy" ad on eBay?

 

John

[Guest okdan]

John

 

I sent the ebay seller a message but he did not respond

thing is I am pretty sure that I sent him a message a year ago and at that time he told me this was the only issue he had

I am going to send him another message asking about the publisher

 

beyond that I have not had a chance to do much

(having 5 children and a 110 mile a day commute -- does not leave me much free time but I have monday off -- so hoping to get a few minutes to work on this)

 

Thanks again

 

Dan