Gary Romberg 1935-2020

[Aero426]

Hearing that Daytona and Superbird aerodynamicist Gary Romberg passed away yesterday.      Gary was on the ground floor of all the aerodynamic car car development coming from the Chrysler Space Division.    The 1971 Superbird and Daytona design which was never built by the factory was his baby.    He was happy and excited to see those cars eventually built by Gary and Pam Beineke and raced at Bonneville and in speed trials at places like Loring Maine.    

I first met Gary in 1976 (photo)  at the 2nd Daytona and Superbird national meet where he spoke at a deluxe cardboard box podium about the development of the cars.   He attended several other reunions through out the years including the 45th in 2015.   We did not see Gary at the 50th reunion last year.    He will definitely be missed.     https://www.cavin-cook.com/obituaries/Gary-Romberg/#!/Obituary

[hemi68charger]

Thanks for sharing Doug........

[chargervert]

RIP Gary.

[odcics2]

 Gary told me he worked with the race group after the initial Daytona development was done in 1969.
In early April of 1970, at the Chelsea Proving Grounds, he developed the "double spoiler" on the Engineering Daytona, DC-93,
seen here at MIS in 1971 with Don White driving.  This spoiler design got more air over the car,
more air into the radiator and oil cooler for better performance in the hot summer months.
RIP Gary.

[tan top]

nother one gone  RIP !
shame all these guys & drivers from back in the day did not do proper  recorded  interviews / talks etc  on their work / driving / racing / adventures  /stories etc way back when etc with these cars , then they would be saved / remembered for all time 

[odcics2]

nother one gone  RIP !
shame all these guys & drivers from back in the day did not do proper  recorded  interviews / talks etc  on their work / driving / racing / adventures  /stories etc way back when etc with these cars , then they would be saved / remembered for all time  

Back in the mid 1990's the Supercars book about the Daytona and Superbird came out, by author Frank Moriarty.
He interviewed most of the guys involved and there are first hand recollections quoted.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supercars-The-Story-of-the-Dodge-Charger-Daytona-and-Plymouth-SuperBird/274016005661?epid=1607031&hash=item3fcca06e1d:m:m3nUHfqM-eLGMAudQ2YsuTA

A long time ago!  A few years before the real #88 was discovered in a field in Iowa.

[Mopar John]

RIP GARY!

[Dave Kanofsky]

He was a terrific guy to talk with, prayers for his friends and family.

When I first met him in '99, he offered me a job at Chrysler while we were standing on the track in Talladega!

His son had a yellow SuperBird at the time and was working for a race team.

[tan top]

nother one gone  RIP !
shame all these guys & drivers from back in the day did not do proper  recorded  interviews / talks etc  on their work / driving / racing / adventures  /stories etc way back when etc with these cars , then they would be saved / remembered for all time  

Back in the mid 1990's the Supercars book about the Daytona and Superbird came out, by author Frank Moriarty.
He interviewed most of the guys involved and there are first hand recollections quoted.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supercars-The-Story-of-the-Dodge-Charger-Daytona-and-Plymouth-SuperBird/274016005661?epid=1607031&hash=item3fcca06e1d:m:m3nUHfqM-eLGMAudQ2YsuTA

A long time ago!  A few years before the real #88 was discovered in a field in Iowa.

 Yes ! I forgot about that book !  I bought a copy of it when it first came out 1995 ! time flies ! I must of read it cover to cover many times back then & was amazed at all the pictures & info & stories etc  nothing like I had ever read / seen before on aero mopars !  
remember this  was 9 years before  I got a computer / internet . seems crazy now  NO INTERNET  
I remember being transfixed on the pictures of the 88 Daytona back in the day &  what we thought it was now .

