32 replies to this topic

[Barry Boor]

Almost by accident, I suddenly found that I had quite a few models of cars from the 1966 Le Mans 24 hours. It began when I decided to try to collect all the Fords from that race as it was, to my scant knowledge, the first time a multiple team entry had every car painted a different colour.

Once I had most of the Fords, and realised I had a few other cars from that race too, I set myself the task of getting as many from that single race as I could. This image was taken yesterday and my collection for that race has now reached 28, with one more currently in transit between the U.S. and Anglesey.



The #60 Ford is currently missing a number because it is one of the cars that I have had to 'cheat' with. It is actually an Essex Wire car from Monza and had #5 on it, so I have had to re-number it and haven't done it yet.

Two of the Fords, #12 and #14, are repaints by myself - both started out as #2 cars (IXO, cheaper than most other makes).

I know my quest is doomed to fail because although there are a few more cars out there to be collected, and although apparently, every car in the race has been modelled either as a built car or a kit, some are nigh on impossible to find.

Then again, you get a situation like the one that arose recently whereby car #24 from that race, the rare Serenissima-A.T.S, came up on Ebay as a kit. It sold for nearly 100 euros....

So if anyone knows where any of the others, e.g. the A.S.A (two of them) - may be located at sensible prices - I'm far from rich - I would be very grateful.

[Barry Boor]

Make that 29! I just found the #28 Belgian 250.LM at a very reasonable price.

[jj2728]

Nice collection.

[raceannouncer2003]

So if anyone knows where any of the others, e.g. the A.S.A (two of them) - may be located at sensible prices - I'm far from rich - I would be very grateful.

Here are a couple of links on Ebay (the first one ends tomorrow):

http://cgi.ebay.com/...#ht_3328wt_1167

http://cgi.ebay.com/...3e#ht_500wt_956

By the way, are you going to Monaco this weekend, Barry?

Vince H.

[Barry Boor]

Yes, indeed, Vince. Leaving on Thursday and going by train all the way. Saturday in Casino Square and Sunday in the big grandstand, just as in 2008.

Thanks muchly for those links. The yellow Ferrari is purchased already, within 5 minutes of reading your post.

I saw the red 275 yesterday but to tell the truth, I have so many half made kits knocking around my shed, I don't think I should start another!

This car is around to be purchased as a finished model - by Best or Bang - so I think I will get that one reasonably easily.

Thanks again for your help.

Best regards to M.H.

Edited by Barry Boor, 27 April 2010 - 06:54.

[MarkWill]

Hi Barry,

So what, exactly is it that you need? I may be able to help.

[Barry Boor]

Well, Mark, the easiest way to answer that question is to refer you to this web page:

http://lm24database.com/1966/1966.htm

It shows every car in that race as a model and you can see, by comparing it to my first post, what is missing from my group. Remembering that I now have cars 28, 36 and 57 on their way to me as we speak.

One surprising fact is that Ferrari only entered two cars from the factory in this race and although this website shows seven different manufacturers to have produced models of the two cars, only Redline are shown as not 'obsolete' and we all know how much their models cost....

Thanks for even thinking about helping. Remember, I am a pensioner.....

[Barry Boor]

Now here is a REAL conundrum.

I was very fortunate that a TNF friend alerted me to the existence of the #35 Porsche 911 from the race this thread is about.

The model arrived yesterday and as described by the seller, the front number decal was damaged. Making new numbers is generally no problem for me as I have a couple of different options; either printed on decal material or vinyl cut with my Robo machine.

However, the two drawing programmes I use have a long list of fonts but none has a number three with a simple triangular top section. There are one or two with that type of shape but they are fancy and not suitable. I have tried to construct such a digit but although I can do it on one programme (the one that prints the decals) I have been singularly unsuccessful with my vinyl cutting programme. I can do it but the cutter picks up every line, including the white rectangles etc, that I use to blank off bits I don't want. The number is then fragmented into little tiny pieces and is useless.

Recently my decal printing has become rather hit and miss as the ink seems to fragment as it dries and the digits are not a solid black, thus I have been using the vinyl method more.

So, can anyone tell me where I might find a font type with that sort of three, that I might be able to incorporate into my drawing programme?

Edited by Barry Boor, 22 May 2010 - 22:18.

[teegeefla]

Barry-

I do not know the font that you need, but I may still be able to help.

1) Does the correct numeral 3 look like the one on this car, the #38 from 1960 LeMans?

http://www.lemans-hi.../1960_38_46.jpg

If yes, I have a decal sheet with these numbers that I can send to you.

2) If that does not work, check Pattos under Prsche 365s (that is how it is spelled on the site). There is a number 143 on that sheet that looks like it would be close.


Best,

Tom

[Barry Boor]

Best way to show you, Tom, is this way:

[raceannouncer2003]

More photos at this link:

http://www.lemans-hi...mp;equipa_seq=0

Vince H.

[teegeefla]

Barry-

Sadly, neither if the decals that I have match; I will keep looking.

Tom

[Barry Boor]

Thanks to fellow TNEffer Arjan de Roos, I have now added two 330.P3s to the collection, bringing it up to 35. The models are Brumm, and both were #21. Both had gold vac plated wheels and inaccurate stripes on the front wings. Some of the number roundels were creased too.

