by K.Scott Teeters as written for Vette magazine and republished from Super Chevy
Dick Guldstarnd was a member of the “old guard,” one of Duntov’s guys
Dateline 12.18.15: On September 2, 2015, the Corvette community lost another legend; Dick Guldstrand passed – he was 87 years old. Dick was a member of the “old guard,” one of Duntov’s guys. He was part of the Southern California sports car racing scene that included Dave MacDonald, Mickey Thompson, Doug Hooper, Bob Bondurant, and others. Dick was a hot rodder in high school in a time when you were either a jock, a hot rodder, or a “candy-ass.” Dick’s ride was a ’27 Ford on ’32 Ford ’rails and he raced at El Mirage and Murdoc. When Dick went into the Army he was a USO singer and later got his degree in electrical engineering.
The aerospace industry was hot in postwar Southern California and Dick landed a job as an electrical engineer, working with German rocket scientist Wernher Von Braun. This engineering perspective changed his approach to making cars go faster and it served him well.
In 1957, Dick bought a ’56 Corvette and started racing his daily driver on the weekends. For the next few years, Dick used his engineering approach to get the most out of his Corvette and took advantage of Duntov’s “racer kit” suspension parts. He had an intuitive skill for suspension setups that allowed his car to be driven harder and faster into turns. He used slightly warmed up stock engines for durability. By 1961, while Dick sold Chevys for H. E. Baher Chevrolet during the week, his employer sponsored his racing on the weekends. With his sponsorship support, Dick won the SCCA Pacific Coast Championships in 1963, 1964, and 1965. This kind of success gets you noticed by powerful people.
One day Dick got a call from Roger Penske with an offer to set up a pre-production ’66 L88 Corvette and drive in the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona. He was flown to St. Louis to pick up the L88 Corvette fresh off the assembly line. The only problem was that the car wouldn’t start. The workers pushed the car off the line and said, “This is yours, kid!” Dick got the car started, but it was January and the L88 had no heater. So the plant guys gave Dick a moving blanket to bundle up in for his 800-mile drive to Penske’s shop outside of Philadelphia.
The L88’s racing debut was spectacular. In the middle of the night, the car T-boned a slower car, blowing off most of the front of the body, but the car was still drivable. The team duct-taped bright flashlights to the tops of the fenders and Guldstrand simply followed the leading Ferrari. The team won 1st in class and placed 11th overall. Penske’s sponsor, Sunoco was so pleased, they extended their sponsorship to cover the 12 Hours at Sebring race where the car won the GT class and placed 9th overall. Penske had recently purchased Grand Sport Roadster #001 and installed a preproduction L88 for the Sebring race. Guldstrand shared driving duty with Dr. Dick Thompson.
The Grand Sport was a total beast, the fastest car on the straights. Four hours into the race, Thompson had a mishap with a slower Morgan, went off the track and was out of the race. While Guldstrand didn’t get much time behind the wheel, his racing star was shining. He was hired to race at the 1966 Indy 500 but did not qualify.
1967 brought another opportunity for Guldstrand. Dana Chevrolet hired Dick, Don Yenko, and Bob Bondurant to drive a ’67 427 L88 Corvette coupe in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Racing is often peppered with last minute mistakes. When the car was packed for transport to France, they forgot to bring a trailer! So, Guldstrand had to drive the L88 race car 110 miles through the French countryside to the track. Word got out about a loud American race car being driven to Le Mans and crowds lined the roads see the American beast. Out on the track, the L88 set a new GT record of 171.5 mph on the Mulsanne Straight. The French had never seen anything like this before, making the Corvette the crowd favorite. Unfortunately, 13 hours into the race, the L88 threw a rod and was out. When Dick went back to Le Mans in 2005, he received a standing ovation from the spectators at the drivers’ parade.
With this much experience, it was time to go into business. In 1968, Dick opened Guldstrand Engineering, in Culver City. Over the years, he worked for James Garner, Bruce Springsteen, Nicolas Cage, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others. But it was his work for Garner’s American International Racing (AIR) team that is most remembered by Corvette fans. Late in 1967, Garner hired Dick to prepare three new ’68 L88 Corvettes for the 24 Hours of Daytona race. Guldstrand, Bob McDonald, and Perry Moore were flown to St. Louis to pick up the cars and drive them back to Dick’s shop. On the track, two of the AIR Corvettes out-qualified the FIA competition in their class and got front-row starting positions. But endurance racing is more than qualifying and the AIR Corvettes were not developed enough.
A blown head gasket took out car #45 and car #44, driven by Guldstrand and Ed Leslie went through four differential changes, finishing 29th. The AIR team moved on to racing Lolas and the L88 Corvettes were sold. In August 1999, Guldstrand had the opportunity to drive the fully restored #44 AIR Corvette at the Monterey Classics and again at the 2002 50th Anniversary event at Monterey. In 1969 Dick won the South American Trans-Am Championship in his ’69 Z/28 Camaro, raced a Formula 2 Honda for a time, and NASCAR up to 1972. Into the 1970s, Guldstrand raced and did race car prep work for customers at his shop.
A major part of Dick Guldstrand’s life was his three specialty cars: the GS80, GS90, and the Guldstrand Signature Edition 50th Anniversary Corvette. In retrospect, one wonders why he didn’t start sooner. The 1986 GS80 cost $15,500 on top of the price of a stock Corvette and 19 to 25 cars were built. Suspension upgrades included: lowering, Heim joints replacing all rubber bushings, special toe-in and caster kits, Monroe GP shocks, Z51 rear spring, and a lower-than-stock front spring. The L98 engine was bored to 372 cid (later 383 cid), blueprinted by Traco, and produced around 375 hp.
The interior had racing seats, five-point harness, shift light, oil temp gauge, and a dash-mounted tach. A removable 2-inch rollbar was included. Aside from the lower stance, black-lace wheels, and “Grand Sport 80” fender badge, the car looks a little tame. Some extra externals would have been cool.
Guldstrand’s GS90 was a full body-kit makeover for the top-of-the-line, ZR-1. The proposed full line of GS90 cars included a coupe, roadster, speedster, and lightweight models to be sold through Chevrolet dealers. Perhaps he figured that Chevrolet was working with Callaway, why not Guldstrand? Dick asked Chevrolet for 15 ZR-1s to get started, he got one and a “best of luck.” The ZR-1’s LT4 engine was worked-over by D.K. Motorsports and rated at 475 hp. The suspension got the full Guldstrand treatment. The problem with cars that are so extensively modified is cost. The GS90 conversion cost $134,000 on top of the $72,208 for the ZR-1, for a staggering grand total of $206,208! Only six GS90s were built.
More down-to-earth was the Guldstrand Signature Edition 50th Anniversary Corvette. Dick used his old formula; improved suspension and a warmed-up engine, only this special edition Corvette truly looked like an “extra-special” Corvette. Starting with the stock ’03 Z06, the car got the Guldstrand suspension treatment plus a bored and stroked to “almost 427 cid” 500hp LS6 engine by Katech. Shouldn’t a 50th anniversary car be “gold”? Dick thought so. Painted Anniversary Gold with Cobalt Blue side coves, and dressed with a chin-spoiler, side skirts, a mild rear lip spoiler, and a unique hood and gold Fikse wheels; this was one handsome Corvette – arguably, his best! A total of 50 cars were built, one for each year, signed and numbered by Guldstrand.
In 1999, Dick Guldstrand was inducted into the National Corvette Museum’s Hall of Fame. Dick was not a shy or reserved man. He was bright and engaging, with stacks of wonderful racing stories. And just like his old USO singing days, he knew how to light up a room. He will definitely be missed.
