The Crusader VSR (Vee Sports Racer) is a two seat, full bodied sports
racer built in 1964 by Chuck Tatum in Stockton, CA. Chuck had built a
Formula Vee, supposedly the first one built after Formcar, and the VSR
is an expansion (literally) of that car. In the intervening 37 years it
has been modifed somewhat. It currently has a 1600+ VW engine with 2
Webers and a cam. Presumably it had a 1200 engine initially, since that
was current production, or perhaps a 1485(the largest cylinders I know
of for the 1200 engine). It currently has a VW ball joint front
suspension with Kharman Ghia disc brakes in front and Squareback drums
in the rear. Rear suspension is 1964 technology Formula Vee: trailing
arms and a cable camber compensator. It is going to be updated to a 1965
vintage Zink-type Z-bar. Wheels are 5 x 15 Empi mags with Hoosier
Vintage TD tires, 5.00 in front and 5.50 in the rear. It's American
racing colors - white with two blue stripes.
I don't know much about it's early racing history, though I intend to
find out. I have three pictures of it with "E" after the number 73, so
they were taken before SCCA went to Sports Racing classes. Chuck Tatum
is still alive and well and can probably tell me all I want to know
about it. It currently has a 1969 SCCA Vintage Logbook showing some 46
races by various owners. For the last ten years it has belonged to Bruce
Trenery, owner of Fantasy Junction in Emmitsville, CA. He and his son,
and occasionally others, raced it primarily in vintage Enduros, which is
our intended use also.
It now belongs to me (Grant Reynolds, Potomac, MD) and Lee Talbot of
McLean, VA. Although it's been 73 or 173 for most of its life, Lee and I
both use 62 (Lee for 40 years or more) so it will become either 62 or 162.
Grant
We raced it at Savannah in April, and are now doing some minor mods and
repairs to it. Because of schedule conflicts, it probably won't race
again until Lime Rock or the Glen in September, though Mosport is an
outside possibility.
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