Holman Moody visit


BtwoG

GT Owner
Dec 8, 2013
1,039
Atlanta, GA
Over the holidays, I was in Charlotte NC for a few days and decided to stop by the Holman Moody shop. Lee Holman is a very gregarious guy and always willing to spend some time reminiscing about the hay days at Holman Moody.

He has all the original Mark II tooling and had about 15 cars' worth of parts produced, which he has scattered around the shop in various locations. He said the cars have about 2700 individual pieces, and they also have all the original Ford schematics for the parts. He had 7-8 cars in various states of "production" as well as 3-4 X1 variants. He enjoys showing how beefy the original Mark II components are compared to the kit car components being sold today. He has just completed a T44 transmission and 427 for a customer in Norway.

He talked about spending time in Europe getting to know the ropes and preparing cars for the Le Mans effort. He had a great story about being 21 years old at Le Mans and being asked to show the 18 year-old Edsel Ford II around the circuit while he was there. I didnt want to pry too much but imagine those two had some good times. I cant imagine being that age and having that level of stature.

I asked about the 3rd place Le Mans car (chassis number P/1016) as it was recently sold at auction. He thought it was basically seized by the Turkish government from it's long time private owner.

Lee's father sold most of the Mark IIs (including P/1016) for $10,000 each after the racing program evaporated. Lee wanted to buy one but his dad wouldnt lend him the money.:facepalm:

If you are ever in Charlotte, it is definitely worth a visit. I imagine a lot of that history will fade away in the not too distant future.
 
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Sinovac

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 18, 2006
5,832
Largo, Florida
Thanks for sharing that!
 

steved57

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Mar 29, 2008
1,941
kilgore tx
Great story
 

mccarter1369

Ford Enthusiast
Mark II Lifetime
Sep 18, 2006
158
Denver, CO
Nice read and thanks for posting. I have met Lee a few times and just as you mentioned, he was always very generous with his time.
 

TO AWSUM

Ford GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 4, 2007
1,506
Niceville FL
Small world in a very small town. I took the GT to a restaurant for breakfast a couple weeks ago and a gentleman came to my table and stated my car had brought back many good memories for him. He said he was part of the Holman Moody Team during the GT-40 days. He said he was at Lemans during the historic wins. I didn't write his name down so unfortunately I forgot it. Bummer. Based on how he looked, he must have been in his 20s during that time. I'll be looking for him in future visits. Hard to believe he'd be living in this small town.


I had a similar experience as Lee. My father wouldn't lend me $500 to buy a 1966 427 Cobra in 1968. Yup, you read that right $500. My '57 Chevy had been rear-ended and sandwiched between two cars when I was in college. Insurance company totaled it even though it didn't have that bad of damage. Said it was because of cost of replacing all the chrome. Anyway, I tore it apart and sold all the parts (doors, Naugahyde interior, mag wheels, 327 racing engine, Borg-Warner 4-speed, etc., etc. and ended up with $2000 to buy a replacement. It was all the money I had because I was paying my own way through college with zero help from my parents. The Ford Dealer in Huron, SD asked me what I would like for my $2000. I laughingly said a Cobra which were selling for about $7000 in 1968. He said he had a friend in Texas that would sell me his red 427 Cobra for $2000 and he could have it delivered in 2 weeks. I asked him what was wrong with it. He said the owner blew the 427 engine. I asked my dad for the $500 so I could rebuild the engine and he said -- NO. Probably would have been impractical driving it in the SD snow and -30F weather anyway, LOL. Sour grapes logic at work.
 
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GKW05GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 28, 2011
2,755
Fayetteville, Ga.
Nice visit sound great.