in this photo: Finger took first overall in the 1982's
Atlanta Grand Prix, He was in in a field with many
other faster cars – an accomplishment that few
race car drivers can ever claim.
bought, fixed up and sold for a modest profit. He’s lost track, but
estimates that the 22-23 Ferraris he’d flipped over the years are what
helped launch his racing career.
“I’m a gearhead, but I love to race anything,” he said.
For nearly 25 years, racing on weekends while building a practice,
Finger competed in races all over the east coast, in circuits from the
Sports Car Club of America to Historic Sports Car Racing to the
Sportscar Vintage Race Association. He also pitted himself against
the legendary endurance races – the 24 Hours of Daytona and the
12 Hours of Sebring. It’s enough for a full-time job, and Finger was
running these races on weekends while building a successful plastic
surgery practice.
“It sounds crazy, doesn’t it?” he said. “And in the meantime, I’m
just buying and selling these old cars… The only race I ever lost in the
pictured Cobra was when I had transmission problems."
HIS BABY
It's a 1964 AC Cobra, one of just 16 ever made for racing. In a vast
collection housed in an undisclosed location in Savannah, it’s his baby.
The rest represent a cross-section of automotive excellence, from
high-performance muscle cars to vintage automobiles more than a
century old.
“I really love really old cars,” he said, pointing such nuances as the
throttle on his 1911 Model T, located on the steering wheel. “It’s just
so much fun to see what millions of people drove years ago.” The ’11 is
one of two Tin Lizzie’s in Finger’s collection, the other being a 1912.
And if you think this old race driver keeps them just for show you’re
mistaken.
“We’ll go
out and do
500-mile
DR. FINGER'S FIVE GREATEST MOMENTS
tours in the
MARRYING HIS LIFELONG LOVE, CHERYL.
1912 Model
RACING A 1,000 MILE HISTORIC RACE
T,” he said. “It
(THE MILLE MIGLIA) IN A 1953 FERRARI
just has 20
SECOND PLACE AT THE SCCA RUN-OFFS
horsepower,
(THE OLYMPICS OF SPORTS CAR RACING)
but I’ve had
FIRST PLACE IN THE ATLANTA HISTORIC GRAND
it up to 52
PRIX IN HIS BABY - THE 64 COBRA.
mph.” (Of
3RD PLACE IN A HISTORIC FORMULA ONE RACE AT
course, he’ll
ROAD ATLANTA IN THE LASTE 90'S
generally
cruise around TO MEET DR. FINGER, HEAD TO
FINGERANDASSOCIATES.COM
30 since
there’s only so
much you want to ask of a car with wooden spokes).
Apart from the Model Ts and and the Cobra, the
rest of the doctor’s collection reflects both his pride of
ownership and his skill as a gearhead. There’s the 1970
454 Chevelle, the 1966 Shelby GT 350H, the 1967 427
Corvette, the Sunbeam Tiger, cars built for the simple
conversion of horsepower into exhilaration.
And then there’s the car that started it all for Finger.
Tucked away among the 71 Mercedes 280 SL, the 2001
Porsche Turbo 996, the 37 V12 Caddy and the 1931
Model A, you’ll find a 1936 Ford. Just like the one Henry
drove, when he tore up King Street and inspired his
young cousin to a life spent on the track.
“Some people will say you’re a control guy or you have
a complex or some other silly thing that someone who’s
never raced would say. But the thing about racing is just…
the exhilaration.”
(Above) Finger won the Daytona Classic in this sweet
'71 Datsun 240 Z in the mid 80's. Finger swapped the usage
of this car for a facelift with the owner.
TOYS FOR
BIG BOYS
SAVANNAH-
BASED RACE CAR
RESTORATION
SPECIALIST, ANDY
GREEN (AGSVRC.
COM ) WORKS
TIRELESSLY TO
INSURE THAT
DR. FINGERS
MECHANICS
ARE IN TOP
NOTCH SHAPE.
JANUARY/FE B RUARY 2018
83