Walt Petersen "Mongoose"

[AC Ace Bristol]

aceaceca
   
   As the Mongoose seems to have highjacked the original thread, " Aceca for Sale in CA " .. .[V]
   
   Thought it best to Copy the "Mongoose" data and set up a seperate thread and let the two subjects run seperately.
   
   Hopefully that meets approval . .. [;)]
   
   Keith..  ..  [:)]
   
   
   
   USA
   13 Posts
    Posted - 12 December 2010 :  01:41:51       --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   Walt Petersen built the "MONGOOSE". It was one of the early V8 powered AC roadsters. The guy he built it for took driving lessons from Shelby at Sears Point I think it was. He drove the car in those sessions and I think Shelby was impressed with the thing. There is a Hot Rod magazine article detailing the Mongoose. I have it here somwhere but could not put my hands on it. Walt is still about and retains an Aceca. A friend of mine owns the Bristol engined roadster his wife once raced. Walt lives up in Washington state now.
   
   
   aceaceca
   
   USA
   13 Posts
    Posted - 12 December 2010 :  01:45:37       --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   I watched the white Aceca with a 2.6 Ford race at Sears Point way back when early classic racing began. The guy driving it was a master. He played that car within inches of the wall at the hairpin turn at the end of the straight away.
   
   
   Aceca289
   
   
   USA
   58 Posts
    Posted - 15 December 2010 :  01:15:38       --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   quote:
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Originally posted by aceaceca
   
   Walt Petersen built the "MONGOOSE". It was one of the early V8 powered AC roadsters. The guy he built it for took driving lessons from Shelby at Sears Point I think it was. He drove the car in those sessions and I think Shelby was impressed with the thing. There is a Hot Rod magazine article detailing the Mongoose. I have it here somwhere but could not put my hands on it. Walt is still about and retains an Aceca. A friend of mine owns the Bristol engined roadster his wife once raced. Walt lives up in Washington state now.
   
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   
   Interesting bit about the MONGOOSE...I know of at least one V-8 Ace (I believe it was a Buick 215ci) that Walt built for the son of the guy who had the 289 installed in my car. His name was Dennis Snook and was the link to my father's purchase of my Aceca. I don't think this was the "Mongoose", although you prompted me to do some on-line research. I discovered that Shelby did open the "Shelby School of High Performance Driving" at Riverside International Raceway (in Southern Cal) in 1961...just after his decision to quit racing and before the development of the Cobra. I'd be interested in seeing the Hot Rod Magazine Article if you can find it. I believe Walt may have been located in the Southern California area around that time. I will have to contact Walt sometime to see what light he can shed on this story. It is a good idea to retrieve as much history as we can from these custodians of AC history...before it's too late!
   
   btw - My dad still stays in contact with Walt and informed me that Walt got rid of his Aceca a few years ago (AC engined one I believe). He also confirmed that Walt's wife (Fran) did race back in the 50's...in fact "that's how they met"...as Paul Harvey would say..."and that's the rest of the story"...
   
   John
   
   
   AC Ace BristolUnited Kingdom
   486 Posts
    Posted - 01 January 2011 :  19:22:16           --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   
   
   John
   
   Re; The Mongoose
   
   I have a photocopy of a 2 page article published in August 1963 pages 68 & 69 ... "The Mongoose".
   
   A Red 1958 Ace fitted with a F85 Olds V8 coupled to a 62 Corvette transmission, installed by Jerry Scheberies and Walt Petersen.
   The five pictures were taken by John O'Donnel.
   
   Please confirm your email address and I will scan and email copy to you.
   
   In the meantime, Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New year
   
   Keith ..
   
   
   jrlucke
   
   
   USA
   31 Posts
    Posted - 02 January 2011 :  01:00:54       --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   There is another thread from Jan 3 2010 around BEX1045 and Jerry Scheberies referring to this same Hot Rod article.
   
   John
   
   
   jrlucke
   
   
   USA
   31 Posts
    Posted - 02 January 2011 :  05:20:26
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   Per Keith's request, here are is the article:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   AC Ace Bristol
   
   
   United Kingdom
   486 Posts
    Posted - 02 January 2011 :  13:02:05
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   John (Jrlucke)Thank you for posting the two page article on Mongoose, Interesting that you live within a few miles of Walt, Maybe it's possible to contact him / visit him.?
   
