Does anyone know if there is a kit (any scale up to 1/24) of the 1966 Ford Mk II (X-1) roadster, Sebring winner? All that I can find is a resin body for the Tamiya GT40 kit in 1/24 for $100. Too expensive for me!
One other thing - does anyone know why this car was burried whole shortly after the race, never to appear again?[:(][:(!]
Thanks,
Pete
The only MK II Roadster kit I am aware of is the Creative Minatures transkit for the Fujimi MK II kit.
The chassis that won Sebring in 1966 was GT/110. This was NOT scraped right after Sebring as is often told. Ronnie Spain contends that 110 and another chassis were built at Abbey Panels as “lightwieght” chassis’, one went to Bruce McLaren Motor Racing and was constructed as the “X1” sports racer numbered GT 110, the other went to Kar Kraft in Detroit and was unnumbered. He calls that chassis “110A”.
I quote from Ronnie’s book GT40-An Individual History and Race Record
“Just before Christmas the McLaren team was instructed to hand the car over to Kar Kraft for preparation for SAI (Shelby American Inc.) for 1966. This involved strengthening the chassis to Mark II specification, fitting standard Mark II front and rear body sections and a new roof structure and roll bar. A full windscreen was also fitted and the car was sprayed red. On 26 March it won the Sebring 12 Hours race, driven by Lloyd Ruby and Ken Miles. The X-1 is often mistakenly referred to as having been scrapped immediately after Sebring. In fact, although it was never used again, it weas scheduled for reroofing until May 1966, and on 14 December it entered Holam and Moody’s project book as ‘Project 010, Rebuild GT-X1 car’. Although it remained in the project book until 24 August 1967, the rebuild never actually took place. All the while the car sat at SAI being used latterly as a parts source. In 1970 the chassis was finally destroyed to satisfy customs men who arrived one day and gave Shelby a ‘pay up or cut up’ ultimatum, as the chassis had originally been exported from Britain on a race-and-return basis. As the car would never be used again, Shelby chose the second alterative and the officials looked on while his engine man, Steele Therkleson, torched the car into sections and then took them to a nearby building site to be buried. An apartment block now stands as the X-1 lasting monument.”
Obviously a bad move in retrospect but you must remember in the days before “Vintage racing” that there was nothing more useless than ‘last years’ race car".
Rick[:(]
Nice inforrmative report on a very interesting subject … thanks [:)]
All of the GT40’s were(are) very cool!
Pete:
If you have the $$$ to spend, I believe Exoto is going to do a 1/18th die-cast of the Ruby/Miles Mk. II roadster.
Jim