What happend to Herman Chapman

Chuck Beuthel · 12-10-2010, 06:42 PM

In 1973 I bought my first real race car, a Super Stock Nova. My quest for more performance, quickly lead me to local legend Herman Chapman. I had watched his 69 Chevelle, 65 Chevy II and 67 Chevy II wagon run and they were all fast, even though they looked less trick than most street cars. I thought I knew pretty much all there was to know about building engines and racing. If I just got one of Herman’s secret Lunati cams and a set of his trick rings, I knew my car would run like his. Of course it didn’t. He showed me I didn’t know everything as only Herman could. His no nonsense, work hard, don’t spend money on trick parts that don’t work attitude, was a perfect match for a young racer with little money, but a lot of enthusiasm. Herman would always make sure I had the parts and machine work I needed to make the next race. He taught me a lot about engines, racing and hard work. In the days before incremental times and data loggers, he was a master at watching a race car and knowing what it needed to run faster. With Herman’s help my car got faster and faster. We became friends and did a lot together. I could write pages of stories about Herman. Unfortunately a story that started about 1995 stands out most. Herman gave me and about twenty of his other friends and customers the opportunity to invest in an invention of his. It sounded great. It was going to revolutionize the camshaft-valvetrain industry. We would all soon make a LOT of money. I gave him my money and waited. I haven’t heard from him since about 1998. I think only one person made money on that deal.

12-10-2010, 06:42 PM	#16
Chuck Beuthel Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 22 Likes: 37 Liked 9 Times in 3 Posts	Re: What happend to Herman Chapman In 1973 I bought my first real race car, a Super Stock Nova. My quest for more performance, quickly lead me to local legend Herman Chapman. I had watched his 69 Chevelle, 65 Chevy II and 67 Chevy II wagon run and they were all fast, even though they looked less trick than most street cars. I thought I knew pretty much all there was to know about building engines and racing. If I just got one of Herman’s secret Lunati cams and a set of his trick rings, I knew my car would run like his. Of course it didn’t. He showed me I didn’t know everything as only Herman could. His no nonsense, work hard, don’t spend money on trick parts that don’t work attitude, was a perfect match for a young racer with little money, but a lot of enthusiasm. Herman would always make sure I had the parts and machine work I needed to make the next race. He taught me a lot about engines, racing and hard work. In the days before incremental times and data loggers, he was a master at watching a race car and knowing what it needed to run faster. With Herman’s help my car got faster and faster. We became friends and did a lot together. I could write pages of stories about Herman. Unfortunately a story that started about 1995 stands out most. Herman gave me and about twenty of his other friends and customers the opportunity to invest in an invention of his. It sounded great. It was going to revolutionize the camshaft-valvetrain industry. We would all soon make a LOT of money. I gave him my money and waited. I haven’t heard from him since about 1998. I think only one person made money on that deal. __________________ Chuck Beuthel