This Maxi-Models kit was a gift from my brother Christmas of 2008. Its been up for construction several times and then slipped to the back burner. Unimaginable since its a Ferrari , but true! Maxi -models produces limited numbers of resin kits, this being numbered #7 of 175, based on the 1969 Chris Amon car at Watkins Glen. Maxi models have very neat web page and worth a visit. http://www.maxi-models.com
The car I built is liveried , to the best of my googling, in the Edmonton Canada race colours.

That is ,at least according to the source of this pic on the web, a 1/43 resin model site.


Lovely kit, tons of detail pieces, complete with chassis and motor. I switched out the rear wheels for a pair of Fly rears with my own tires, that I cast. I also chose to run a set of 64 pitch TSRF plastic gears. Man they are smooth. I also swapped out the motor, which looked suspiciously like a PM orange can, that from experience is very fast, but lacks brakes. Instead I went with a Fly can. That's quick enough , as I have other CanAm cars to run against with similar set ups. Not to fault the resin wheels that come with the kit but experience has taught me they are often out of round enough to be frustrating. Eventually BWA wheels will sit at the corners.


A clean, sand, and prep, then into my "highly sophisticated" paint booth, primer and several coats of Italian red. Wife loves the aroma of paint wafting up through the registers. Have to work on a better venting system than open window after work done.


The detail in the engine compartment, interior and chassis is daunting. White metal parts (twelve separate little intake trumpets), photo etch parts, decals...very complete and thought out. But honestly do not attempt construction after a coffee or couple of rye. You need to have a steady hand doctor! And yes I am aware the seats should be flat red but the blue looked better.


Three pains taking days later things have shapped up nicely. I still have to attach the photo etched spoilers at the front, but have to figure out a glue to use with success. The car is a tiny jewel.


The Ferrari 612 is a worthy addition to my 1/32 scale stable of Can Am cars, not the mention the Vanquish bunch.



And now for a little history for those interested. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Will_Silk Thank you!

Ferrari. A name that is synonomous with winning. Over 50 years of racing heritage; a heritage which includes several Formula One titles, as well as overall victories in Sports Car Racing at some of the most difficult race circuits known to exist. Tracks like Spa, the Nurburgring, and the great French classic held every year at Le Mans. Nearly every challenge the Prancing Horse of Maranello has undertaken in the last 60 years has resulted in victory. One series however was not intimidated by Italy's best. That series was the Can-Am Challenge, held between 1966 and 1974 in North America. The Can-Am, as it would become known, was perhaps the most exciting road racing series the planet has ever seen. Governed by the Sports Car Club of America, the series was run in accordance to the FIA's Group 7 rules for Sports Racing Cars. Group 7 rules were rather unlimited in many ways, which led manufacturers of all levels to run free with creativity and build some of the most technically advanced cars of their time.

In 1966, the Can Am's first actual season, the European factories had little interest in a series that only lasted from September to November and was comprised of just six events. Most of the entrants were independent teams. Teams like McLaren and Surtees, both headed by Formula 1 Champions that saw the Can Am as an opportunity to build their reputations as manufacturers. Ferrari already possessed a championship winning reputation. However, a young Mexican driver by the name of Pedro Rodriguez would fire Ferrari's first shot in what would soon become the hottest road racing series on the planet.

Bridgehampton, New York was the second round of the inaugural Can Am Series. The 2.85 mile course located in eastern Long Island would be the first time that a Ferrari would race in a Can Am event. Pedro Rodriguez was entered in a Dino 206S Coupe that September weekend. The young Mexican driver was able to achieve 22nd position on a grid filled with open-top sports racers powered by thundering American small block V-8s. The race would result in the little Ferrari not finishing due to the loss of a wheel. Rodriguez would appear again at Laguna Seca with the Dino, this time with a 18th place overall to show for his effort.

By early 1967, the Can Am was already being viewed as a fabulous series by many of the top names in North American road racing. The series caught the attention of Luigi Chinetti, the man at the helm of N.A.R.T. (North American Race Team), Ferrari's factory-backed team of choice in the United States. Chinetti would send one of N.A.R.T.'s P3/4 prototypes back to Maranello early in 1967 for modification to run in that year's Can Am Series. While at the factory, the P3/4 would receive several modifications to assist it in moving from Group 6 to Group 7 rules. The car was lowered and lightened, though the headlamps were retained. Provisions for a boot and spare wheel were eliminated, as there were no need for such luxuries in Can Am racing. The P3/4 also received a strengthened roll bar.

Ferrari's would be absent at the opening race held at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin in 1967. Though Chinetti and the N.A.R.T. team would arrive for the season's second race at Bridgehampton. Lodovico Scarfiotti was selected to drive the P3/4 that September weekend and he achieved a grid position of 16th place. Scarfiotti, a Formula 1 veteran, would go on to drive the P3/4 to a 7th place finish in the race.

Scarfiotti would again pilot the P3/4 a week later at Mosport, one of the fastest tracks the Can Am Series raced at. The N.A.R.T. P3/4 would start from the 12th position on the grid. The weekend would result in a DNF for the Ferrari due to a crash.

The fourth race of the 1967 Can Am season was to see the most powerful sports cars in the world visit the beautiful Laguna Seca Raceway on the coast of Central California. This race would mark the appearance of two new Ferrari Can Am cars in the form of P4s. Now equipped with full glass-fibre bodies, a huge rear spoiler, and a larger 4.2 litre engine, it looked like there was a serious effort brewing from Italy's top name in racing. Chris Amon and John Williams were recruited to perform the driving duties. Amon, being the seasoned driver he was, performed well at Laguna Seca driving the number 23 Ferrari P4 from 16th on the grid to a 5th place finish. Williams also scored well on the weekend by completing 99 laps and capturing 8th place. Two weeks later, at Southern California's incredible Riverside Raceway, the Amon and Williams duo would again attempt to bring victory home for Maranello. This time the results were not as promising as Laguna Seca, with Amon finishing 3 laps down in 8th place and Williams crashing out. The final Can Am event of 1967 was held at Las Vegas. A dusty track in the Nevada desert, Vegas was known for wreaking havoc with both racers and their machines. Amon would put the P4 in 13th place on the grid, while Williams scored the grids 18th spot. Williams race was short, as a stone was ingested on lap 1, locking the throttle and leading to the retirement of the number 27 Ferrari. Amon would wind up with a DNF as well due to a crash. Despite mid-pack qualification times, the P4s proved capable of obtaining podium results.

