160 replies to this topic

[Bjorn Kjer]

Hi Duncan , yes I do mean the big white ones for the race numbers. However your info to the "RAF" roundel seems to have slipped my eye , thanks for that !

As there are rules for everything everywhere including racing , more or less lively described , I just thought that something was written regarding numbers , to reply to the "why not" post.

And there IS something written , but in most cases it appears rather vagely , except for "sizes and clear visuability" , and is up to each club or organizer , in fact leaving the choise of white roundels and colour or type of numbers to the entrant in most races. So somehow I have answered my own question , leaving it to anyone to comment.

[David McKinney]

I wasn't being facetious, Bjorn, and I have to admit I haven't dragged out all my books and magazines with pictures of cars at Le Mans in 1957 to check

But the usual rule at the time was that numbers had to be clear, often of a specified minimum size. In many cases there was a stipulation that they had to be black, so if you had a dark-coloured car painting a white roundel was a good way to show it. If you were Belgian, you'd probably be able to apply the numbers direct to the car body

[Bjorn Kjer]

Got it David. In fact your explanation is approx. what I found . While looking at first for 1957 , my Bollee book on that race surprised me with the differences , mentioned before. My search for a possible reason got nil results , hence the TNF question. After posting and with impatience to answers , I remembered my little book from MAP by John Baxter "Motor Racing Team Colours & MARKINGS. Had a look and and there it was , a side mentioning this ........

sometimes a kick or none at all , can do it................

[gm914]

I am currently working on a scratchbuilt 1950's Le Mans Porsche pitlane diorama (1/43) and trying to keep the details as accurate as possible.

I have a few questions I'm sure you folks will have the answers to...

Thanks in advance!

1) What color were the Porsche works drivers uniforms/overalls?

2) What color were the Porsche works mechanics/pitcrew uniforms/overalls?

3) What was the length of each pit stall? Would 2 works entries have shared the same pit area? Crew? Or would they be next to each other? Scattered down pitlane?

4) Am i correct that no more than 2 mechanics could work on the car at any one time?

5) Am i also correct in that the driver had to be out of the car whilst in repair/refuelling? With headlights off?

6) What types of repairs couldn't be made? Were you allowed to use a welder?

That really is it!

Hope you can help, either with info or links or even photographs...

Regards,
GM

[David McKinney]

I think you're going to have to be more specific - both pit layout and regs would have varied between 1951 and 1959

[Jager]

I am currently working on a scratchbuilt 1950's Le Mans Porsche pitlane diorama (1/43) and trying to keep the details as accurate as possible.

I have a few questions I'm sure you folks will have the answers to...

Hope you can help, either with info or links or even photographs...

Regards,
GM

Here's a few pictures of the Porsche Team from 1954 (sources unknown) which answer some of the questions above :





As a collector of Le Mans models I look forward to seeing pictures of your diorama.

[Bjorn Kjer]

1957 D types , I would like to have some advise , corrections or confirmations please . I believe to have found the following similarityes or not :

HAMILTON Car 4 3.8 tailfin , exhaust back left , 1956 body , widescreen

ECOSSE Car 3 3.8 tailfin , exhaust back left , 1956 body , widescreen

ECOSSE Car 15 3.4 tailfin , exhaust back left , 1956 body , widescreen

E.N.B. Car 16 3.4 tailfin , exhaust left side , 1955 body , widescreen

AMIGOS Car 17 3.4 no tailfin,exhaust left side , 1955 body , widescreen

Apart from the windscreen i find 2 body shapes , the more rounded nose section (54/55) and the more straight (56/57) ?

Will someone please agree or disagree ?

[D-Type]

From memory as I'm posting from work.

What you call the "more straight" nose section is probably the "long nose" used by the works cars in 1955 and '56 and sold to Ecurie Ecosse and maybe Duncan Hamilton for 1957.
There were also variations in the tail fin. I think the "long nose" cars were the only ones with the different larger fins.
But you really need one of the specialist D-Type histories to capture all the variants. And restorers seem to love adding fins to cars that didn't have them originally, ie most of the customer cars.


Edit: Typos

Edited by D-Type, 03 February 2011 - 22:45.

[Bjorn Kjer]

So it is the long nose. Were the 2 Ecosse and Hamilton long nose then ? And I do not ask for ALL differences , mostly about those I listed were correct , and only for 1957.

Sorry for not finding the correct words to the long nose (which I HAVE heard before). What I meant was in fact that seen from from behind , sloping towards the front the longnose appears straight whereas the older is till very curved.

[Herbert]

Indeed the Ecurie Ecosse cars (XD603 and XKD 606) and the works prepared Hamilton car (XKD 601) were all former 1956 long-nose works cars. The long nose was introduced by the works in 1955. The cars had a bonnet 7,5 inch longer than "short nose" cars. Other differences were two brake cooling ducts in the front, the third headlight was omitted (instead the two head lights now had 100 watts) and the exhaust were moved from the sill area to the rear.

XKD601 was not raced in 1956 at Le Mans but in other events. XKD 603 was entered in 1956 at Le Mans as a spare car but was then raced after XKD606 crashed in practice.

Edited by Herbert, 03 February 2011 - 15:29.

[Bjorn Kjer]

Thanks gents !