   Has he any period photos or has he any old documentation that could help ID this particular Ace..
   
   There were a few Ace in the USA fitted with Olds & Buick V8s in the early 1960's some before or about the same time as "Carroll Shelby" launched The AC Cobra.
   
   Tony Bancroft & Tim Isles the ACOC Ace Registrars, have a wealth of historic data on our Aces, But require more information on these V8 conversions, especially what happened to the original AC or Bristol engines and unfinished or crashed/scrapped projects.
   
   Any additional information, however small would be appreciated. Might even help substantiate history on a known Ace or locate one of those lost in time, Which have slipped off the Radar..
   
   Keith[/b]..[;)]
   
   
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Edited by - AC Ace Bristol on 02 January 2011 13:10:24

[jrlucke]

Per Keith's request, here is the Hot Rod acticle regarding the "Mongoose":
   
   
   
   
   
   Regarding Buick engined AC's, in the late 1990's there was a Rover V8 (basically the same 215 CI engine) in Northern California with documentation indicating the tennis player Martina Navratilova was an owner.
   
   I didn't get the ID#, any ideas as to the origins of this car? It was blue with as I recall white stripes.

[Aceca289]

Keith / John:
   
   I just got back from a long Christmas break and caught this forum post. Thanks for posting the Article and info on the Mongoose. The wealth of AC information that emerges for some of these forum posts is amazing.
   
   Best to the both of you for 2011! Hopefully the New Year brings many new bits of AC history to the Forum. [:D]
   
   John
   AEX521

[mike m]

Compliments of the season.
   When I bought Ace BEX1073,with V8 Buick a copy of the Rod and Track article came with the car, infering it was the Mongoose and one of three. Indeed the register at the time confirmed this! However during a sustained digging for the cars history, Mongoose/Scheberries never came up. Eventually I managed to contact Jerry Scheberries by phone in July 2003. He told me that he had only converted one car to V8 spec (Olds)for concours events, it was a 1958 AC engined one. Unfortunately he coud not remember where he got it or the chassis number only that it wsa entered in Pebble Beach in 1961 and that he sold it to a man called "Chuck Hallam" who somtimes acted with Burt Lancaster. Jerry sent me a collage of photos copied onto an A4 sheet depicting his red Ace registration ACA 237 (California plate) original AC engine and later Olds taken in the 60s. The car also has a single thin blade front bumper, flat screen and disc front brakes. Another photo of the car in the Nevada desert shows it with a racing number 44.
   Mike.

[nikbj68]

quote:Originally posted by mike m...Jerry sent me a collage of photos copied onto an A4 sheet depicting his red Ace registration ACA 237...Mike.
   

   Here are the photos, as good as I can get them!:
   
   In Squaw Valley:
   
   
   
   At a show in San Francisco:
   
   
   
   With the AC engine:
   
   
   
   ...And the Oldsmobile V8:
   
   
   
   In the Nevada Desert:
   
   
   I hope he`s not pushing it to the nearest gas station!!!
   Also, it looks like that bugscreen could shift cattle!

[Bob Smith]

I've also spook to Jerry Scheberies and he sent me a couple of photos and a slide of his AC Mongoose with the Oldsmobile engine. We spook several times and compared notes from what he could recall about his Ace and repairs that had been made to my Ace (BEX1045). My Ace was red and had an Oldsmobile engine and Corvette 4 speed prior to the last rebuild where the Ford 302 and C4 were installed. Jerry seems to think that I have the Ace he built because no one else was installing Oldsmobile engines because the Buick engine was narrower. Since Jerry doesn't recall the VIN number and CA doesn't keep information that far back we may never know where the Mongoose ended up.

[jrlucke]

The photos show an AC engine as the original engine. Would it not have been an "AEX" numbered Ace rather than a Bristol ID "BEX"?
   
   John

[Bob Smith]

Wow, good observation. Jerry never mentioned that when we spoke. I'll still display the faded photos of Jerry's Mongoose with pride in my family room. My search continues on the history of BEX1045. Merry Christmas and keep posting!

[jrlucke]

I have just found a notice in the local Anacortes WA newspaper that Walt Petersen passed away a couple weeks ago. It has been several years since I spoke with Walt and he recounted his history with A.C.'s in California. At that time he indicated that his Aceca had been passed on to his son (in the Seattle area) and was awaiting restoration.

John