[held1823]

i have two extra copies of that book i'd part with, one paperback, and one hard cover

it truly is a great read

[odcics2]

nother one gone  RIP !
shame all these guys & drivers from back in the day did not do proper  recorded  interviews / talks etc  on their work / driving / racing / adventures  /stories etc way back when etc with these cars , then they would be saved / remembered for all time  

Back in the mid 1990's the Supercars book about the Daytona and Superbird came out, by author Frank Moriarty.
He interviewed most of the guys involved and there are first hand recollections quoted.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supercars-The-Story-of-the-Dodge-Charger-Daytona-and-Plymouth-SuperBird/274016005661?epid=1607031&hash=item3fcca06e1d:m:m3nUHfqM-eLGMAudQ2YsuTA

A long time ago!  A few years before the real #88 was discovered in a field in Iowa.

 Yes ! I forgot about that book !  I bought a copy of it when it first came out 1995 ! time flies ! I must of read it cover to cover many times back then & was amazed at all the pictures & info & stories etc  nothing like I had ever read / seen before on aero mopars !  
remember this  was 9 years before  I got a computer / internet . seems crazy now  NO INTERNET  
I remember being transfixed on the pictures of the 88 Daytona back in the day &  what we thought it was now .

Yes, good read for sure.  I got Petty to sign my copy, right on the #43 SuperBird Museum car pic.  (which we now know was a short track car)
That was in 1997 at CTC, when Chrysler was getting into truck racing.
They also had the Fake 88 there, fresh from MSX that did a quick fresh up on it.
That's when the red paint was discovered all over that car. Also when the "Fake 88 Letter" surfaced from Tim Wellborn himself.

Who knew that a year later the real 88 would surface!  

   

When I asked Larry Rathgeb why he never mentioned in the book that the Museum 88 was a fake, he told me, "Nobody asked me."
Simple as that...  

p.s. This is a great book too.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-Daytona-Plymouth-Superbird-Design-Development-Production-And-Competition/352786919932?epid=1864816315&hash=item5223bd31fc:g:8rkAAOSwA81deZeq

[Aero426]

When I asked Larry Rathgeb why he never mentioned in the book that the Museum 88 was a fake, he told me, "Nobody asked me."
Simple as that...  

Years ago,  I sat in on some sales training.   One of the maxims being followed was, "Never answer an unasked question."    Don White was the same way.   

[tan top]

nother one gone  RIP !
shame all these guys & drivers from back in the day did not do proper  recorded  interviews / talks etc  on their work / driving / racing / adventures  /stories etc way back when etc with these cars , then they would be saved / remembered for all time  

Back in the mid 1990's the Supercars book about the Daytona and Superbird came out, by author Frank Moriarty.
He interviewed most of the guys involved and there are first hand recollections quoted.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supercars-The-Story-of-the-Dodge-Charger-Daytona-and-Plymouth-SuperBird/274016005661?epid=1607031&hash=item3fcca06e1d:m:m3nUHfqM-eLGMAudQ2YsuTA

A long time ago!  A few years before the real #88 was discovered in a field in Iowa.

 Yes ! I forgot about that book !  I bought a copy of it when it first came out 1995 ! time flies ! I must of read it cover to cover many times back then & was amazed at all the pictures & info & stories etc  nothing like I had ever read / seen before on aero mopars !  
remember this  was 9 years before  I got a computer / internet . seems crazy now  NO INTERNET  
I remember being transfixed on the pictures of the 88 Daytona back in the day &  what we thought it was now .

Yes, good read for sure.  I got Petty to sign my copy, right on the #43 SuperBird Museum car pic.  (which we now know was a short track car)
That was in 1997 at CTC, when Chrysler was getting into truck racing.
They also had the Fake 88 there, fresh from MSX that did a quick fresh up on it.
That's when the red paint was discovered all over that car. Also when the "Fake 88 Letter" surfaced from Tim Wellborn himself.

Who knew that a year later the real 88 would surface!  

