Otis Chandler

[72targa]

Just read my 3/13/06 edition of Autoweek. There was an obituary for Mr. Chandler who passed away on 2/27 at age 78. I crossed paths with him at the PCA "Tribute to Porsche at Le Mans" in 1990 where he had a 917. It's weird that I was just perusing the program from the Can Am race at Riverside in 1973 that his LA Times sponsored (I was looking at the IROC photos that I will post separately some other time). Sad that another part of Porsche history is gone.

[Bummler]

When Otis died two weeks ago on Feb 27, the car and motorcycle collecting community lost a great patron.

I had the good fortune to chat with Otis on numerous occasions whilst touring his collection in Oxnard. He would open it to the public four or so times a years. Admission was a paltry $7.

Otis was a real gentleman, an avid enthusiast, and a "man's man." He and his family were to LA what the Kennedy's were to Boston. Though to the best of my knowledge Otis never was responsible for anyone's death

There is a very interesting book on Otis and his family roots titled Privileged Son. I'm told he wasn't very happy with the way it portrayed him and his family, the Chandler's and Otis's. It does make for some very interesting reading if you are at all curious about the history of Los Angeles and the emergence of the LA Times.

Bruce Canepa used Otis's 959 as the "prototype" for his now lucrative business of federalizing them for the US market.

He was a good guy and a serious car and motorcycle guy... I hope the collection stays together and open to the public.

http://www.chandlerwheels.com/

Some of Otis' Porsche toys...

[pwd72s]

The T shirt Oracle is right. "He who dies with the most toys...still dies."