The 1968 season would be a pivotal one for Ferrari. Pedro Rodriguez would once again take the wheel of a Ferrari at Bridgehampton. Gridding the P4 in 11th position, Rodriguez would have an off course excursion early in the race leading to a DNF in a race which saw heavy attrition. Ferrari was going through a battle with the FIA over rule changes made during the off season. As a result, Ferrari did not enter any sports car races as a factory effort in 1968, except one; the Stardust Grand Prix of Las Vegas. The car was the all-new Ferrari 612P, chassis number 0866. Bill Harrah, Ferrari's west coast importer, supplied the funding and the factory assisted the operation with total technical support. Mauro Forghieri was the man largely behind the design of Ferrari's first, true Can Am competitor.

The first generation 612P utilized a trellis frame which was reinforced with riveted and bonded sheet metal. The body was of total glass fibre construction, while the suspension was independent at all four corners. The 612P used a wing mounted just rear of the cockpit. The wing incorporated 2 flaps that were hydraulically operated by a pedal in the cockpit to assist the car in braking. A nose mounted air brake was also incorporated to work in conjunction with the flaps via the pedal. This system of hydraulically actuated flaps proved complex and was not friendly to the over all weight of the car, which tipped the scales at nearly 1700lbs. The real center-piece of the 612P was the engine. At a 6,222cc displacement, it was the largest engine ever constructed by Maranello up to that point in time. The engine was a dual over-head cam design using 48 valves and sporting a 10.5:1 compression ratio. Lucas indirect fuel injection was used to supply the mighty 12 cylinder with fuel, and a dry sump oiling system made sure that all the vital components were supplied with the proper amount of oil. The 612P used a 4 speed gearbox which helped the car put its 620 horsepower to the rear wheels.

Many thought that the rumor of such a large Ferrari was just that, a rumor. The factory sighted the delay of the 612P's debut on the German head gasket manufacturer which was having problems producing the proper gaskets for the largest V-12 to date. Once this was overcome, testing began at Modena where it was hoped the car would break the 50 second barrier. This did not occur, however the 612P did achieve a 50.8 second lap at Modena, enough to satisfy the team and prepare for the race at Las Vegas.

The Ferrari's debut at Las Vegas was nothing short of spectacular. At nearly seven feet wide, and with it's 6.2 litre V-12 producing a raw mechanical sound like nothing else in the field, the 612P was hard to miss to say the least. The factory took this effort very seriously, appointing Franco Gozzi as team manager, Mauro Forghieri as race engineer, and Giulio Borsari to the chief engineering position. Three mechanics were also sent to accompany the car. Chris Amon was appointed the driving duties at Stardust, were he was able to obtain 9th position on the grid with a lap time of 1:32.2. Unfortunately, the weekend would end dismally, for the 612P would suffer clogged injectors leading to a DNF for its debut race.

The Ferrari 612P would reappear in 1969 to do battle in the Can Am, however the Ferrari effort was headed by Kiwi driver Chris Amon with Maranello playing a support role. The first appearance would be at the Watkins Glen Can Am race held in mid-July. Gone were the complex hydraulically-actuated high wing and nose-mounted speed brake. This, along with all new body work, allowed the car to shed some weight. The chassis and engine were the same as the 1968 Las Vegas race, but the weight loss enabled Chris Amon to qualify 3rd, just behind the McLaren M8Bs of Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme. With such a high qualifying position, it looked to be a promising race for what would become known as the second-generation 612P. Amon remained competitive throughout the race remaining within striking distance of the two bright orange McLarens. The final result would be a 3rd place finish for the Ferrari; but more importantly, a shot in the arm to the Can Am Series which was beginning to suffer from Team McLaren's domination.

Chris Amon would again deliver a spectacular show with the 612P at the following race in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The car was fitted with a new 6.2 litre engine for this event. This proved exciting as the engine is claimed to be why the Ferrari's gearbox broke during practice, but nonetheless, Amon would once again occupy third position on the grid behind the brilliant McLarens of Bruce and Denny. Shortly following the green flag, Amon was able to pass Bruce McLaren's M8B to snatch second position. This started a battle unlike that which the McLaren cars had ever seen. Amon and McLaren would swap second place for several more laps until the M8B's Chevy engine gave out. This left second position to the Ferrari, which it would retain for the remainder of the race.

Amon would continue his streak of podium finishes with the big red Ferrari at Mid Ohio. Despite a poor qualifying result of 12th place, Amon managed to bring the Ferrari up through the pack to finish third, one lap behind the McLarens. Elkhart Lake was the next race, and the Ferrari 612P arrived with a major new aerodynamic wing mounted on struts above the rear of the car. Bracing was used to support the wing struts off the car's roll bar. Amon and the Ferrari would start the race from seventh position, but a faulty fuel pump would lead to an early end for the New Zealand driver and the 612P. Bridgehampton would deliver similar results for Ferrari, as Amon gridded the car in P3, his race would once again be cut short due to a broken oil pump shaft. Pedro Rodriguez would save the prancing horse's reputation at Bridgehampton with his 312P endurance racer. Pedro qualified 11th and drove the 312P to a fifth place finish, some 4 laps down from the leader. Amon would take the big Ferrari to the races at Michigan and Laguna Seca, but engine problems would result in the car not taking to the grid at these two events.

