Remembering Norbert McNamara: May I Borrow Your Fairthorpe?

 For many years, I had seen the listing on the racingsportscars website for Norbert McNamara as Fairthorpe racer. I was somewhat puzzled as to who he was and what was the connection to David Dinsmore and James Kirrs? Well, his connection with David Dinsmore and James Kirrs remains a mystery other than they owned the Fairthorpes that Norbert raced.

A simple google search, however, turned up McNamara’s obituary which was published by San Francisco Chronicle on Jan. 31, 2010, and is as follows:

“Norbert Joseph McNamara, MD, Colonel US Army-Retired passed away on January 17th, 2010. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for many years. Norbert was born on February 3rd, 1933, in San Francisco to Joseph and Nancy McNamara. Norbert was predeceased by his wife Sabra and two sisters, Ann & Nancy. He is survived by his nieces Margaret, Jennifer and Gillian and their families. Norbert graduated from the University of Oregon Medical School with his M.D. in 1962 and completed his Psychiatric Residency at Stanford Medical Center in 1966. He retired from the military in 1986, at which point he continued his lifelong passion of collecting, racing and restoring historic race cars.”

From what I have read, Norbert had some 40+ cars in his collection at the time of his passing. 

Nobert first raced a Fairthorpe Electron Minor which was owned by David Dinsmore of Larkspur, CA in August 1961 at the Vaca Valley Sports Car Races. 

 

Then again, a month later in September, at the Reno Sports Car Races. And at the same race, Nobert also raced a Fairthorpe Electron, with a 1098cc Coventry Climax engine, this one was owned by James Kirrs of San Francisco. Norbert was living in and attending medical school in Portland, Oregon at this time. 

Finally, the last race in Octomber1961 at the Pacific Grand Prix race at Laguna Seca. McNamara raced the Fairthorpe Electron Minor, again with David Dinsmore as the entrant. This listing is not in the racing sports cars archive, but I did find the program on the Cliff Reuter Ecterrini website. I don’t have program page for the E production race, but I have information from historian John de Boer, that Norbert also raced the Electron with James Kitts as the entrant. John has the spelling of his last name as Kitts, not Kirrs, but surely the same person. A spelling error on one or the other of the two entries.

A year later, in October 1962, McNamara again raced the Electron Minor, but this time at Laguna Seca. This was the last time for David Dinsmore.

Fairthorpe Electron in Northern California: WANTED DEAD or ALIVE

 

Looking for information to locate Rusty Johnson and/or his Fairthorpe last seen in Northern California in 2006. The following photos were sent to the Fairthorpe Sports Car Club nearly twenty years ago.

Rusty's grandfather owned this car since the mid-seventies and finished restoring it about thirty years ago, his name is Arthur Watson.  With the Triumph TR3 wheels, this is definitely a Fairthorpe Electron, very rare with only around 40 being built and perhaps less than 20 made their way to the States.

The Fairthorpe Electron with its “SPEED NOSE”. Is this Fairthorpe Electron still owned in Northern California by Rusty Johnson?

The cockpit of the Election which had the speedometer and tachometer stacked, one above the other as on this Electron.  The shift lever appears to be from the Triumph TR3, which was the “heavy” gearbox options for the Electrons. Does this Electron still have its original Coventry Climax engine? There is currently only one Fairthorpe Electron known in the United States with the original Climax motor, that Electron is also in Northern California.

Arthur Watson bought it from a guy who used to race the Fairthorpe in Long Beach, this car could possibly be the Electron that was raced in the early sixties by Jack Brabban. But, there were at least two Fairthorpes that were raced by Norbert McNamara in Northern California. Additionally, a few Electrons were also raced in Arizona.