Mincey’s Machine

Years after both men had quit racing, Mincey (right) and C.P. Shaw met again at the Red Cross Benefit Car Show in Walhalla, South Carolina. The car that Mincey drove for Shaw has been restored by Jerry Vaughn and the late Giles Grant.

The C.P. Shaw team in Athens held on to the sleek 1932 Ford sedan that Charlie raced from 1965 to 1967 until several years ago.  The car wandered to a body shop in Hartwell, Georgia, where it was always going to be restored.  They even blasted and primered the entire car before proceeding to the next step, which was extensive mechanical reconstruction.

But they lost interest.  Restoring old racecars is a long and costly process.  Few people will undertake the chore.  But Jerry Vaughn of Walhalla, South Carolina, bought the primed hulk and a dream was realized.

Jerry was working on another project that needed a 1934 Ford truck grille shell.  While riding around North Georgia hunting for parks, he found the “skeeter” he had always wanted.

Jerry had already finished a Model A Ford coupe with a Flathead Ford engine, but had wanted a skeeter since his teenage years.

Jerry only got what was left, but you could clearly see that the car was a mechanical work of art.  The body was unscratched but needed a lot of TLC.  He completed his project with a late model quick change and a small block Chevrolet.

He and Giles Grant, his partner in the project, had planned on running the car throughout the south in vintage car races.  But Giles died of a heart attack before that dream could be realized.  Jerry and Giles only ran the car one time in 1999.

In the summer of 2000, Jerry got a reunion of sorts with Charlie, his wife Carolyn, and C.P. Shaw, the original owner of the car, along with his daughter at a car show in Walhalla, South Carolina.  It was a wonderful day for the three men; Charlie with his memories, Curt with his fabrication notes and Jerry with his smile.  A little piece of history from the sixties had been saved.

Since then, Jerry sold the car to GARHOFA’s Al Smith of Warner Robbins, Georgia.  Smith plans on running it at future vintage race meets, so you might be able to catch a glimpse of it at your local speedway.