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Significant Jerry Titus' 1968 Firebird

In January, the Russo-Steele Auction house pitched their tents in the desert of Scottsdale, AZ, and a very special car made its way to the block. A new buyer didn’t take it home—despite the bidding going north of $200K—but the sight of this proud bird transports one back to a simpler time and a golden era of racing. Follow it's story of a surprising creation and racing journey... 440 Jerry Titus was known in many circles as “Mr. Trans-Am”. Driving for Carroll Shelby’s Mustang team, he brought home two manufacturer’s championships in the legendary Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) series. This was a time when Trans-Am drew huge crowds and entry from numerous manufacturers—American brands that enjoyed the popularity and wide ranging sales of the muscular “Pony” cars. In a separate segment in the same series and races, under 2-liter—then 2.5-liter—European and Japanese brands did battle, making for huge grids and factory pride on the line. DL Jerry Titus 06 Titus was a renaissance man of sorts. Beyond being an engineer, he was an accomplished journalist and credentialed Juilliard School trumpet player. His mechanically-inclined mind though, made it’s impact on racing, both behind the wheel and under the hood. This 1968 Camaro-come-Firebird (more to that story) is a wonderful example of Jerry’s thought process and is one of the great machines that tore up the tracks in that era. 443 After winning the 1966 and 1967 manufacturer titles for Ford in the Shelby-prepared Mustangs (no driver’s championships were awarded in Trans-Am until 1972), Titus had a dismal 1968 season, due to multiple engine failures and only winning one race at Watkins Glen. Racers being racers, Titus was lured away from Shelby by a businessman named Terry Godsall. The young Canadian promised Jerry General Motors Pontiac brand support and the opportunity to run the team. Having quit his job as editor at Sports Car Graphic magazine in 1967 to drive full time for Shelby, he was certainly looking for his next opportunity. 439 The announcement of the new TG Racing team came at the penultimate race of the season at Riverside International Raceway. With one race to go in Kent, WA at Pacific Raceways, the team quickly set out to build/acquire a Pontiac Firebird. Pontiac, a latecomer to the series, commitment would begin in 1969 with cars and factory support. Titus was rather unhappy with the lack of development in the Pontiac motors, compared to Chevy which had the triumphant Penske/Donahue minds and professionalism leading GM’s charge. Until then, they would have to figure a solution. 444 Titus found that solution in a young racer he observed called Jon Ward, a privateer who finished 4th in his first Trans-Am appearance—and his Camaro that was tuned for the job. Now here’s a trick: Buy the Camaro, convert the Camaro to a Firebird, but leaving the developed Chevy powerplant. A quick peruse of the SCCA Rulebook revealed that because Firebirds were sold in Canada with Chevy Power, it would be allowed to race in that trim. DL Jerry Titus 02 Most would think that because the Camaro and Firebird are close cousins, that it might be as easy as changing out the front and rear clips—right? According to Rick Titus, Jerry’s son, also a racer and journalist, that couldn’t be further from a fair assumption: “All the body panels were completely different from the Camaro to the Firebird.” He was there when Jon Ward and Jerry changed the panels and set the car up. “Nothing lined up correctly.” 441 With little time to transport the TG Racing “Pontiac Firebird” to Kent, the car was prepared and towed. What a show Titus put on with this engineering feat: He won Pole position, setting a lap record—but on Lap 43 of the feature, while dominating the race, Titus retired with a failed motor. Needless to say the results were keen enough that the 1969 season would bode well for the TG team. 438 During the winter break, the car was used for testing and development in concert with Pontiac’s top engineers. New 1969 Firebirds would be built and developed for the upcoming Trans-Am season. Titus and Ward decided to enter the car in one more race: The 24 Hours of Daytona in the Trans-Am/Touring class. DL Jerry Titus 01 Sharing the track with the factory Porsche 908 Longtails that had finished the 1968 endurance classic 1-2-3 and the Ferrari-beating GT40s, the TG Firebird would sit 16th on the grid. But 1969 was a pivotal year in this particular race which saw all the Porsche Prototypes and the GT40 entries fail to finish. The race was won by Mark Donahue and Chuck Parsons in a Penske-entered Lola T-70 Mk III. Ward and Titus would end up with an eventful, but successful, outing. DL Jerry Titus 05 They showed up for the 24 with the car, the drivers, and a skeleton crew. Both Ward and Titus were well versed in the mechanics of this car. Starting the race 16th, the two took their shifts and kept the car moving steadily to the front of the TA Class. However, in the middle of the night, the car limped into the pits with a failing differential. Ward and Titus got under the car and changed it out, and still had time to get back into the race. DL Jerry Titus 04 Not only did Ward and Titus win the Trans-Am class, they ended up third overall! This unprecedented feat can only happen in a 24 hour race… Attrition yes, but unbelievable skills put these guys at the top of the heap. DL Jerry Titus 03 Titus would continue racing Firebirds in the Trans-Am with factory support from Pontiac, but was tragically killed at Road America during practice for the 1970 race. 25 years later, Titus’ death would be the leading reason to demolish the iconic “Billy Mitchell Bridge” and build a multi-lane tunnel under the track into the infield. 442 Ward took the car back after the Daytona win and raced it in the Mexican equivalent of the Trans-AM series, dominating to a championship. The car vanished from there, but re-emerged in a Mexican salvage yard in 1988. Rick Titus was able to verify the identity from the unique roll bars that he participated installing during the build before Kent. The car was fully restored and put back into the 1969 Daytona livery. It is a car that regularly participates in Vintage Trans-Am events including the Monterey Historics. Be on the lookout, that 302 cid Chevy really sings—with the grunt of a monster.
*Thanks to Rick Titus for sharing the Daytona 24 photos, taken by Bob D'Olivo.
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