BILL MCMAHAN'S E-PRODUCTION 124 SPIDER

ABOUT ME:

Like a lot of young boys, I dreamed about racecars when I was a kid, and the day when I would take to the track - just like my heros. I was the kid who, every Memorial Day, would listen to the INDY 500 on the radio (I date myself). My first sports car experience was in an Austin Healey Sprite. My addiction was confirmed when I first saw a Big Healey. I just had to have one. A very tired 1960 A-H 3000 became my first car. I have owned 4 Big Healeys, over the last 35 years and currently own a very early 1954 100-4 which I restored. I always considered FIATs curiosities, until I helped my younger brother Mark buy one as his first car. I discovered that they were much more fun to drive than the Healeys. I purchased my first 124 Spider (a 74) in 1982. I autocrossed the car, completely rebuilt it to like new, and put over 65K miles on it before selling it in 1986. I went through a series of Alfas and even a 128 3P FIAT, but never quite made good on my boyhood promise of becoming a race car driver.

In the meantime, brother Mark had chosen a career in automobiles, establishing an import repair shop, that evolved into his present day race car fabrication shop. As racing passed me by, Mark had gotten into SCCA Showroom Stock with his first X1/9, and then later on with a 1972 124 Spider in the then new classification of Improved Touring. One day in 1988 he called me to announce, "no more excuses - I have the car and racing class to get you started - Improved Touring" . He invited me to share his car on a Drivers School/Regional weekend at Road America. Of course, I said yes. The next spring, I bought that car from him.

STARTING OUT AS A RACE DRIVER:

I started racing when I lived in Ohio. SCCA's Central Division is a great place to race, with plenty of tracks, and great competition. My most memorable moments in IT racing were the 60+ car fields @ Mid-Ohio, and the 24 hours of Nelson, which we (the Mark & the Mechanics Team) campaigned 3 times in an ITC Spider in the mid 90's. We finished every time out in Mark's 1971 ITC Spider, and took a class win in 1993. I raced my 1972 ITC for over 10 years, and for more than 100 races. Sadly, I had to sell it when I moved to Colorado.

Not long after I started racing, I set a goal of participating in the Valvoline Runoffs - the SCCA National Championships. The IT car was not eligible for National competition, so I needed a different racecar. I had been folllowing the successes of the Baucoms from N. Carolina, in their FIAT 124s, and decided that the rules looked good for the 124 Spider being a competitive car for E Production. Late in 1994 I spotted an EP 124 Spider for sale in Florida - from the SportsCar classifieds. The description sounded like what I was looking for - a well developed car with all the right go-faster stuff. I bought the car and had it transported to Ohio. This is the car I drive today.

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