Riverside Raceway, late October 1969, would provide the backdrop for the largest Ferrari V-12 to ever turn a wheel in anger. Still retaining chassis number 0866, the car that originally debuted at Las Vegas a year earlier, Chris Amon and his mechanics fitted a monstrous 6.9 litre V-12 engine to the big red car. Maranello was able to achieve the 6.9 litre displacement by stroking the original 6.2 litre engine. The addition of the larger engine to the 612P led to a new designation, that of 712P, indicating near 7.0 litres of displacement. Amon would use the extra displacement to overcome the Ti22 of Jackie Oliver for third fastest on the grid behind both McLarens. Ultimately the extra power would come to no advantage, as Amon retired the Ferrari after being black flagged by officials for receiving an illegal push start. Amon would appear one final time before departing for March in 1970. The final race of the 1969 season was held at Texas International Speedway. Amon used chassis number 0866 in 712P trim to qualify, blowing the 6.9 litre engine and thus having to run the race with the spare 6.2 litre unit. The big engine did the trick in qualifying, with Amon getting 4th on the grid. The smaller engine wasn't to last either as it too blew early on in the race, leading to yet another DNF. Chris Amon parted ways with Ferrari at the end of 1969, but he did manage to score 39 points in the Can Am Championship which was enough to put him in 6th place overall in the point standings.

The 1970 Can Am season would see Ferraris of various teams entered throughout the year. These cars were mostly Ferrari 512S models that were built to FIA Group 6 rules to run in endurance races like Le Mans and Daytona. Chassis number 0866 would return to the fight for 1970, this time being entered by its new owner's, Earle-Cord Racing. It wouldn't be until round 8 of the series at Donnybrooke, a track in northern Minnesota, that Ferrari's first true Can Am challenger would return to race. The several months between the 1969 season and it's late September return to the track were occupied by a change of ownership and a return to the Ferrari factory for refreshening. While at the factory, however, chassis number 0866 would be outfitted with a 5.0 litre engine similar to that which was run in the Group 6 512S and 512M. This made for yet another designation change to that of 512P.

The late September debut of the 512P was a promising one. Driving duties for the Earle-Cord Racing entry were handled by Jim Adams, who managed to qualify 6th for round 8 at Donnybrooke. Adams was able to pull off a 4th place finish in a race of low attrition. The next two races would fail to see the 512P take the checkered flag, as a gear linkage issue would retire the number 76 Ferrari at Laguna Seca and a crash would end the scarlet car's event at Riverside, the season finale.

The Can Am kicked off it's 6th season of racing at Mosport in June of 1971. Jim Adams and the Ferrari 512P were there achieving 8th fastest time on the grid and finishing 5 laps behind Denny Hulme's McLaren M8F Chevrolet. Chassis number 0866 would miss the race at St. Jovite, but return to qualify mid-field for the 1971 Can Am race at Road Atlanta. A connecting rod failure would end the 512P's race that weekend, but something much more spectacular was about to happen at Watkins Glen.

Watkins Glen, New York was selected to debut the brand new Ferrari 712M, chassis number 1010. It would mark the first time since Las Vegas, 1968 that there would be an official Spa Ferrari SEFAC factory entry on a Can Am grid. The 712M was Ferrari's second serious attempt at producing a Can Am Championship winning car; the first being the 1968 612P, which had a disastrous debut in its' only factory supported race at Las Vegas. The 712M used a modified chassis from a 512S/512M endurance race car. The body was completely designed from a blank sheet of paper to produce as much down force as possible. The massive 7.0 litre V12 was based on the same block architecture as the 512 endurance engine, but with provisions made to accommodate an increase in bore and stroke. All new heads were designed using dual overhead cam architecture with 4 valves per cylinder. Horsepower was quoted to be in excess of 650. Ferrari located the radiators on the sides of car with large NACA ducts cut out a top the body work on each side of the cockpit to cool the giant red beast. Mario Andretti assisted the factory with its development efforts and was awarded the driving duties for the car's maiden race. With a 5th place starting position, Andretti just put the 712M ahead of Mark Donohue's Penske/Ferrari 512M, one of the Group 6 endurance cars that entered the Can Am race after competing in the previous days 6 hour race. Andretti stayed towards the top of field the entire race, finishing in fourth place behind Jo Siffert's Porsche 917/10 Spyder.While Ferraris would start the next three rounds of the 1971 season, these would be 512M models, and it would not be until Edmonton that one of the Ferrari Can Am Spyders would again appear.

Edmonton would see the return of the Earle-Cord Racing 512P, again with Jim Adams at the wheel. While Adams scored a sixth position in qualifying for the the event, the number 76 Ferrari would fail to finish due to problems with its ring and pinion. Mid-October's Can Am meet at Laguna Seca would see the Ferrari fair a bit better, with Adams driving the 512P to an eighth place finish from tenth on the grid. The grand finale for 1971 was held at Riverside, where Adams was able to qualify 13th fastest with the NGK Spark Plug sponsored Ferrari. Brake failure early in the race would lead to the red war horse failing to finish the event. Jim Adams would finish the 1971 season with 7 points, good for 25th in the Can Am point standings.

No Ferraris would be present at the first two Can Am events for the 1972 season. Round Three was held at Watkins Glen, and it would mark the second appearence of the 712M. This time the 712M was entered by N.A.R.T., initially with Sam Posey selected to drive the big Ferrari. Posey opted not to take the drive, and Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jarier was given the seat. The 712M was not noted to have the best handling characteristics, and little had been done to the car since it was last raced in 1971 to correct any problems. Jarier would make the best of it, driving the Goodyear shod car from the back of the grid to a tenth place finish, 12 laps behind the race winning McLaren M20 of Denny Hulme.

The 712M would not appear at Round Four of the 1972 season, held at Mid-Ohio, but would be present for Round Five run at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Jarier would pilot the Ferrari to a tenth place starting position at the legendary track. The N.A.R.T. entry would go on to a 4th place finish, matching chassis number 1010's best finish from the previous season's solo outing at Watkins Glen. Jean-Pierre Jarier finished the 1972 Can Am Season with 11 points, good for 13th position overall. Ferraris would be spotted on Can Am grids periodically after this, but these were 512M models that were made obsolete by the introduction of a 3.0 litre displacement cap put in place by the FIA on all endurance sports cars for the 1972 season.

