Racing History BEX333 (1957-1964)

[AC Ace Bristol]

.
   John Lucke.
   
   Thank you for your email last night and your  Offer to Contact Ed Mc Bee.
   
   Any form of contact with Ed Mc Bee ( Marysville, WA 98270 ) would be appreciated, Hopefully resulting in securing a little more history on BEX333 and Al Doyon's Ace plus any of the other Ace Bristol's raced in the 1950s & early 1960s..[:D]
   
   Fran is liaising with Ed Clemments in Vancouver, so all going well, Should get new info on the various Ace Bristol's raced in NW USA, Vancouver & British Columbia.
   
   In the meantime, Letter with photocopy pictures has been posted to Barbara Lovely-Doyon, Sister of the Late Peter Lovely (Famous Racer) and Husband of Al Doyon.
   
   Important that contact is made and maintained with these guys as they are now 80 plus years young.  Need to record accurate history for our Ace Registers before it is lost for ever.
   
   John and all who have contributed to date A Big Thank You..[;)].
   
   Cheers for Now.. ..
   
   Keith..[:)].. [:)]

[AC Ace Bristol]

3rd October 2011
   
   To all those who have followed this thread over the past 33 months or so will have read on numerous occassions how I have stressed the  importance to follow up leads and record history before it is lost forever.[V].
   
   I received today the following email:-
   
   Hello Keith.
   
   I am Virginnia Joy. Bill, my husband, and I have known Jim and JoAnn Parsons for 54 years.
   
   Jo Ann Parsons passed away on 26th June, 2011.  JoAnn had been in poor health for quite some time. JoAnn has willed me everything she had possession of.
   I have been quite busy doing her probate forms and just recently began going thru all of the paperwork, photos and household possessions, including the house.  Because of her ill health a lot of tasks were not attended to and I am trying to tie up loose ends.
   
   I have been looking in her computor and piles of papers left. In doing so have read your emails to her. Your quest of history for the Ace Bristol has reached the "top of the heap". Unfortunately Jo didn't leave  a lot of photos. Did she send you pictures of the car taken on their wedding day?
   
   The four of us were at Abbotsford the day Jim "creamed" the Bristol.  Bill wasn't racing and we had driven the Peugeot, so Jo and Jim rode home with us and the next week we took our truck and flat bed trailer back to Canada and brought the Ace Bristol  home.  I know there were pictures but haven't yet found them.
   
   If we can be of help in your quest for history, just let us know.  Bill raced and belonged to the Puget Sound Sports Car Club also.  Bill and his nephew have recently been enjoying Road Rally's especially the ones in Canada in winter.
   
   They are known as the odd couple. Bill is 73 years old and the driver, while Greg who is 30 something runs the computor. They have some harrowing tales to tell.
   
   I hope we can be of some help in your quest.
   
   Sincerely
   
   Virginia Joy.
   
   P.s.
   
   I have sent immediate reply and condolence and await patiently hoping something may materialise within next few months.[;)]
   
   Don't mean to come across as cold and callous, but really glad I made contact with JoAnn Parsons last year and reunited BEX333 with the racing plaques off the trophies won by James in the 1950s early 1960s or they would have been lost for ever.
   
   
   Keith..[:)]..[:)]

[jrlucke]

I had a great lengthy conversation with Ed this afternoon (he resides 50 or so miles from me).
   
   Unfortunately he sold the Ace quite some time ago (he wasn't sure but it was most likely in the 1970's or 1980's as it was sold through a Triumph dealer in Seattle).
   
   He did know that the buyer of the Ace from the dealership (long out of business) was named Dex MacCullogh (?). He did not have the correct spelling or any other information. I did a search and only found a young gentleman in the southeast US with that name and so unless someone with the registry has info around someone by that name it may be a dead end.
   
   Ed did not race the AC (he did race a early McLaren MK3 Can Am car as well as a Lotus 11) but did show the car in concours shows and participate in road rallys.
   
   If I understood correctly, Al Doyon obtained the AC from Mrs. Doyon's late first husband so more info may be available from her.
   
   I'll try to get together with him in the near future to view some photos from the time he owned the Ace.

[AC Ace Bristol]

Thursday 6th October 2011.
   
   Great News!!.
   
   Received the following email from Virginia Joy this evening:-
   
   
   Keith.
   
