Bob Tullius info needed

Mr Lister · 4 Jul 2003, 12:51 (Ref:652143)

I'm looking for some information on Bob Tullis and would greatly appreciate anything that forum members could contribute. I know that he was involved with the Group 44 racing team and was involved with SCCA, Trans-Am and IMSA Triumphs and Jaguars but has anyone got some motre detailed information such as championships won, cars driven etc? Or biographical info such as date and place of birth, previous jobs etc. The rub is that I need to have something written by Tuesday 8th July. Eeek!

Any help or info would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance, Mr Lister.

Mr Lister · 4 Jul 2003, 13:48 (Ref:652313)

Of course it might hek=lp if I had gotten his name correct!

I was of course refering to Bob Tullius.

Armco Bender · 4 Jul 2003, 14:18 (Ref:652359)

Put "Bob Tuillis" and "group 44" into Google and search,it brings up lots of different mentions of him but there doesn't appear to be a site solely about him

http://www.theracesite.com/print.cfm?form_article=2621
Good Luck

Nordic · 4 Jul 2003, 16:00 (Ref:652442)

There is some info on www.jaguarracing.wz.cz

**skycafe** · 4 Jul 2003, 16:34 (Ref:652461)

Check out the archives at www.scca.org for information of National Championships (U.S.) in club racing. They won several in the sixties and seventies. Also won TransAm with the Jaguar XJS (I am pretty positive). In IMSA they raced the XJS and Triumph TR8 (I think that was GTO Champion in 1980). From there they built the Jaguar GTP which raced in North America and also Le Mans in the mid eighties.

The "44" in Group 44 was reversed in the team logo. You will see it in pictures of the transporters and such. A sign painters mistake, which they ended up liking.

Is this a school project? In high school years ago (even I don't want to calculate how long ago right now), I did an English Composition on the history and development of the Porsche 917. My teacher told me there was no way I could come up with enough information to complete the assignment. I proved her wrong and pulled top grade in class. All this pre internet and before the publication of virtually all the books available.

Keep us posted!

Vitesse · 5 Jul 2003, 23:34 (Ref:653642)

Born 1935, Rochester NY. Started racing at Marlboro, 1961. SCCA national E Production champion 1962, national D Champion 1963, 1964, NE Division D Champion 1965. Drove in works Triumph team at Le Mans 1964. Shared the Howmet turbine car with Dick Thompson at Le Mans 1968. Won the first ever Trans-Am race - Sebring March 1966 - in a Dodge Dart.

**John Turner** · 6 Jul 2003, 08:07 (Ref:653755)

Mr Lister, also look out for these two books:-

1) Jaguar V12 Race cars - 'Bred to Win' by Ian Bamsey and Joe Saward, published by Osprey in 1986

2) Jaguar XJR Group C & GTP Cars - ' A Technical Appraisal of the V12 cars' by Ian Bamsey, published by Foulis in 1989.

Both contain some good info. on both Bob Tullius and his Group 44 team. Mind you 8th July's a bit tight!!!!

**John Turner** · 6 Jul 2003, 08:59 (Ref:653769)

Actually, in view of timescales, why don't I try to add to Vitesse's info.

His full name is Robert Charles Tullius. He went from selling Kodak products to selling Jaguar Products. He formed Group 44 in 1965 working initially to promote Triumph, and later MG cars. Group 44 originally concentrated on SCCA 'amateur' racing on the US East Coast.

According to the Bamsy book, the first win in TransAm was indeed by Tullius in a Dodge Dart, but he places it at Daytona in 1967, so sorry if that confuses with Vitesse's
info. Maybe a little more research required!

In 1974, Tullius persuaded BL to add the V12 E-type to its SCCA programme and with it Group 44 won the National title in 1975. Group 44 implemented a full TransAm programme with the XJS in 1977, winning the title in both 1977 (Tullius himself becoming category 1 Champion) and 1978, when Tullius again won the drivers title as well. In that year Tullius shared a drive with his engineer, Brian Furstenau, in the Watkins Glen 6 hours race (a round of the World Championship of makes) to win their class and finish 7th overall.

In 1979 & 1980, Group 44 raced TR8s in the IMSA GTO series, Tullius finishing second to his team mate, Bill Adam, in the GTO class at the 1980 Daytona finale.

Jaguar, going through a very rough patch, nevertheless then (1981) approved Tullius's proposal to develop a Jaguar IMSA GTP car with the longer term objective of going to Le Mans with it. The result, eventually, was the XJR5 which started to win races in 1983. In 1984, Tullius took Jaguar back to Le Mans with a two car team where sadly both retired. Entered again in 1985, Tullius drove the last stint in the sick No 44 car to finish 13th on classification.

