 |
 |
Thunder Ranch Cars |
|
 |
| |
| |
|
It could have been the corporate atmosphere at General Electric that caused Tom McBurnie to snap…or again, it could have been the Syracuse, NY winters that caused things to go awry.
Regardless, 1964 found Tom streaking down the streets of Pamplona, Spain at a time when men were men who drank with abandon, bulls were bulls, and DUI's were generally not awarded for preceding livestock down city streets. It should be noted during that same period, Tom attended the Swiss Race Driving School at Monterey, France competing in both intermediate and advanced programs.
Back on home ground, Tom was at the wheel of his '58 Porsche Speedster taking second in the SCCA Southern California Region in 1967 and setting track lap records at Riverside, Willow Springs, Santa Barbara, and Roswell. In addition to piloting his 356 Tom also built the mechanicals and maintained the car.
Getting his hands dirty once again, Tom campaigned a LeGrand FA in 68 and 69 where he set a track lap record at Sears Point Raceway and qualified for Road Race of Champions in 69 where he finished seventh, and promptly hung up his string back racing gloves.
In 1970 Tom Evan's C Sport racer was the beneficiary of a McBurnie built and sponsored engine which brought in a first in Southern California, and a second at the Road Race of Champions. The next year that same car gathered firsts at both the California and Atlanta venues.
Tom started in the specialty car business as a full time vocation in 1978 building the Sceptre 6.6S, a neo classic two place car based on a '78 Ford Thunderbird platform. This concept won the best new car at the Los Angeles Auto Expo and was honored under the full Ford warranty program.
Success breeds success and Tom soon builds the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 (Daytona) replica based on a Corvette chassis which soon becomes a centerpiece of the '80s television show "Miami Vice". Additional information on this topic may be found in the book "Daytona" by Pat Braden and Gerald Roush.
John Candy stars in the film "Delirious" in 1991 and somehow manages to stuff his bulk into a McBurnie replica of the Ferrari 250 GTO two of which were made available to the filmmakers.
The SEMA Best New Product Award for 1995 is given to Tom's 1934 Roadster featuring a mid-engine Oldsmobile Aurora V-8. This car was featured in a 6 month series of articles in Street Rodder Magazine who judged the '34 Aurora Lightening Roadster one of the 25 best hot rod products for the 90's.
Tom and his handiwork are once again the topic of discussion in Street Rodder Magazine when his Prolong-Ford sponsored '34 Linda Vaughn roadster appears on the cover as the feature article in the July '97 issue.
We are indeed fortunate that Tom McBurnie is no longer a Designer for General Electric's Defense System Department for which we should thank both the sangria and bulls of Pamplona.
Contact-
THUNDER RANCH
1444 Pioneer Way
El Cajon, CA 92020
USA
Office: (619) 444-1006
Fax: (619) 444-5994
Email: tmcburnie@thunderranch.com
|
|
|
 |
|
Traffic Analysis |
|
|
|
Similar Sites |
|
|
| |
Build Your Own Race Car : Resources for the amateur designer with building strategies, mechanical engineering software, and sanctioning bodies rules and guidelines. Links included.
AF Sports : My interest in the internet began when I was invited to an induction course about the World Wide Web many years ago when it was all very new.
I quickly saw
All American Lotus 7 Inspired Roadster: The Brunton Stalker V6 Clubman is a high performance sportscar for builders in the U.S.A. Construction, performance options, specifications, components and FAQ.
Contact:
Email: bruntonauto@aol.com
Ari's Fiero-Based Kit Car Forum: Links to brokers, emblem and accessory sources, Fiero information, build diaries, engine upgrades, manufacturers, classifieds, fiberglass and suspension and brake upgrades.
Bike Transplant Central: Devoted to using motorcycle engines in cars. FAQ, list of donors, build diaries and links.
RJ Replica Roadsters: Automotive Replica Specialist and Authorized Dealer for Classic Roadsters II.
Goben Cobras: modeled after the Shelby AC Cobra.
Cobretti Viper: dedicated to the build up of a Cobretti Viper Cobra kit car. Includes links and suggestions.
Teal Cars: offers information on owning, building, and driving the Teal Type 35 Bugatti replica.
Mark's Project Hood: features Mark's diary of building a Robin Hood 2b kit car.
Dave's Anniversary Countach Replica: FAQs and pix on my Lamborghini Anniversary Edition Countach replica/kitcar.
CJ's Ultima GTR Site: provides a build diary with timeline, forum, build tips, and photos.
|
|
|
|
|
|
