Owners and admirers of Turner sports cars in the United States are marking the 50th anniversary of the diminutive two-seat racers by staging two Turner reunions as part of larger race weekends this season. The first will be part of The Vintage Grand Prix Festival, a VSCCA-sanctioned race event taking place on the newly revitalized Camden New Jersey Waterfront on May 7 and 8. The second Turner Reunion will take place September 29–October 2 at VIR raceway in Alton, Virginia.
Welshman Jack Turner built approximately 673 two-seat sports cars, starting in a blacksmith shop in Wolverhampton, England, between 1955 and 1965. Nearly 45% of these cars are known to survive. Of the 300 known cars, 127 are in the United States and it’s not unusual for 10 of those cars to appear competing in vintage race events. Skip Barber, owner of Lime Rock Race Park is perhaps the best known of the nation’s former Turner racers, although the cars’ durability and handling attributes have made them favorites of both race drivers and owners who drive them on the streets.
Fred Lieb, who purchased his 950S Turner in 1959 and raced it at Sebring a short while later and throughout the 45 years since, will serve as the official grand marshal for the “All-Turner Special Parade Laps.” Lieb has declared that the 2005 season will be his last. British Turner registrar Russ Filby and other enthusiasts from the United Kingdom may also attend.
Turner racer Jack Gallagher, chair of the Camden event in May, and Turner racer Keith Burnett, organizer of the marque’s activities during the September races at VIR, are encouraging all owners of Turners—both street and racecars—to join them in celebrating the 50th anniversary with fellow enthusiasts. Both events will be family friendly and will include car shows, parade laps, social events and special reserved parking areas for Turners. Mr. Burnett adds that the VIR race weekend in September will include a Turner-only handicap pursuit race. For more information, contact
Jack Gallagher, (856) 358-1777, jcgall@erols.com or Keith Burnett (540) 337-7599, e-mail keithbur@velocitus.net.
