111 Guy Dirkin, Ph.D. Guy Dirkin has had a lifelong interest in cars which, like many, was fostered by his father, who tinkered with cars and raced karts. Dirkin, originally from England, moved to the United States in 1978 to attend graduate school at the University of Illinois. When he left England, he left behind his daily driver, a 1973 TVR 3000M. In 1995 Dirkin acquired a 1970 TVR Tuscan V8, which is the rarest production TVR, and the fastest of its generation. In documenting this car, Guy used his research skills to investigate the cars history and the impact of the car on the financial success of TVR. This work on TVR’s, began his contributions as a part time automotive historian. Dirkin has been a regular contributor to Undiscovered Classics, focusing on early American postwar sports cars. Most recently Guy Dirkin has written a book on the Origins of Wedge Car Design. Guy has owned, or still owns, a 1939 Nash sport custom; a 1954 Victress with history that includes Fred Bodley, Wally Parks and George Barris; an Amelia award winning 1956 Byers SR100; a 1959 Kellison J5R, showed at Amelia; a 1962 La Boa sports racer; the 1966 Cannara; the 1970 TVR Tuscan (wide body) and a 1989 ex Kelly Girl GT1 race car. Dirkin’s academic background is in the physiological and psychological aspects of human performance. His doctoral dissertation was in the area of attentional narrowing under stress. Guy Dirkin began his career as a high school teacher, teaching in England and the United States. Dirkin spent seven years as an assistant strength coach to the varsity teams at the University of Illinois. Following graduation from the University of Illinois he taught at the college level, before making a career change and moving into the healthcare industry. Dirkin retired in 2019 from Novartis Pharmaceuticals. The majority of his career was spent in C-Suite sales, contract negotiation, marketing and analysis. Guy Dirkin competes in masters track and field athletics and has travelled from his home in Florida to many international events in Europe, South America and Australasia. At the time of writing, he is the current world masters champion in his age group in the discus and ranked #2 in the world as the best all round thrower for his age. Returning to cars, Guy races a GT 1 car in SCCA and SVRA competitions. A self-admitted middle of the pack driver, he has had class wins at the International Challenge at Road America and Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational at the Indianapolis Speedway. You can learn more about Guy Dirkin here: https://www.guydirkin.com/ Guy Dirkin
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