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Mark Hershoren foreignaffairsdesk@vclassics.com
Return to the present or, more accurately, to last summer. The crew involved in restoring the car to its former glory in truth has surpassed that glory. This project, as with any other, has had its share of victories, challenges and near-defeats. Here's a snippet of a letter from Fraser Earle. July 3, 2001 Dear Mark, I'll start with the disappointment. The original body intended to be used as a plug to make a mold for new bodies fell off a truck and was severely damaged. A necessary delay came when the same body was rebuilt allowing for a mold to be taken that could allow for a plug to be made. The next bit of anguish came when I learned that in making the new mold, release agent was overlooked meaning that the mold was now bonded to the original body. The person in charge of this project resorted to an attempted separation of the two pieces by means of a sledgehammer. When I retrieved the bits and pieces I felt the project was truly over... Earle told his tale of woe to friend and business neighbor Les who in turn suggested contacting Arnold of G-Force Customizing. By now feeling as though there was nothing further to lose, the same sad story was repeated to Arnold whose reaction was to exclaim "We'll do it!" Once moved to G-Force, 18 gallons of Bondo were smoothed over the damaged body to restore the original lines and about 17 gallons of the stuff was then sanded off. The repaired body was now able to provide surface for a proper mold that in turn produced a plug from which up to 50 bodies could be formed. The first of those bodies was spirited back to Brian Hunter's shop for fitment to the chassis. Aluminum rivets hold the fixed aluminum panels, and where they are meant to be removable, Dzus fasteners are employed. At painting time the whole thing was dragged back to G-Force where Arnold applied many coats of Cadillac Polo Green supporting a broad white racing stripe that in turn is augmented by racing number meatballs in the shape of the old Volvo logo.
 The effort to have the car ready for last summer's Vintage Volvo Grand Prix at Watkins Glen fell short of the mark. It certainly looked like a whole car but was not in shape to run. Then again, there was no point in rushing things foolishly. Much had been done in a few short years and there would be other races. Running or not, Fraser felt the car should be at the event. With the help of Steve O'Connell, who on his own time campaigns a very fast Lotus Cortina, the Davy Special was transported from its home in Ontario to the Glen and discretely deposited in a general parking area inside the track. It quickly drew a lot of interest. A day later when the group photo of racers and drivers was being arranged, O'Connell pushed the car to the gate of the corral and pointed the machine out to the photographer. The end result of a very brief conversation led to the Davy (minus driver) being parked front and center of the group photo. Photos of the car, while attractive, can't hope to do justice to how the car appears in person. The lines are remarkable and if the words "sleek" or "sensuous" hadn't already been overused to describe automobiles, they could certainly begin to describe the Davy Special, whose bonnet in particular transcends design and approaches art. One of quite a number of facets of this car, tending to veil the fact that it was built by a couple of young men having not quite reached the age of majority some forty years back. After the event at the Glen the car was loaded up and hauled back home where the finishing details awaited, such as an exhaust system complete with period style megaphone, windshield and myriad of other bits and pieces that shouted, "We're going racing!"
A couple weeks later the Davy Special again appeared, this time for the Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada's VARAC Festival where it Certain clubs disallow the B18 engine currently used in the Davy Special since their cut-off for open sport racers is 1959. To enable the car to participate in these events, a B16 engine (possibly with a supercharger) is being prepared during this winter. The Davy Special stands (and races) as a tribute to those who first had the idea to build it, those who struggled to rebuild it, and to the late son of Earle, Fraser James, whose passion for cars like this one earned him in his short life the moniker "Specs." His name is now written in the inside of the passenger door and so while he may not have been able to race in the flesh, he can now do so in spirit. Photos courtesy of Fraser Earle
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finally made its re-commissioning runs. Aside from some oil leakage from both the valve cover and the front crank seal (both problems since then having been resolved), the car and driver Brian Hunter performed beautifully. Calculations based on lap times with Steve O'Connell piloting suggest the car has seen over 130 mph on certain stretches of the renowned Mosport track.