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Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 3:26 am
by Dave Merz
John Cuevas raced many 356 Carreras, 550's, RSK's from 1956 to 1960 on the East Coast. Not sure where he was from or if he's still alive. I'm looking for pix of his Carrera
Coupes. He usually raced with # 83 or sometimes # 183 on his cars. Anybody got any pix, race programs or info on him?

Thanks in advance for any input or suggestions,
Dave Merz

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 8:02 am
by Olivier Auvray
421807Bertocchi1959Nassau1.jpg

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 11:57 am
by Dave Merz
Thanks Olivier. Was that at Nassau in 1959 when driving for Camoradi? Guessing earlier when racing Coupes but don't know for sure as not much documentation on these early races.

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 12:14 pm
by ray nelson
Dave
My own S90 was previously owned by a guy that had worked for John during his early racing days (prior to 1967). If you have any specific questions I can forward them to him for answers. He's quite old now and while I have maintained contact he tends to respond sporadically so no guarantee he'll answer. PM me for questions.
Also Gordon Maltby has some photos of him that he may share as well as other information.
Having seen John race a few times in the early 60's his car as I recall was a Carrera Speedster but he may have had some factory rides in a coupe. As far as I know John was Cuban but lived at the time in Miami.
A very interesting character during the "Golden Age" of early sportscar racing.

Ray

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 12:20 pm
by Mark Pribanic
You may have seen this site already... worth visiting if you haven't


http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/ ... s-USA.html

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 1:09 pm
by Dave Merz
Ray, Have some questions for you but don't see any way to contact you on your profile. Please email me at kwiky59gt@yahoo.com

Mark, Yes, have seen the RSC site and is a wealth of info but very few pix shown in the early races.

Thanks,
Dave

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 3:18 pm
by Olivier Auvray
Johnny's car and engines

001.jpg

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 10:04 pm
by Dave Merz
How'd you determine they were Johnny's? I'd always thought they were Bruce Jennings'

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 3:25 pm
by Olivier Auvray
Photoshop............ 60 years ago! This modified photo was used for one article in Panorama.

I had the original photo in my hands and the license plate is different with "Florida" on the top! But, most important, Heinz Werner always told me that this photo was taken in Florida during the "Cuevas" era of his life!

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:56 pm
by Jim Perrin
Dave, following is what I have in my files about Cuevas:

John Cuevas, who was from Florida, drove his “RS Spyder” in the March 8, 1958 Boca Raton Road Races. He was a very successful Carrera GT Speedster driver, and raced the Speedster at the same Boca Raton races. 1957 was apparently Cuevas’s first or first full year of racing sports cars. They called him Quiver, and cars were all red with a yellow stripe that went the front. He died in maybe 2000 or so. Heinz Bade told me in 2007 that he used to work for Cuevas when he was working as a Carrera mechanic in Florida before moving to Maryland.

In 2000 Chuck Rickert told me that Dean Causey raced an RSK that came from Johnnie Cuevas from Miami (who was called “Quiver” because he shaked).

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 3:12 am
by Dave Merz
Jim,

At that Boca Raton Race he finished 4th in the Spyder and won his class in the Speedster. Some of the entrants were listed as either Quiver Motors, Scuderia Quiver
or Quiver Enterprises. This was mostly before he drove for Camoradi USA.

Still looking for more info and especially pix of the Carrera Coupes he raced! Anybody else got something to share??

Dave

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 12:12 pm
by Mark Pribanic
Olivier AUVRAY wrote:Johnny's car and engines

The attachment 001.jpg is no longer available
The Year of Manufacture license plate does look like Florida.

"1T - 2413"

1 = Dade County
T = weight class
2413 = the 2,413 car registered.

If you zoom in you can see someone blacked out Florida & Sunshine State

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 12:46 pm
by Mark Pribanic
Here's an old thread where Ab Tiedeman confirmed that the Carrera Engine photo was not Bruce Jennings garage.

Read it to the end, which is on page 2.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=25165

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 9:13 pm
by Burt Norris
I recently came upon this latest thread about Cuevas and his cars. I still own the Cuevas 58 Speedster GSGT 84904 that I bought in 1972. It has been discussed in the Forum pages in years past. The shown photo is indeed Cuevas' Garage just off of US1 in S. Miami, Fla late 58 or 59, the serial number of the Speedster GSGT is 84904 and was never owned by Bruce Jennings. The Bruce Jennings car which is a GS Speedster modified to GT specs is in the Miles Collier collection. Bruce Jennings attributes his success in Carreras to J. Cuevas and Heinz Bade, (per Bruce Jennings forward to the "Porsche 356 Carrera" by Cole Scrogham (1996)). I didn't see a mention in thread, but unfortunately Heinz passed away almost a year ago. I will treasure his signature in the sump plate of my 4 cam.

Re: Seeking info on John Cuevas

Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:36 am
by Mark Pribanic
Burt Norris wrote:I recently came upon this latest thread about Cuevas and his cars. I still own the Cuevas 58 Speedster GSGT 84904 that I bought in 1972. It has been discussed in the Forum pages in years past. The shown photo is indeed Cuevas' Garage just off of US1 in S. Miami, Fla late 58 or 59, the serial number of the Speedster GSGT is 84904 and was never owned by Bruce Jennings. The Bruce Jennings car which is a GS Speedster modified to GT specs is in the Miles Collier collection. Bruce Jennings attributes his success in Carreras to J. Cuevas and Heinz Bade, (per Bruce Jennings forward to the "Porsche 356 Carrera" by Cole Scrogham (1996)). I didn't see a mention in thread, but unfortunately Heinz passed away almost a year ago. I will treasure his signature in the sump plate of my 4 cam.
Hi Burt! Thank you for confirming the location of the HWB four cam foto. Was curious if you will be bringing your Speedster to Das Renn Treffen, in South Miami next month.