Chassis #888673 – Simca 8 Sport Cabriolet
Would you consider equipping your sports car with an aftermarket supercharger then drive it across country from New York to race at Sebring? That’s precisely what John Bentley and Paul O’Shea did with Bentley’s 1950 Simca 8 Sport Cabriolet (#888673).
The year was 1950 and the first-ever race at Sebring was planned for the last day of that year. Bentley was a highly respected automotive journalist and O’Shea was an extremely talented driver who later scored three consecutive SCCA National Championships for Mercedes-Benz (1955 and 1956 D Production; 1957 D Modified). En route to Sebring the supercharger unexpectedly gave out near Daytona and the duo hurriedly reconfigured the Simca into a naturally aspirated racer. They arrived at Sebring just in time to compete in the 6-hour Sam C. Collier Memorial Grand Prix of Endurance on December 31, 1950.