   I was at the home of Jim and JoAnn Parsons today and opened the safe to find a box of plaques JoAnn had removed from some of Jims trophies.  There are 57 flat placards that were once mounted on trophies and 7 other objects related to the car.  Would you like to see pictures ?  I would happily send them to you.
   
   I remember an occassion when we went to a dinner where Jim received a large trophy.  After the affair was over and we were walking to our car Jim stumbled and fell and put a few dents in the trophy.  You see,  we used to drink a little. The next day Bill managed to get most of the dents out and we had a good laugh.
   
   I have a very large box of slides to look at and sort.  It will be a while before I can get to that task but I will not forget that you want pictures and will stay in touch.
   
   I have found Jo's computer and found pictures she must have e-mailed to you. (That is how I found You).  The quality was very bad.
   I will look to find the original pictures.  I do catalogs for a few glass artists occassionally using Corel and send pictures of 300 dpi or so to printers.  Of course if the quality isn't there in the original picture I cannot do much to enhance it.  It makes for large files but if you have fast internet that isn't a problem.  And I did find the wedding pictures with the Ace in them, Do you want me to try some via e-mail? Another option is to send you a  CD/DVD with the files on.
   
   Yours truly
   Virginia Joy .
   
   
   What ever materialises within the next few months I will post on this thread,  Hopefully some period race pictures of BEX333 along with other Aces on track and in the paddock/pits.
   
   It ceases to amaze me how helpfull and accomodating AC owners and classic sportscar racing enthusiasts are ... ... A very Special Thank You  to ..  ..  Virginia Joy. [;)]
   
   
   Keith..[:)]..[:)]

[scud]

The joy of ... Joy.
   
   Well done Keith.

[AC Ace Bristol]

.
   .
   Made telephone contact last night with  Mrs Barbara Lovely-Doyon.
   .
   
   Great Girl...[;)].. Interesting chat, Al has been in a home for many years but was very actively invloved in the motor trade and sports car racing. In fact with Barbara's brother being Pete Lovely who had a very successfull racing career and all their friends, colleagues and associates made over the past 40 years.  She has promised to put word out, that I am seeking history not only of BEX333 but of any Ace Bristol raced in period 1957 through to say 1965.
   Can't promise anything but very good prospects with so many good contacts, However one has to appreciate that some of these guys are approaching late eighties or even into their  90th year. So memories can play tricks and photos and racing ephemera eventually get lost or discarded.
   
   Barbara definitely has photos at home of Al Doyon racing his Dark blue Ace Bristol, which he sold to Ed Mac Bee (Ed McBee?) whom allowed Al to continue racing the Ace, But eventually Sold the Ace in the 1970s to a Dex MacCullough ( not sure of correct spelling)... ....Does anyone know Dex.. [?] and Where or Who now ownes Al Doyon's Old Ace Bristol..[?] ( ID [?])
   
   Once Barbara has located some photos and/or 35mm slides she said she will forward on copies by email or Snail Mail.
   
   Tried to send a thank you note via e-mail but kept bouncing back, so will leave it a week or so as Barbara should have  received my letter and photocopies which I posted earlier this week.
   
   Hopefully e-mail pictures will be forth coming which in turn will confirm  Barbara's correct email address.
   
   
   A quick  Thank You to Mike Mansergh for confirming correct address and tel number for Barbara.[;)]
   
   Keith .[:)]..[:)]

[AC Ace Bristol]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by AC Ace Bristol</i>
   
Thursday 6th October 2011
   
   Great News!
   
   Received the following email from  Virginia Joy    this evening:-
   
   
   Keith
   
   I was at the home of Jim and JoAnn Parsons today and opened the safe to find a box of plaques JoAnn had removed from some of Jims trophies.  There are 57 flat placards that were once mounted on trophies and 7 other objects related to the car.  Would you like to see pictures ?  I would happily send them to you.
   
   I remember an occasion when we went to a dinner where Jim received a large trophy.  After the affair was over and we were walking to our car Jim stumbled and fell and put a few dents in the trophy.  You see,  we used to drink a little. The next day Bill managed to get most of the dents out and we had a good laugh.
   
   I have a very large box of slides to look at and sort.  It will be a while before I can get to that task but I will not forget that you want pictures and will stay in touch.
   