The last shot to be fired by one of the big-bore Ferrari Spyders would be at Watkins Glen in 1974. N.A.R.T. brought out chassis number 1010 for one last race. By this time, Porsche had come and gone with it's turbocharged 12 cylinder 917/30 Spyders, as did the McLaren team with its mighty big block Chevrolets. Shadow emerged as the team to beat for 1974, but the big red Ferrari would have one last go at the very track it debuted at two years earlier. The 712M now sported a rear wing that was elevated above the tail section of the car as well as a revised intake scoop that protruded above the roll bar to better feed the largest 12 cylinder engine Ferrari would ever produce. Sam Posey was offered the drive in the 712M, which he accepted, only to break his foot while driving the car in practice. Posey was braking on course when the pedal went to the floor of the 712M. The pedal effort applied by Mr. Posey was so great, he broke a bone in his foot and ended up handing the driving duties off to Brian Redman. Redman, starting from the back of the grid, ran a decent race until rear suspension failure would lead him off course. The final race for Ferrari's biggest, most brutal car would end in a DNF.

Herbert Mueller would pilot a 512M in the final Can Am race of 1974. The race was held at Elkhart Lake in late August and is noted as being the final Can Am race of the classic era. Mueller drove his 512M from ninth on the grid to a sixth place finish, one lap down to Scooter Patrick's race winning McLaren M20. By this time several factors led to the end of what most consider to be the greatest road racing series that ever was. Ferrari was well represented, largely by privateers, through out the 1966-1974 Can Am period. While the factory's only true Can Am contenders, the 612P/712P/512P (chassis number 0866) and the awesome 712M (chassis number 1010), did not enjoy stellar careers within the series; one must note that much was gained in the development of the massive V-12 engines that powered the mighty red beasts from Maranello. Only today, some 35 years after the 712M's final race outing in upstate New York, have we seen Ferrari build a car with a 12 cylinder engine in excess of 6.0 litres. The new FXX, boasting a 6262cc V-12 mounted a-mid ship with 800 horsepower, would have to be seen as a modern descendant of those massive 7.0 litre red monsters that once competed on the spectacular tracks of North America. To many, the Can Am Ferraris would be better off forgotten. But despite the red cars hardships in the North American series, the fact that Ferrari took the time and effort to build some impressive racers should be applauded. After all, it's tough to argue that a big Italian V-12 sounds anything but fabulous, no matter how fast it is.

So there you have it, a neat article on Ferrari's Can Am effort and a great kit, too!

First a bit of history from the Los Angles Slot Car museum site. "Atlas added a slot car racing line to their model trains in 1965. Previously they had issued Ho scale models in RTR and kit forms, but the advent of commercial raceways was too much of a commercial lure, and they associated themselves to the Marusan company of Japan. Most Atlas models are basically Marusan kits and RTR models, repackaged with English markings and instructions. Atlas slot car kits were some of the lowest priced, and their quality was somewhat mediocre, but a great value for the money. The Brabham BT7 F1 kit was issued in 1966 and had a small brass frame bolted to an AT104 single-magnet Marusan motor and a very nice and well detailed body. The wheel inserts were especially attractive and accurate. The kit provided excellent performance. The same body was also used by the German Faller company." Now I set myself up with "Holy Grail cars" as soon as I have the previous Holy grail. The atlas Brabham has been on the radar for some time, but alas prices have been very high. I spotted this one on epay and for just under $50 Canadian including shipping snagged her.


Potential was there. Replace rear wheels, rebuild exhaust pipes, some paint, should come out well enough.


Chassis, motor...even the brass bevel gears were in great shape.


So it was on to the strip and clean. New braid in the original guide, replace rear wheels and tires with E.J's wheels and my own repro Monogram tires. Front tires are E.J.s till I produce a slightly smaller set. The wind screen cracked (age) when I popped it out but it was savable.


I replaced the pin head with a larger one. I just think it looks better and detailed with a bit of paint. The screen was pieced back togehter and glued in with Testors clear parts cement. Broken roll bar was rebuilt with a large paper clip!


A couple of mrriors from the odds and sods box disguised the cracked windshield and dollar store paint brushes
were cut and shaped to create the extended exhaust pipes. I have since replaced these with smaller diameter ones.


Prior to the final paint and decal the car looked right at home with my pack.


And so I finished up with a hand painted stripe and simple numbers. i think that will do nisely .The car runs amazingly. The motor is strong, the car "sits" well, planted on the track and gears mesh beautifully after all these years.

From Wiki:
Motor Racing Developments (Brabham) initially concentrated on making money by building cars for sale to customers in lower formulae, so the new car for the Formula One team was not ready until partway through the 1962 Formula One season. The Brabham Racing Organisation (BRO) started the year fielding customer Lotus chassis, in which Brabham took two points finishes, before the turquoise-liveried Brabham BT3 car made its debut at the 1962 German Grand Prix. It retired with a throttle problem after nine of the fifteen laps, but went on to take a pair of fourth places at the end of the season.

From the 1963 season, Brabham was partnered by American driver Dan Gurney, the pair now running in Australia's racing colours of green and gold. Jack Brabham took the team's first win at the non-championship Solitude Grand Prix in 1963. Gurney took the marque's first two wins in the world championship, at the 1964 French and Mexican Grands Prix. Brabham works and customer cars took another three non-championship wins during the 1964 season. The 1965 season was less successful, with no championship wins. Brabham finished third or fourth in the constructors' championship for three years running, but poor reliability marred promising performances on several occasions. Motor sport authors Mike Lawrence and David Hodges have said that a lack of resources may have cost the team results, a view echoed by Ron Tauranac.
The FIA doubled the Formula One engine capacity limit to 3 litres for the 1966 season and suitable engines were scarce. Brabham used engines from Australian engineering firm Repco, which had never produced a Formula One engine before, based on aluminium V8 engine blocks from the defunct American Oldsmobile F85 road car project, and other off the shelf parts. Consulting and design engineer Phil Irving (of Vincent Motorcycle fame) was the project engineer responsible for producing an outstanding engine in such a short space of time. However, few expected the Brabham-Repcos to be competitive, but the light and reliable cars ran at the front from the start of the season. At the French Grand Prix at Reims-Gueux, Jack Brabham became the first man to win a Formula One world championship race in a car bearing his own name. Only his former team mate, Bruce McLaren, has since matched the achievement. It was the first in a run of four straight wins for the Australian veteran. Jack Brabham won his third title in 1966, becoming the only driver (as of 2009) to win the Formula One World Championship in a car carrying his own name . In 1967, the title went to Brabham's team mate, New Zealander Denny Hulme. Hulme had better reliability through the year, possibly due to Jack Brabham's desire to try new parts first. The Brabham team took the constructors' world championship in both years.
For 1968 Austrian Jochen Rindt replaced Hulme, who had left to join McLaren. Repco produced a more powerful version of their V8 to maintain competitiveness against Ford's new Cosworth DFV, but it proved very unreliable. Slow communications between the UK and Australia had always made identifying and correcting problems very difficult. The car was fast — Rindt set pole position twice during the season — but Brabham and Rindt finished only three races between them, and ended the year with only ten points.

