Richard Stafford
Senior Specialist, Head of Research
LOT 122
1963 Huffaker Genie Mk 8 Chassis no. 03
Estimate: US$175,000 - US$250,000
Lot 122
The Ex-Pedro Rodriguez, Dan Gurney, Ed Lowther, SCCA Championship-winning
1963 Huffaker Genie Mk 8
1963 Huffaker Genie Mk 8
1963 Huffaker Genie Mk 8
Chassis no. 03
Chassis no. 03
302ci OHV Ford 'Smallblock' V8 Engine
Quad Weber IDA48 Downdraft Carburetors
450bhp
4-Speed Hewland LG-500 Transaxle (See Text)
4-Wheel Independent Suspension
4-Wheel Disc Brakes
*One of approximately seven Genie Mk 8s produced
*Driven in period by Pedro Rodriguez and Dan Gurney
*1964 SCCA National Champion with Ed Lowther
*Meticulously restored by the late Joe Huffaker Sr. to as-raced condition
*Fantastically documented history
*Retains many original details, including Genie magnesium wheels
*Shown at the 2009 Hilton Head Concours d'Elegance
*Light, fast, and highly competitive
*Includes logbooks, FIA paperwork and 4 binders full of important historical and technical information
THE HUFFAKER GENIE
The Huffaker Genie was the brainchild of Joe Huffaker, who was head of British Motor Car Distributors' Competition Department under the ownership of Kjell Qvale during the early 1960s. BMC, as it was known, was essentially the West Coast equivalent of Max Hoffman's famous New York distributorship. Starting in the late 1940s, Qvale brought Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, MG, Austin Healey, Lotus, Jensen, De Tomaso, Maserati, Lamborghini, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and many other European marques to Americans living in the Western United States. Indeed, the Qvale dynasty is still very much alive today on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, and throughout their dealer network. During the early 60's, while working for Qvale, Joe Huffaker designed, engineered, and constructed some of the earliest mid-engine racecars under the name Huffaker Genie, which was particularly impressive given that neither McLaren nor Lola had introduced a mid-engine car yet. Consequently, for a brief period, Huffaker Genies were the car to have, and the company was at one point the largest dedicated racecar constructor in the United States. Huffaker Genie began initially with four-cylinder cars displacing no more than two liters, and eventually grew into producing the Mark 8 sports racer, which featured a tubular space frame and a range of American V8's from Oldsmobile, Buick, Ford, or Chevrolet.
After setting out on his own in 1966 as Huffaker Engineering, Joe Sr. was tapped to run British Leyland's West Coast racing efforts, which spawned an intense on-track rivalry with his East Coast counterpart, Bob Tullius' Group 44 Motorsports. Huffaker Engineering remains in business today, run by Joe Huffaker, Jr. following the elder Huffaker's passing in 2022.
THE CAR OFFERED
The Genie offered here, chassis number 03 of approximately seven Mk. 8's built, was the BMC (British Motor Car Distributors) Works car run during the 1963 season and then, as now, the car was powered by a small block Ford engine. Huffaker and Qvale put their connections to good use, hiring legendary drivers Dan Gurney and Pedro Rodriguez to pilot this car. Mr. Rodriguez drove the car at the 1963 LA Times Grand Prix at Riverside to 3rd place, and an original program from that event is included in the history file. By the 1964 season, the car had been sold to Ed Lowther, who put it to good use, winning the SCCA National Championship with the car that year. The car has known ownership history from new and is fantastically documented, with literally hundreds of period photographs, newspaper articles, and magazine articles mentioning or featuring the car. Additionally, the car has three logbooks, FIA papers, many technical schematics, and even an original advertisement. The car passed through the hands of several enthusiastic owners, including one who registered the car for the street in the late 1980's while continuing to race it.
The car was raced through the nineties, and is being offered by an enthusiastic owner. The previous owner commissioned Joe Huffaker, Snr and Joe Huffaker, Jnr to restore the car to the configuration in which it raced at Riverside in 1963 with Pedro Rodriguez at the wheel. The restoration, which was completed between 2007 and 2009, was extremely comprehensive and is thoroughly documented with invoices. The restoration work was so well detailed that even the dual fuel filler configuration has been replicated with NOS period external filler caps. The car is one of very few examples that retains its original magnesium Genie wheels and was shown at the 2009 Hilton Head Concours upon its completion. The car was featured in an article in Vintage Motorsport magazine after the completion of the restoration. Additionally, the car was a prominent feature, as well as being on the cover of "Vintage American Road Racing Cars, 1950-1970, by Harold W. Pace and Mark R. Brinker. To mount the American V8 amidships, Huffaker developed a proprietary 4-speed transaxle for the Genie, although this car is currently fitted with a more user-friendly and serviceable Hewland unit. The original Genie wheels are included as is a helpful supply of extra brake pads, seals, gaskets, and other bits which will likely prove helpful in running the car.
This very special Genie Mk8 has seen minimal use since its restoration and remains in stunning condition. The restoration was completed to standards even higher than the car's original construction, and it shows very little appreciable wear aside from what comes with occasional use. The wheels, chassis, and interior have all been restored to Joe Huffaker's high standards, and the car should require little to go racing again.
This is an extraordinarily rare opportunity to acquire a fabulous piece of American motorsport history. Nearly unbeatable during their heyday, early Huffaker Genies represent the golden age of sports car racing, when an upstart with reasonable financing and innovative ideas could simply go out and win races. With its Rodriquez and Gurney history and an SCCA National Championship under its belt, Chassis 03 is surely one of the most comprehensively documented and significant examples of the marque, in addition to being one of the most authentically restored examples. It has previously been extremely competitive in vintage events (winning classes at the Monterey Historics in 1999 and 2003) and is widely eligible for all varieties of historic events.
Footnotes
Sold on Bill of Sale
Saleroom notices
Please note the spares package for this car can be collected from the vendor post sale, please contact the department for further information.
Additional information
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