   

When I asked Larry Rathgeb why he never mentioned in the book that the Museum 88 was a fake, he told me, "Nobody asked me."
Simple as that...  

p.s. This is a great book too.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-Daytona-Plymouth-Superbird-Design-Development-Production-And-Competition/352786919932?epid=1864816315&hash=item5223bd31fc:g:8rkAAOSwA81deZeq

 I have that book also ! see picture below ,  bought it when it first came out in 2016 not read it as much as the other one though,  those two books are a definite must have in any mopar / charger / roadrunner fans book collection  

after all that time looking at reading about  the 88 thinking  it was the real one ! I was blown away when I first saw the real one wearing
a third generation body !  then pictures of the front end sheet metal in the woods !  eerie sight  , kind of goose bump feeling ... must have been an awesome feeling seeing it in real life for the first time !!  you could even see  the original dash  ...after all that time , unbelievable ! the 88 Daytona is the the holy grail  IMO  

[Seabeckredneck]

i have two extra copies of that book i'd part with, one paperback, and one hard cover

it truly is a great read

I would be interested in the hard cover one. I have not read that book yet and would keep it next to Steve Lehto's book.

Thanks,
  Chris

[DonC1]

R.I.P

[1969daytona]

R.I.P.

Thank you for making history. Admiring!

[Aero426]

Nice shot of Romberg taken at the 30th aero meet at Talladega in 1999.     At the time, his son was working for Petty Enterprises in aerodynamics.

[Aero426]

Romberg with his babies on race day, 1999.

[Stevearino]

Probably told this story on this site already but it was a weird glitch in the matrix for me. Back in the early 70's while building model cars I was pen paling with a fellow in South Carolina who scratch built stock car models too. At some point we traded models. I sent him a car and he sent one to me. I had long forgotten that when we re connected in the early 2000's. By that time I was working for Hendrick Motorsports and he would stop and visit on his way through once a year.  Now Kurt Romberg was working out of our shop at the time. Well on one of his annual visits this fellow surprised me by bringing back that model car I had sent him 40 years earlier. I was floored to see it again as I had completely forgotten about it . He left it with me and I planned to take it home that day after work. Getting close to closing time here comes Kurt with Gary in tow. He was giving him a shop tour. I couldn't believe the coincidence . I walked up and introduced myself  and told him the story of the model car that had just been returned to me .I opened the box with the model car in it and he almost fell on the floor laughing. It was the #99 Charlie Glotzbach Nichols-Goldsmith Daytona. We had a good laugh at the ridiculous timing of it all. Great guy. He will be missed.

Also I was very honored that Frank Moriarty put my artwork from my Wing Warriors poster in the appendix at the back of his book. That was a thrill.

[held1823]

i have two extra copies of that book i'd part with, one paperback, and one hard cover

it truly is a great read

I would be interested in the hard cover one. I have not read that book yet and would keep it next to Steve Lehto's book.

Thanks,
  Chris

just saw this. i actually have two extra hard cover books, plus the one soft.

50 shipped within the states for a hard cover version, or 40 for the paperback

i'll also trade one for a copy of the lehto book

[aerolith]

The Founding fathers of Mopar Aero are passing on, one by one!

Just as the Founding Fathers of America, they will live 'long in the memory'...

Thanks to the wonderful support of the AeroFolks in the U.S.A and around the World, flying the AERO flag in their memory...

R.I.P Gary.

71 Plymouth's are the coolest cars ever made...

[aerolith]

Hi Greg,

I saw a 'cut-down' trunk lid off a Don White car at a swapmeet in LA a few years back!

A guy in San Fernando valley bought it, what a great find...

Would have loved to get that for my 'MAN-CAVE'...

[odcics2]

Hi Greg,

I saw a 'cut-down' trunk lid off a Don White car at a swapmeet in LA a few years back!

A guy in San Fernando valley bought it, what a great find...

Would have loved to get that for my 'MAN-CAVE'...

Ah, not a big deal, JUST MAYBE THE ORIGINAL #88 DECK LID, painted yellow! 
A lot to ask of your memory banks, but what was the number on it?