I'm afraid that I am running out of time and info. now, but hope this helps.

**Adam43** · 6 Jul 2003, 11:26 (Ref:653812)

Good stuff.

I thought you'd might be interested in this. I'm not a big one for autographs, but was thrilled when my Mum got me this one (& Martin Brundle's is also on this menu and she got Johnny Herbert's on the back of his own invite to the F1 launch!).

Anyway I like the backward 44.

.

Vitesse · 6 Jul 2003, 11:41 (Ref:653830)

Well, the Trans-Am series started in 1966 ... my source for the 1966/Dart info was a short biog in Georgano.

**John Turner** · 6 Jul 2003, 20:20 (Ref:654165)

Vitesse, yes, you are right; it started in 1966 but I'm even more confused now because although the first race was indeed at Sebring, according to Dave Friedman's book - TransAm, The Pony Car Wars 1966-72 (Published by MBI in 2001), Tullius was second, sharing his Dodge Dart with Adamowicz. The winner was none other than Jochen Rindt in an Alfa GTA. The Dart was class winner though. Tullius did then win the 1967 season opener at Daytona in the Dart. Just shows how facts can get jumbled, I guess.

Mr Lister · 8 Jul 2003, 12:16 (Ref:655738)

Thank you all so much for your help with information, it has proved very useful. In reply to Skycafe, I had to write a short biog of Bob as he is has become a benefactor of the museum that I work in and the powers that be wanted a short piece on him. I foolishly said: "Oh! Bob Tullius, the Group 44 man?", and the job was mine

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/hendon/n...cfm?news_id=23

Once again thanks all for the help.

racer69 · 8 Jul 2003, 13:33 (Ref:655830)

Tullius came out to Australia for Bathurst in 1982 to partner John Goss in a woefully underfinanced and underprepared Jaguar XJS.

It's a pity he didn't get a few more years from Jaguar for the Group 44 Group C program, it looked like better days were ahead when they gave it to TWR.

**skycafe** · 12 Jul 2003, 00:01 (Ref:659279)

Great Job Mr Lister!

**John Turner** · 17 Jul 2003, 07:48 (Ref:663628)

Yes, Mr Lister, nice one! Glad we could help, too!

Mr Lister · 17 Jul 2003, 12:55 (Ref:663850)

Looking back through the thread I realise I have sown some seeds of confusion!

The link that I posted was just to explain how Bob Tullius had become a benefactor of the RAF Museum and was the news item that the PR department put together. My biography features much more of his racing achievements, as so generously related by the good people who read the Racing History Forum, but has not been posted on the website yet as it is being sent to Bob himself for approval. I'm not 100% sure that my biography will be posted on our website as it is planned to load it into an interactive display screen which will be next to the P-51 which he donated. Sorry for any confusion.

Mr Lister

**John Turner** · 17 Jul 2003, 15:49 (Ref:664051)

No problem, Mr Lister! We just enjoy getting stuck into subjects we are interested in, and this was one of them!

flatlander_48 · 31 Jul 2003, 04:02 (Ref:675939)

The Jag XJS from Group 44 was here at WGI for the June vintage event.

**Adam43** · 31 Dec 2020, 03:03 (Ref:4025965)

*bump*

Bob Tullius set up in Virginia.

His first workshop was a small affair.
https://classicmotorsports.com/artic...type-group-44/

It’s still there and I’ve attached some photos. Some from the article above and some from a few months back.

It’s still a workshop.

**Adam43** · 31 Dec 2020, 03:28 (Ref:4025969)

Then they moved to a bigger workshop a few miles north. That is still round too, but no longer a car shop. It looks like it’s now been split between several businesses.

Here is a cool video that shows the big shop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=larBNcUF1Vs

There are quite a few Group 44 videos on YouTube

I’m thinking of setting up a tour company. 43/44 tours?

**John Turner** · 1 Jan 2021, 10:02 (Ref:4026225)

A great 'bump' and good info!

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Help Required Info on BOB JONES Ampol Max 3 walkinshaw 1992	groupnxu1	Australasian Touring Cars.	12	17 Nov 2007 00:56
Bob jane's reply to Colin Osborne's reply to Bob Jane	RaceTime	Australasian Touring Cars.	24	8 Jan 2004 07:26
Italian F3 info needed, PLEASE?	ljakse	National & International Single Seaters	8	11 Apr 2002 09:13
Euro 3000 and French F3 teams info needed	Redwolf	National & International Single Seaters	5	8 Apr 2002 11:03
Help - info needed	fromeire	Formula One	6	25 Mar 2002 17:11