Brabham BT33 Technically conservative Brabham did not produce a monocoque car until 1970.
Although Brabham bought Cosworth DFV engines for the 1969 season, Rindt left to join Lotus. His replacement, Jacky Ickx, had a strong second half to the season, winning in Germany and Canada, after Jack Brabham was sidelined by a testing accident. Ickx finished second in the drivers' championship, with 37 points to Jackie Stewart's 63. Brabham himself took a couple of pole positions and two top three finishes, but did not finish half the races. The team were second in the constructors' championship, aided by second places at Monaco and Watkins Glen scored by Piers Courage, driving a Brabham for the Frank Williams Racing.

Jack Brabham intended to retire at the end of the 1969 season and sold his share in the team to Tauranac. However, Rindt's late decision to remain with Lotus meant that Brabham drove for another year. He took his last win in the opening race of the 1970 season and was competitive throughout the year, although mechanical failures blunted his challenge. Aided by number two driver Rolf Stommelen, the team came fourth in the constructors' championship.

And there you have it.

Having survived the move from the Greater Toronto area of Ontario Canada to our new digs in Cornwall, an hour east of Montreal, allow me to say that Montreal's continental style and world epicurean delights have not diminished a bit over the years. What better way to celebrate the return of the Canadian Grand Prix (always better than its American counter part, as an aside) than to accept an invitation to race at the RIR Snow Meet by WIMMMC. Much in the flavour, though far more steeped in a joire de vivre than the GTA SS32 crew, this assortment of gentlemen racers was ready to eat, drink and race in ernest.

And so it was to be on a mild Saturday in January, temps hovering at 0, I hitched the dog team to the Malibu and headed over the Ontario/Quebec border to unexpected delights. Arriving in the Baie d’Urfé area of Montreal I was warmly greeted by host Peter and wife and dogs. Baie d’Urfé,9 (pronounced Bay Dwarf,eh!?) historically speaking, is located on the western edge of Montreal. It is a quaint tiny community, on the shores of the mighty St. Lawrence, first populated by survivors of a ship wreck in 1778, of Irish midgets, escaping persecution to the south. Baie d’Urfé, (roughly translated from the French is Bay of Dwarfs. No matter what the short comings of this name, the original little people now inhabit the race track located in Peter's home and seem to enjoy their tiny but important lives as masters of their own race....the Snow Meet!

After warm greetings Peter and fellow racer Pete McG and the little people wisked me into the city to experience a wondrous tour of Udisco Hobbies, a store of thousand kits and two massive warehouse floors of cars, models, planes, helis, trains and the most intriguing tiny female white metal figure kits...nevermind....if in the area, find this shop, plan on a couple of hours of total amazement. Its fantastic that a brick and mortar shop like this still exists!

Post tour, back to Peter's and as other racers arrived, a lovely repast of cold cuts and buns and condiments and the best won ton soup I have ever tasted. Peter you outdid yourself. Little did I realize that this is a clever Montreal ploy. Feed them, watch the blood sugar rise, contentment of a full tummy settles in, eye lids start to flicker headed for a nap....wham...crush their sorry a*s on the track...well played mon amis!


The RIR is beautifully scenic Ninco lay out populated by the tiny desendents of of the Bay of Dwarf's, eh? disaster. The racers of WIMMMC have raced here often and PeterA , our host and Old23, the evil Stewy, are masters of this course, as it soon became apparent.


The back straight stretches for miles and ends in a tricky hairpin that will eat the unweary.


The pit area was a flurry of activity as the trailers were unloaded for future events.


Security was tight as this tiny inhabitant can attest. He was about to relieve himself.....


PeterA leads the drivers meeting with typical aplomb, his directors movements mimicking those when he conducted the Hong Kong "Philharmonica" orchestra in his youth.


The drivers listened with feigned interest. Left to right, rear row Briang..still awake...Big Bry..preoccupied with how to smuggle his Udisco purchases home and Mike de Fraidy kats ready to sell him a new home. Front row Peter McG....master builder (more on this another post) hair of white...the Evil Stewy (old23) and ferrari1950, Marek..old rustic Doc Evil....


Racing in order by class was held IROC style with cars remaining in their lanes. WRC, NASCAR, PORSCE CUP, IMSA GTP, CHAMP CAR and LMP were the classes of choice. All ran stock tires.


The WRC VW's headed off the day's events with running order determined by qualifying for all events. It became clear all too quickly, especially to your humble scribe that an off..even a tiny mild one..is costly..several are lethal to your results.Old23 triumphed but just 40.9 laps. PeterA gave game chase 40.8 laps..Peter McG was on the podium with 39.7 followed by BrianG, myself and the still worried Big Bryan. Were evil Stewey's dreams of world domination coming true?


NASCAR was a door banging, slip and slide, eeeehaaaw event as to be expected. That bloody old 23 squeezed another one out with 40.6 laps to PeterA's 40.4. Pete McG at 39.6, BrianG 39.3, me (beseeching the little baby JC in the golden diaper of Talladega Nights fame to no avail) at 39.2 and Big B at 38...so one can see that things were tightening up. Gotta tell you plastic no mag racing sure feels different than on wood.
Little wonder I was doing poorly...Iwas still looking for the third lane!