Here they are in their original state:



and after I have fiddled with them:



I think I may remake the numbers as they are a tad spindly and I need to source some very tiny Ferrari badges to go in the centre of the front circle.

Edited by Barry Boor, 24 May 2010 - 22:34.

[Barry Boor]

Unless and until something better comes along, I'll settle for this:

[Barry Boor]

As an update on my search for cars from 1966 Le Mans, the collection is approaching 40.

I have three projects on the go. I have a Ferrari that I am repainting to look like the Maranello Concessionaires car #16 plus two more Alpines (there were six in the race) that I have to strip down to the bare blue paint finish and then re-number and add the different colour recognition stripes.

It's getting much harder to find more cars now, though.

[Barry Boor]

Here is the latest state of the collection this thread refers to:



I am constantly on the lookout for more Alpines. I have a Ferrari 365.P2 in the process of being repainted to resemble the #16 Maranello Concessionaires car. Available on Ebay is the third works Porsche (#32) but the price is just ridiculous for an Ebbro model.

Spark have recently released the other Austin Healey (#49) but I fear it's going to be a different red to the Exem model you see above.

Other than that, the only other one that should be findable is the #29 Ferrari 275.GTB (again Maranello Concessionaires) but for all my searching, I have not yet been able to find one.

[mfd]

Two of the Fords, #12 and #14, are repaints by myself - both started out as #2 cars

but the 12 & 14 were "regular" 4.7L GT40 & not at all like the bodies on a GT40 Mark 2 numbers 1-8

[raceannouncer2003]

Other than that, the only other one that should be findable is the #29 Ferrari 275.GTB (again Maranello Concessionaires) but for all my searching, I have not yet been able to find one.

Best apparently did one...#9084

Apparently Graham Ruckert Imports in Australia might have one. Here is a link:

http://www.graham-ru....au/default.htm

Vince H.

[Barry Boor]

As it happens, Vince, I found a kit of that very car on Ebay yesterday. Not too expensive but the postage was high.

Thanks for the link on that Aussie dealer. I'll bear it in mind for the future. He does show the car on his list but I'm not going to enquire about it as the kit is already on its way.

[Barry Boor]

Thanks to various notables I have now reached 46 completed cars with three 'in build' so to speak.

The final two of these were completed last week:

[helioseism]

Barry, have you seen this book?

[Barry Boor]

I hadn't but I can't believe it would be any more useful than this website:

Le Mans models

[Barry Boor]

Nine months since I last posted on this thread and I can say that things have moved on. I now have 52 out of the 55 cars that started the race.

I have created a specific web page with images of all 52 (plus space for the other three) and if you care to glance at it, you will find it here.

[Macca]

Brilliant.................but Ford #7 was driven by Hill/Muir...............

Paul M

[JacnGille]

[Barry Boor]

Mmmmm, that's what happens when you copy/paste to save time.

I will correct it in the morning. (Can't upload from my laptop.)

[Barry Boor]

Sorted - thanks Macca. It's funny how you can't see something even though you've looked at it loads of times.

[Tony Lethbridge]

Well done, Barry. Magnificent collection and quite an achievement. I've been attempting to do 1965 for donkey's years, but can only field 25 cars so far.

[Rob Miller]

One more correction - the #38 Dino went out with engine problems after 9 laps.

[Barry Boor]

Rats! It's that flippin' copy and paste again! I changed the #7 drivers without noticing that I needed to change the car's achievemen - or lack thereoft.

Same problem with Dino.

[Barry Boor]

An unusual fact has arisen during the course of this collection. I noticed, when I got the first of the works Porsches, that the BP badge on the sides had its shield but no BP in it. How silly of Ebbro to have made that mistake, I thought.

I spent quite some time producing identically-sized B.P. logo decals and replaced them on car #30 and I think #33, though this was model not originally a factory car but was actually the #58 car that I repainted and re-decalled. Sure enough, when I received the latest car in the collection - #32, just two days ago, it too was missing its B.P. letters.

My good friend, fellow TNF member and Le Mans aficianado, Jager, checked his records and found that Ebbro are actually spot-on. The Porsches carried the B.P. shield but NO letters. So now I have to replace the B.P. badges with 'no B.P.' badges.

Jager also noticed that the #10 Bizzarini also had no letters. The conclusion being that there must have been a sponsorship issue....

[Barry Boor]

The latest errors to be spotted have now been corrected.

Thanks to those who have found them.

[fatbaldbloke]

An unusual fact has arisen during the course of this collection. I noticed, when I got the first of the works Porsches, that the BP badge on the sides had its shield but no BP in it.
....

The conclusion being that there must have been a sponsorship issue....

This has been something that I have been trying to get to the bottom of for several years to no avail. It's not just BP, there were also cars with Marchal and other logos, all without the actual brand names included. There's nothing mentioned in period reports in the annuals for 1966, Motorsport or the Brooklands Books reprints but there are many cars with no branding showing on sponsor decals. The first one I noticed it on was one of the Healey Sprites when Mini Racing made them years ago.

Edited by fatbaldbloke, 10 October 2011 - 21:39.