   I have found Jo's computer and found pictures she must have e-mailed to you. (That is how I found You).  The quality was very bad.
   I will look to find the original pictures.  I do catalogs for a few glass artists occassionally using Corel and send pictures of 300 dpi or so to printers.  Of course if the quality isn't there in the original picture I cannot do much to enhance it.  It makes for large files but if you have fast internet that isn't a problem.  And I did find the wedding pictures with the Ace in them, Do you want me to try some via e-mail? Another option is to send you a  CD/DVD with the files on.
   
   Yours truly
   Virginia Joy
   
   
   What ever materialises within the next few months I will post on this thread,  Hopefully some period race pictures of BEX333 along with other Aces on track and in the paddock/pits.
   
   It ceases to amaze me how helpfull and accomodating AC owners and classic sportscar racing enthusiasts are ... ... A very Special Thank You   ..  ..  Virginia Joy.    
   
   <b>Keith</b>..[:)]..[:)]
   
   <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
   
   <font size="3"><b>6 Months Later</b></font id="size3">.
   
   20th April 2012
   
   
   Just received package form Virginia Joy (Executor, of the Late Jo anne Parsons, widow of James H Parsons).
   
   62 pieces of Brass depicting / confirming race and  rally history of Jim Parsons from 1955 through to 1964. ( No photos, but real tACtile History)..[:)]
   
   Ten or Twelve  plaques are pre-September 57, so are not relevent to BEX333. Some are reference Formula Junior whilst one or two make reference to  Jim Parsons as <b>Vice President of "Puget Sound Sports Car Club" in 1963.</b>
   
   Lots more research required to allocate validate which of the various Trophy and Dash Board plaques relate to BEX333.
   
   Has any one contact with The Puget Sound Sports Car Club. [?]
   or know of any Ex-members who may be able to throw light on tracing various motoring events associated with PSSCC [?]
   
   Bonus at bottom of package.
   A Puget Sound Sports Car Badge     about 110mm by 70mm in the shape of a two eared wheel spinner.
   
   Photo to follow.[;)]
   
   Keith..[:)]
.
.

[nikbj68]

Photo here! Lovely badge that!
   
   

[jrlucke]

Keith, sounds like a great find!
   
   Glad you finally received the package. It's a long way from Seattle across the continent and then across the Atlantic!!
   
   John

[AC Ace Bristol]

Ellensburg Daily Record ... September 29th 1958 .
   
   Page 5  Referes to :
   
   Seventy Five Sports Car Drivers Race Here Sunday.
   
   Ellensburg Daily Record  News Archive Search Sept 29th 1958
   
   http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=860&dat=19580929&id=zJlaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Z0sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4099,3311246
   
   Confirming Jim Parsons came third in one of the three races competing in BEX333..[;)]
   
   
   Keith..[:)]..[:)]

[nikbj68]

Here`s the article from the Ellensburg Daily Record:
   
   <center></center>

[AC Ace Bristol]

Further to receipt of the various racing &  Rally plaques, sent email  to :-
   
   <b>Scott Faris
   President,  Cascade Sports Car Club
   Spec  Miata #09</b>
   
   Received  reply ( 22nd April 2012.):- <font size="3"><b>Subject  CSCC-CSCC Racing Info Request.</b></font id="size3">
   
   Thanks for enquiry, I have copied our Historian,  Bob Hillison, regarding your request reference Racing History of BEX333 and any other AC Aces
   raced in period ( 1957-1964 ).
   Though our club was around in the 1950's, I am not conversant with the racing history from then, if any can find your data it will be Bob.
   
   Cheers and Good luck.
   
   <b>Scott Faris</b>.
   
   <font color="maroon">*********************************************** </font id="maroon">
   
   
   <b>22nd May 2012.</b>
   
   reference :- <font size="3"><b>Up date on AC Cars Files</b></font id="size3">.
   
   
   <b>Keith</b>.
   
   I have located our historical files, but haven't have a chance to look at them.
   There are boxes and boxes of them.  Our plan is to get the digitized to save them from where " moth and rust doth corrupt "
   
   I have been watching videos of Carrol Shelby's life and his connection to AC Cars,  Sad that he has passed but his legend remains !!
   
   Should any racing data be found reference BEX333 or any other Ace raced in Period, will eventually copy you in.
   
   Regards.
   