Porsche cup racing proved to be a most fascinating event. The red car... great traction, the blue..on ice..WTF happened there? But we all had to run them. When the racing and dueling was over it was clear that PeterA had arranged this challenge of traction to crush Evil Stewy's dreams of world domination.41.5 laps to 41 did it. Holly crap was I on the podium with 38.4..recount...Pete McG 36.9, Big Bry36.4, BrianG 36.3 and the now arrived Mike 35.9...that my friends is a tightly bunched pack of cars.


On to the open wheelers of the late Champ Car. We miss the power and the glory. And what a battle between Old23 and Peter A. Evil Stewy squeaked mear inches ahead of PeterA, both at 44.8 laps Big Bry was coming on with 42.7 to climb onto the podium only to have it collapse-under his size..the Bay of Dwarves, eh? is not used to people his size..even the steel support beam in the basement had to be padded so further brain damage from repeatedly walking into it would be minimized.....Peter McG 42.5, BrianG 41.9, me 41.7 and Mike at 39.4...all close but no cigar.

One must be aware of the fact that we were again feasted with Montreal smoked meat sandwiches and fries and a variety of cholesterol laden goodies to sharpen our senses. No wonder we are such models of male fitness...our cat like trigger finger reflexes second to none.


The IMSA Marches took to the track in GTP. Very spirited and tight racing produced close results PeterA triumphed with 41 laps, chased by old23 with 40.6 laps, your humble scribe with 39.4 laps happy to be back on the podium only briefly, Peter McG 39.2..close...BigBry37.8,BrianG 37.6 and Mike 36.


The day's events ended with the battle of the LMP's. By this point the food, etc. had taken its toll...I finished dead last...not a care in the world. However PeterA held on with 45.1 laps to beat out old23 44.8 laps, chased by BrianG 42.4 laps and a fine showing... Big B 41.8..sweet, Peter McG 41.5 laps, Mike 40.1 and of course your scribe...probably distracted concentrating instead on filing this race report.


And so the day was winding down. Your humble scribe is seen boasting about the size of something while Big B accurately indicates the tiny size of his...cars.


Later the Cupcake Tire door to door sales man was seen plying his wares on the unsuspecting.


The long and winding road comes to an end. The day's events were over. Peter A and wife and dogs were most gracious hosts and we cannot thank them enough! The WIMMMC bunch were great company! And I wearily headed off home, from the land of the little people, smoked meat and great racing!

Here is a blast from the past. Way back Scalextric made these neat cars around the open armature technology of the day. By todays standards out of scale and lacking some detail but over 40 tears ago these were great runners. Can not afford the Lotus 38 offerings by Ostero but then again for some nostalgic reason this one, recently purchased from a dealer in England, decent price, appeals to me more. Call me an old nostalgic fool but when a product made over 40 years ago runs this well, I'm impressed...and blind to all its warts.


Car arrived looking as is. Not bad for its age. Wing missing as this was the 2nd version but I would have scrapped it anyway, so the price was less than mint.


Take it apart, start to clean up, looks good.


Soak in alcohol, the car not me!, a little fingernail scrape, stickers are gone. I like to leave the original colour when possible. The ideal for me is to detail but retain the old look of a toy.


Google around for colour of real car and start the paint.


A little black around the driver in cockpit, and replace the pin head with an E.J.'s head (a bit over size but looks better when on the track.) Note that the chassis is Scalextric sledge design. I have three of these cars now and they run great with some cleaning and care. The body holds the front axle while the rest of the chassis /motor pivot on the rear of the body which clips neatly over the rear axle bracket.


Starting to show great promise, what? I replace the front tires with Ninco 20x11 and rears with Scalex repro urethane that I cast myself. Yup make my own tires. Don't ask. That is a whole other story.


The Matra and Ferrari are of the same design, while the Honda is a clam shell design. Runs as well as SCX recent releases!

Painted the yellow stripes and faked things up with some Monogram decals. Yes I know that its not a perfect detailing job but looks good and serves the purpose of restoring a fine old car.


One last nostalgic look. Not a bad looking car and a champion at Indy in its day.

According to Wiki:
The Lotus 38 was the first mid-engined car to win the Indianapolis 500, in 1965, driven by the great Jim Clark. It was run by Lotus at Indianapolis from 1965 to 1967; a total of 8 were built, most for use by Lotus, but several were sold for use by other drivers, including A. J. Foyt and Mario Andretti



It was designed by Colin Chapman and Len Terry as Lotus' 1965 entry for the Indianapolis 500. It was an evolution of the previous Lotus 29 and Lotus 34 Indy designs, but with a full tubular monocoque, and was powered by the same four-cam Ford V8 fuel injected engine as used in the 34, giving out around 500 bhp. In all of them, the engine was mid-mounted, improving the weight distribution and giving it good handling. The 38 was significantly larger than Formula 1 cars of the time, but was dwarfed by the massive American roadsters.
The 38 was specially designed with an "offset" suspension, with the car body situated asymmetrically between the wheels, offset to the left using suspension arms of unequal length. Although in theory this was better suited for the ovals (which have only left turns), for example by evening out tyre wear between the two sides, in practise the handling was sufficiently idiosyncratic that the concept never caught on widely.

In the 1965 Indianapolis 500, Jim Clark qualified on the first row, and race was a walkover for him, as he led all but 10 laps, and won with only four other cars on the lead lap, and the rest all at least 2 laps behind. It was payback for losing the race in 1963, when Clark felt that Parnelli Jones' oil spewing car should have been black flagged.
Lotus returned with the 38 in 1966 (when it conceded victory to Graham Hill in a Lola, after some confusion with the scoring due to an erroneous lap chart) and 1967 (when Clark retired early with a blown engine).
The 38 had proved that mid engined cars could make the grade at the Brickyard, and the days of the front engined roadsters were effectively over. Design elements in the 38 were eventually worked into the design of the legendary Lotus 49, and Foyt's early Coyotes (as well as a number of other contemporary Indy cars) were Lotus 38 clones.

Enjoy!

