NTM Chassis History |
Original text by Steve Bush |
1967 The principals of Norcross Tabin Manufacturing were Steve Norcross and Dr. Morton Tabin. The two met in July of 1967 as spectators at an autocross at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Their interest in cars brought Norcross and Tabin together and a loose partnership was formed. The first potential partnership, including Chuck Ulinski, was to be named "Team N.U.T." (Team Norcross Ulinski Tabin). However, Dr. Tabin, a psychiatrist, didn't approve of the name "for professional reasons". Eventually, Ulinski was dropped from the venture and the N.T. Manufacturing (Norcross-Tabin-Manufacturing) venture was begun.
Norcross and Tabin agreed that their first venture would be a DSR car with a fiberglass monocoque design, similar to the Chaparrals of Jim Hall. Steve Norcross, with a strong background in automotive suspension design and glass fiber construction, was the principal designer and constructor. Dr. Mort Tabin filled the role of driver and principle financier. What make NTM sports racing cars different, and still makes them unique, was that they were built using "cheap" resins and reinforcements. Plain fiberglass and polyester resin, the same products used by boat manufacturers, were the chief materials. The NTM concept was to build a "no nonsense" race car without using unobtainable exotic and/or expensive products or materials. Colin Chapman used this same approach when he built the Lotus Elites and Elans, rather than the expensive epoxies used by Jim Hall on the Chaparrals.
1969 Beginning in 1969, NTM built seven sports racing cars: one Mark I, two Mark II's, two Mark III's, and two Mark IV's. All cars were built as DSR cars with the exception of the Mark IV's, which were built for BSR.
1975 Late in 1975, NT Manufacturing sold all the sports racing drawings, molds, parts (including a third Mark III tub), and productions rights to Chuck Ulinski and Bob Reeser of Champaign, Illinois. Ulinski and Reeser started NTM Sposrtsracing Cars, offering kits for Mark II, III, and IV's as well as completed cars.
1976 During August 1976, NTM Sportsracing, speaking about their status on cars, proclaimed that they "sold and delivered one, have another available immediately, and have one under construction". However, it is assumed that at this point Ulinski had not build any cars yet, and that the "sold and delivered" car was actually the Mark III (Chassis #2) acquired from N.T. Manufacturing, which Ulinski sold to Harry Stewart of Nevada City, California. The other car, "available immediately", was the blue Mark II also purchased from N.T. Manufacturing, which is now owned by George Brown. The car "under construction" was probably based upon the uncompleted Mark III tub purchased from Norcross, also built by N.T. Manufacturing, (Chassis #5?), which was sold to Butch Moses.
Literature dated October 18, 1976, indicates NTM Sportsracing had a Mark IIIB (Chassis #6) with a Honda 750 for sale, and a Mark IIIB (Chassis #5) to be built to the customer's specifications. Ulinski appears to have provided his own chassis numbering system using a "B" designation and numbering these last two Mark III DSR cars chassis #5B and #6B. These chassis should not be confused with the BSR cars, Chassis #5 and #6.
Ulinski and Reeser sold the remains of their venture to George Edis in South
Carolina. Butch Moses of Henderson, North Carolina and Chip Haddock later
purchased these parts, original shop drawings, chassis, and molds for the Mark
II and III. Their intention was to reproduce the cars, using exotic carbon fiber
technology, for modern SCCA racing. However, an SCCA ruling prohibiting the use
of carbon fiber construction put an end to this project. Moses now has these
parts and a complete Mark III chassis and body built by N.T. Manufacturing and,
until recently, the "factory" Mark II.
After selling the right to the sports racers, Steven Norcross entered the commuter car market with Steven Norcross Dragonfly Cars in Urbana, Illinois. The first prototype Dragonfly was powered by a Koher snowmobile engine producing 93 bhp and an estimated 40 MPG, using a variable ratio, transaxle, via V-Belts. The wheelbase was 88" and the track was 52". The weight was 1250 pounds. The projected selling price of the Dragonfly was "under $4000". After 2250 miles of testing, it was determined that the 67 MPG top speed was insufficient and a new engine and transaxle combination would have to be tried.