   <font size="2"><b>Scott Faris
   President,  Cascade Sports Car Club. </b> </font id="size2">
   
   Any new information received regards any racing Ace will be posted
   in due course,
   
   <b>Watch this Space</b>....[;)]..[;)]
   
   <b>Keith</b>..[:)]

[Louism]

Hello Keith,
   
   
   Looking forward to see you in July at Le Mans
   Regards
   Louis
   
   Picture off topic deleted oct 9th...

[AC Ace Bristol]

Hello Keith
   
   I just saw your thread on your AC Bristol.
   
   In the early 60's my mother Lorraine dated a young chap  named Wayne.
   He bought an AC Bristol from an mad wife that was selling off her husbands stuff during a divorce. This young kid Wayne got a GREAT deal on this rare AC..he couldnt believe
    it and drove and started racing at Westwood too. The Doctor from what I recall that owned it finally tracked Wayne down and wanted to buy it back and offered even more
   (it was sold legitamately but not  the doctor wanted it back if he could).
   Well Wayne politely said no and kept driving and racing it. From what I know he eventually sold it..and from what I was told traded it for a
   1956 Chevy wagon tow car with a full race car with a Ford Cosworth engine.
   
   I was visiting my mother on the weekend and asked to find these old photos she had. So I got a few! Here are 2 of Wayne's car and then I think what looks like a Cobra?
   racing  at westwood or maybe it is the same AC painted?? I dont know..  Also there was a few photos of
   another AC Bristol with a soft-top with Washington plates on it !
   that looks like your car. My mom said they were not waynes AC as he never had a top for it. I did not make a copy as I did not see your thread before so was not as interested
   in the other AC with washington plates..but I am pretty sure she has 2 photos of it. I will get copies next visit ok to confirm.
   
   OK so here are some photos..let me know your thoughts.
   
   
   Regards
   Dave...[:)]

[AC Ace Bristol]

<b>A Small world indeed</b>.
   
   Receiverd a few emails from Dave  &  Bill
   ( Daves Mom  Lorraine.... is Bills Sister )
   Wayne Laker was Lorraine's boy Friend in the  1960s and  he bought a Ace Bristol. Went racing and Courting and took a few pictures of any Ace or Cobra they encountered.
   
   copy of emails below...[;)]
   
   <b>Hi Keith, </b>
   
   Not sure why those links to my Photobucket account didn't work, perhaps as it was an email sent via the forum..?
   Interestingly enough, just a few days ago, I was telling my Nephew, (not my Mom), about your car, and your heroic efforts on tracing out it's history. He's a vintage motorcycle
   and car buff, and he was quite enthusiastic about things like that. So I sent him a link to the AC Owners forum, as well, so he could read the continuing thread on BEX333.
     After I sent you that email this morning, I rec'd an e-mail from him, telling me that he had contacted you, and had sent you the same photo's. It was actually his Mother (my Sister),
   who's boyfriend (Wayne Laker), from back in the day, owned the Bristol pictured. I think he had recently gotten copies of those photo's from her, and had just sent copies to me a few
   days back..
   
   Now here is something else he mentioned in that latest e-mail, that may get you excited.
   I quote from his letter.
   
   "My mom took all those photos..the white car (is actually an ACE Bristol) with a Cobra 2.6 front end, as that is what that Keith guy just emailed me back.
   There was actually a few other photo's of the Ace, and other photos which I realized were not Wayne's car. I didn't make a copy of a dark color Ace, parked in a grass field with softtop
   and washington plate bolted on lower front drivers side. I didnt think much of it..but then looking at that Keith guys history on his BEX 333 he has some old photo of his car
   (which was a washington state car) and it looks like the same car, so unknowingly it looks like I have some photos of his car too! I am going to get those next visit for him.  Funny world eh?"
   
   So here may be yet, another link to your cars history!  I'd really like to see all the photo's he has rec'd from my Sister..Might be some other's in the mix worth having a copy of...
   Hopefully he'll scan them for me.
   I know my Sister did got to Westwood a few times, while she was dating Wayne. I can well imagine her snapping photo's of anything AC related, probably at his urging..
   