It is that time of year to slow down a bit, "hop on a slow trolly ride" with friends and family and enjoy the spirit of the Christmas season. All the best to everyone who takes time to read the blog and those who read Slot Forum and enjoy the hobby! Cheers!

ferrari1950

You meet the nicest people in this hobby! Even thousands of miles apart , through the magic of the "interweb" old slot racers communicate!
And once again Ron has graced me with a box of "junk"...projects in need of a home! Thank you for the great gift! Arrived on Monday this week...




The blue Camaro body by Revell is just like one I had as a kid...glass for the Avanti and we are in business...the clear body Alfa and Howmet..gotta do them....Indy roadster....strip and save...lots of recovery stuff here...and the books!..people pass these up but they are a wealth of photgraphic reference for builds......all cool stuff...all workable...OK where do I start?...hmmmm..have to do the 612 on the bench...oh ya and the Ford 3 liter...then there is the 911...then some other stuff saved from Ron....

Thank you sir and the Merriest of Christmas' to you and yours!

The Christmas season is upon us and the spirit of good will towards all fills the air. So it was that the Autodrome hosted its first “Christmas Run Offs” last night. The “historic” Autodrome has recently survived an arduous journey, a move from the arid warmth of the Greater Toronto Area (often referred to by the rest of Canada as the Gapping Sucking Vacuum ) to the more refined cultural centre of fridged eastern Ontario, Cornwall, an hour south of Otterwa, our nation’s capital and an hour west of Montreal, cultural Mecca of the Français, steamy, and smoked meat.



In the past the ‘dome has hosted Christmas events for gentleman racers in the GTA and the evenings have always been memorable. This year was a new and exciting festivity with six of Montreal’s finest racers and yours respectfully, imbibing, eating, insulting, belittling, laughing and generally having a blast racing.

The ‘drome’s historic past includes not only club events for SRO and SS32, but being the track to host the first ever CPR and the first race of the past two years of that event. Last night’s crowd now fills the annals of history. Present were Stewart (old 23) a highly skilled driver and garagista of some repute, Peter A., gentleman racer …. easily distracted by toy trains..sad really, Brian, owner of the renown pop up camper track and host of CPR events, Peter McG, who will build a slot car or vehicle from anything he gets his hands on..look a tractor!...Kenny G…no not that one…the one in the easy chair reading instead of marshalling. and Mike..known for beating Kenny G……

As an aside Pete McG's 1/32 Indians powered by HO chassis were an amazing side show. Dang! forgot the tractor picture!





The festivities were capped by a superb meal of Montreal style pizza (cheese on top of everything fool! Is there any other way?.... poutine….mmmm..fries, gravy, cheese curds…mmm…lipitor was made for thee…yumm…and mince meat pielets..brought to entice the drivers to indulge even more…beers chilled in the snow and stowed on ice in the workspace sink…chips..pretzels…oh the exotica of foods…next year I’m going Polish with a full course vigilia…really…

Thus filled and satiated the brave drivers rolled or crawled to the track prepared to compete. The evenings Sprints were organized IROC style with each driver running fifteen laps on each lane with the cars staying in their assigned lanes. The first run was 1950’s Formula One.



Tension filled the track as competitors prepared to hurl their cars through the myriad of twists and turns that is the fabled Autodrome. Things were tight through out the battle with Marek and Stewart handing Gordini their first ever heat victories!! All France and Quebec rejoiced! France for Gordini finally winning something and Quebec because six crazy Anglais were out of the province. In the end hometown hero, ferrari1950, held on to a 2 sec. victory over evil Stewy, whose plans of world domination were dashed by some suspect marshalling from K*n*y *, whose identity we shall protect. Peter A. was a respectable third with Brian, Peter McG, in pursuit while Mike trounced Kenny G.



Would Stewart rise to victory in the 1960’s Formula One event? Does a chicken have lips? Again close racing ensued but home town boy was showing a slight advantage of racing on the ‘drome 12 hours a day for the past 3 years and stretched out a 12sec. victory over Old 23 while PeterA again was happy in third and able to watch the toy trolley car roll by. Peter McG improved a spot showing promise. Kenny G had his best showing of the night having put his $10 car book down for a minute….. Brian nodded off filled with tangerines and pizza. Mike DeF was far to cautious bringing up the rear.



At last came the epic Ferrari, Ford GT, Chaparral battle. Lights were dimmed so the headlights could be accentuated. Would homeboy hero maintain Ontario’s strangle hold on victory or would the Quebecers break through? One thing was for sure. All the drivers wished Celine Dione would just fade away..a distant fading memory like the crash at Lemans. The ‘drome’s village was ablaze with Christmas lights and the race was on. Alas there was to be no upset here. Ferrari1950 ran off chased by Stew and Peter, followed by Pete McG, Brian awake and well and Mike trouncing Kenny G. again.

The cast of characters was marvelous. The racing was spirited. The company of new racers at the Autodrome was marvelous. Thanks to everyone and the Scuderia Ferrari feature mag was most appreciated. All the best to you and yours this Christmas and Happy New Year! We all look forward to further races and sprints.

The Autodrome is alive and well. Visits from old and new racers and friends await!




After all had left I spent a quiet nightbuilding my Christmas treat with a "rural cultural twist for Cornwall but again the better half intercepted my plans and suggested I go to bed...sigh....Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night, eh!

Well now that things are up and running, the Autodrome is rebuilt in Cornwall Ontario, the work space is ready, it was time to build one of many projects on hold for a long time. The Ferrari275 P jumped the que and since I just purchased it from a friend was the first project.
MRRC produced lovely Clubman kits with Monogram original mold bodies on neat metal chassis with all kinds of options for balance and handling. I now have three of these kit cars.

Each is a good runner but as is my want has been modified somewhat. My 250 is a modern new release body on the original chassis. Each car is powered by a Ninco can. NC2 and an NC5 for the blue and white #80.


The new work space is so much tidier than before....not!


Kit came in white to build a car similar to one run at Bridgehampton in the USA, which was a 330. Tires for entirely another project rest on their molds at the top of the pic. See how focused I am?


