Vintage race car

Easy to put pics here with the mountains icon just above the type in box. There was a car as described that ran EMRA in the mid 1970s built by a man named Marty Epp. Is this that car? my photo from 1974

In reply to TurnerX19 :

Wow! (Triple wow if you turn out to be correct!)

In reply to Robbie :

That body was fresh in '75. Here it is in "74, same car and driver. I am off one year in the post above. I don't think it had the Pinto engine yet in the earlier photo.

Mmmmmm, TVR race cars. 

 Thanks turner x19  , you maybe right , some things look very similar the my car . Can you assist on how to pics on here if you don’t mind ? Or better yet shoot me an email I would really like to have some information on this car , bought from a fellow in

Long island 3-4 years ago , his uncle who had passed away owned for many many years he said , of course he told me a bunch of crap that I let go in one ear and out the other , 90% wasn’t true and I knew it as he was telling me , but I didn’t call him out on it . Anyway I appreciate any help , thanks 

Tony, text me pictures and I’ll put them up for you.  Please don’t send anything between 4-5:30 this afternoon because i’ll be in church for a wedding and don’t want my pocket buzzing away.  

Thanks Patrick,,I’ll send some tomorrow, I want to take some different pics since I have it out

Does anyone have more pictures of the black car?  I see some cues from one to the other, but if it’s the same car some things definitely have changed.  

In reply to Patrick :

I know that Fred DeFabio knew Marty Epp, both were EMRA guys when I joined in '73. My photos were taken at Bridgehampton, so Long Island. I do see lots of differences, and I never saw the car close enough to recognize the exhaust "system" , seat, or the "torque braces". Is there any evidence of the front roll hoop? I will make some enquiries of EMRA old timers in the next week, maybe we can learn a little more. I do not have any more photos, I only saw the Epp car twice.

I remember seeing this car on Craigslist a Year or so ago. Are you a longtime owner who was trying to sell it then, or did you just buy it recently?

I have it for about 4 years , I bought from Fred  DiFabiio’s  nephew , I never advertised it, maybe he did , , I never saw it advertised, I have a lot of friends in the NY city area and one of them  spotted it in an open garage and saw what looked liked an old Ferrari race car , he stopped and  inquired about it and then gave me the info and I bought it . 

In reply to pizzaman1 :

Maybe it was further back than I remember. I used to search for TVRs fairly regularly.

Nifty car.

In reply to Woody

As far as I know this is a Grantura chassis from 62-63 , everything, except motor and transmission is TVR including rear drum brakes which I’m gong to update to disc if I keep the car , thanks for input . 

More evidence that this is the same car, obviously removed pieces ground off the main hoop and a pillar area 

I see holes for the rear wing mount on the deck in the main hoop photo too.  Marty Epp's TVR re-surfaces!

Is Marty Epps still with us ? 

In reply to pizzaman1 :

I will check on that, but I doubt it.

Hey Turner x19 

Marty Epp passed away in  2000 , he was 74 , my memories from those years are creeping back , i now remember seeing that car at Lime Rock in July of 76 , I was attending my second driver’s school , I was a member of SCCA NEPA region, I was driving  a CSR Merlyn - Alfa , and I got to race in a regional that weekend , of all the sports racers were grouped together, ASR BSR CSR  and of an assortment of production cars both small bore and big bore , it was an amazing sight for a first time race driver ,  I kept my nose clean finished the race , but I remember being lapped by 3 cars on the last lap , the leadin ASR a Chevron- CSR with the newest 1300 BDD MOTOR and a mean sounding BSR which was Marty Epp’s TVR , now 40 some years later that car sits in my garage , 

wow , life is strange, isn’t it ? . 

Anyway , I sent a message to EMRA hoping to get some more details on this car so I can put together it’s history . Thanks again for your input . 

In reply to pizzaman1 :

You are unlikely to get anything from EMRA.

This is so exciting to see.  This is my father's car!  I'm the daughter of Fred DiFabio.

The first car shown here (black w/ orange stripes) #51 and the Green car from 2nd picture, are both the same car.  The green car was the original car body my Dad built with fiberglass, and then the later version of the car I believe was painted on Aluminum (which he later painted Red and Yellow). He finally sold this car about 2014 to someone on Long Island.

I remember him racing at Bridgehampton, NY. He was a B sports racer, with the TVR.  Thank you for posting this.  I am going to have him sign on to see all of this and respond himself.  It really is fascinating to see this car again...

In reply to Patrick :

the Black car is not the same as all the other pictures... The Green car (2nd photo) and the Black/orange car #51 (1st picture) and all the last pictures are of the same car from Fred DiFabio.  (My Dad)

In reply to TurnerX19 :

This car was built by Fred DiFabio.  This is the version I remember mostly growing up with it.

Hi Gents,

My name is Fred Di Fabio and the cars you see, The Black and Orange TVR Special # 51 in the first photo was rebuilt by me in 1976.

The TVR Green in the second photo was the orignal car I converted from a 1962 TVR Grantura to racing mode.  First had a MG belive 1100cc

replaced it with a Ford 2000cc with some engine work and duel webbers.  Ran the car 3 years that way  and won 1975 EMRA B/SR champonship.

After decided to cut away all the extra weight to lighten, because the car handled so great. Built all allumium body.  

I dont know the people noted in the comments and dont know were they received there information from, I sold the car after about 43 years of owning and racing the car. Sold to Kevin Frankle from L.I. in Sept, 2015, and I did not have Ferrari Names and decals on the car.

Here is  a

 my e-Mail is  fdifabioafa202@hotmail.com 

here is another front photo.

Fred Di Fabio