   I saw an Ace Bristol about..hmmm..  maybe 15 years ago, in a Vancouver shop called XJ Motors. The car's owner was getting an estimate on the cost of mechanical repairs,
   perhaps as a step towards restoring it. I told the shop owner, who I knew, through business dealings, that I always wanted one, and a bit of my history with the Ace. The car remained at the shop for several weeks, although I never did meet the owner. One day it was gone. I asked the shop owner what happened to it, and he told me that the owner decided the cost of restoration was going to be more than he could afford, and sold the car for $6000. Boy was I upset that let that one slip by me..sheesh..I never dreamed he would sell it..
   The color of that Ace is somewhat foggy, it may have been green, or perhaps white.
   I know it was not red. The paint was in poor shape, that I remember.. So perhaps somewhere in Vancouver, another Ace is parked..
    I digress..lol
   
   So anyways, I gather that you now have the pictures I was trying to send you..I posted them on the owners club forum as well. Guess I made a mistake in presuming the white AC pictured was a Cobra, as I wasn't aware somebody re did the front end..huh..
   
   Cheers, Bill
   
   
   On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 11:28 AM, Keith Lessiter  wrote:
   
   
   <b>Bill</b>
   
   Thank you for your email,  BEX333 left Thames Ditton painted White, then during racing period with Jim Parsons 1958 through 1964 was repainted Light  metallic blue. Then  repainted  Red..[;)]
   
   The late Widow Mrs Joanne Parsons told me the Ace kept getting hit and was repaint a few times and said it was beige at one point. All this in it's first 7 years.
   
   I have registration numbers for BEX333, hopefully the pictures you have may well depict my Ace,  Unfortunately I cannot open the pictures/links.  Sorry to be a pain but if you did send link to pictures  for some reason I could not open them,
   Could you please email in Jpeg some time at your convenience.
   
   If the Ace in Question is not BEX333 then I can go
   through the AC Ace Bristol Register and the AC Ace register and hopefully ID the Ace, then forward onto the latest Custodian, whichever way you look at it will be appreciated.
   
   Cheers for Now.  Have a good Weekend...........  Last but not Least Thank your Mum for the pictures and story..[;)]
   
   
   Regards
   
   <b>Keith</b>..[:)]
   
   
   
   -----Original Message-----
   From: panorama20@gmail.com [mailto:panorama20@gmail.com]
   Sent: 07 September 2012 18:13
   To: keith.lessiter@faac.co.uk
   Subject: Sent From AC Owners Club by AC Bill
   
   <b>Hello AC Ace Bristol</b>.
   
   
   You received the following message from: AC Bill (panorama20@gmail.com).

[/size][/color]   
   At: http://www.acownersclub.co.uk/forum/
   
   Keith,
   My sister's boyfriend, Wayne Laker, back in the early 60's, (in Vancouver
   BC) owned this AC Bristol. I sure wish I knew it's serial number, or what
   may have happened to it. Unfortunately I have no idea of the previous owners
   name, nor the fellow who owned it after Wayne. The story is that the fellow
   who owned the Bristol was getting divorced, and the Wife sold it for a mere
   $600, likely out of spite. Apparently the husband approached Wayne, to buy
   it back, but that didn't happen. After Wayne drove it for a few years, he
   traded it straight across for a Cosworth powered Lotus 23b, on a trailer,
   and with a 1957 Chevy for a tow car. He ran the Lotus at Westwood for a
   couple of seasons, before trading it all, and getting a 63 E-type
   convertible.
   
   The Bristol was painted red in these photos. These were taken shortly after
   some damage was done to the nose of the car, on the body just under the
   grille. Apparently by a tow truck. Wayne had the car re-painted the same
   red, when the repair was done.
   This is the car that started my life long love of the AC's and Cobras. These
   photo's were taken in front of the home where I grew up, in Vancouver, in
   approx. 1962 or 63.


Unfortunately I do not  have copy, so cannot  repost,   Thankfully  it was not BEX333. If it had been, then I would  have
definitely  kept a copy.. ...Keith    .. ;)




   
   
   Any chance your car was ever painted red back in the day?
Regards   Bill    Regards, <b>Bill</b>..[8D]
   
   Unfortunately The dark Ace is not BEX333, however the other pictures you mention of the Red Ace with the Washington Plates could be BEX333...  [;)]
   
   <b>Bill & Dave  posted pictures on separate thread on Our Forum.</b>
   
   Lets Hope there 's a picture or two of BEX333, in Lorraines Photographic archives ..[?]..[:p]