One must follow MRRC's instructions. Cookies and milk..mmmmmmmmm!


I always found the Fox can supplied too hot for these cars so slow things up a bit. The Ninco long can is a good fit. Sometimes , as was the case here a little grinding here and there on the brackets, makes a tidier fit but over all not much work.


Chassis looks good. Bottom plate installed and weight in front makes things just about right.


Not a bad car compared to its brother. That , by the way is the newest cast of the body on an old MRRC plasic chassis with an S can. Lovely runner.


This was my reference pic for the build. I know the wind screen is off and I may file it down some day when I build up the confidence but over all not too bad. The roll bar is a paper clip. The cooling slots cut in the original car are recreated with decals on mine.

If you get down low and squint one eye you can almost see Scarfiotti winning in 1964, at Bridgehampton in the 330, in what was eventually to become the CanAm series in North America, but in 1964 it was all about sports cars.

And don't worry, the original Clubman bodies are stored for a refinish and future projects., The newest chassis( from under new bodies) are under other project cars. Nothing is ever thrown away. Enjoy.

I just had the pleasure of hosting my first event since moving to Eastern Ontario. What a great time!


Prior to the races Bernie arrived to check the circuit in his Blade helicopter. Most need the "shrink-o-later ray" to fit the scale of the event, but Mr. EccleSpeckle was small enough without it. He was overjoyed that the event would not be leaving F1 next year.


A steller field of Group C cars were arrayed prior to the race!

The First Annual Cornwall Run offs were held this weekend, in this sleepy Eastern Ontario town which is quickly ascending the legendary ladder of slot car racing...honest...and , if I do say so myself, were hugely successful!
The invitational format produced a stellar field of drivers, ready for a cultural show down. From the beautiful greater Montreal region Brian, Peter, and Stewart (often mistaken for the Family Guy trio) arrived to do battle at what was deemed neutral half way territory in Cornwall, Ontario. Representing the sprawling greater Toronto area rode Ray, Chris, Lego Pete and Art. After all, 5 hours from TO and 1 from Montreal is about half way, ain’t it. Also joining the fray was new local boy, fellow Cornwallite and GTA escapee Marek, who was taking on the daunting task of hosting these miscreants…er racers…. on the magnificently newly refurbished legendary Autodrome.

Let it be known that the TO gang came full of confidence and p*ss and vinegar whilst the Montreal crew played all sweet and innocent like they had never done this before and hardly ever raced, just sat squinting at their nice cars....evil I tells ya....

Quallifications of five laps produced some surprises as Chris was on a pace to crush the opposition. Stewart, Lego Pete, Marek, Art, Peter, Ray and Brian followed in that order;It looked like the over the boarder bunch, from the the land of corner store beer were ready to make waves. Weeping was heard in the Toronto racers camp, which stretched throughout the house and into the “Montreal tent” in my driveway. Seems Art was about to use it as a sweat lodge to cleanse his spirit.

Having thus qualified the FIA approved “Artisian” seeding system was used 1st goes last, 5th goes 1st and whose on third. Never mind it works and so the feature event was about to begin. But first lunch.

Ahhhhhhh…the bratwurst looked great as Marek ran around getting things all ready..oopppps forgot the brats..crap….ooohhhh…flames…smoke on the BBQ…mmm charcoal bricket brats. Of to Farm Boy, start over and Ray, with his hidden culinary skills, steps into the breach and with the aplomb of a Weber grill trained chef, produces a great lunch. Later in the evening said chef would also produce brilliant steaks and not burn my wife Debbie’s specialty potatoes. I stuck to making ceasar salad…..can’t burn that green stuff, eh! Through out the day Molson’s and local micro breweries were put on emergency standby as there was a designated driver…and the TO gang were not going anywhere that night. ( Have you ever seen the Lincoln Memorial? Huge statue seated in a huge arm chair…well Art can do a perfect imitation all night long while snoring like a rhino in heat. It is a sight to behold, or not.)

And so the event was on. Two 10 minute rounds on each lane for each driver for a total of one hour running time for each car. Partial laps were recorded so that if racers were to finish within 5 laps of each other, the partials would be totaled to see who outdistanced the other. Little did we suspect the impact this would have!

Now as an aside Lego Pete, whom we all deeply respect and care for was having a “Chief Little Rain Cloud Day” Where ever he went, a little cloud rained upon his head. Portents of doom started when the local contabulatory force, nailed him for slightly excessive speeds on the highway to hell. Then first little glitch, timing sensor fails in his lane when dust clogs it…mmm…tire falls off rim from small impact…oh did I mention that the brake wire on one and throttle wire on another PM failed…while Lego was at the helm…gotta tell you…he was brave to stick it out…grin and bear it, a true gentle man.

Group C slot.it was on. It was a spectacular battle though Chris and his Porsche set an unreachable pace, but not for everybody not trying. By ½ distance it was becoming evident that Lego Porsche was staging a comeback, Art was off his usual pace in his German Measels Porsche, everyone was settling in to their grove Ray silver Sauber was focused on food and not the track, Brian Lancia was napping imagining a warm Italian hill side, Peter Porsche was basking in the glow of being so close to greatness….and Stewart hot raging Lancia and local hero Marek discreet navy blue Sauber were joined in an epic struggle for 2nd and third. After a titanic battle, the likes of which we have not seen since Liston/ Ali, the Decepticons vs the other good transformers or something ..oh nevernmind…the dust would settle to reveal the final results.

Chris Porsche 465 and change laps for the win.
Marek 8 laps adrift Sauber 457 laps
Stewart Lancia 457 laps
Art Porsche 437 laps
Lego Pete Porsche clawing his way through disaster 434 laps
Peter Porsche 419 laps
Ray Sauber 409 laps
Brian Lancia 393 laps

Now the collected segments would come into play. Lego did not have enough to overcome Art. But after a meticulous calculation by Price Water House Marek 3.54 laps added squeaked past Stewart with 3.24 laps added. WOW! All that intense competition and these two chaps ended about six feet apart on the track! Spectacular duel. Congratulations Stewart!

Our drivers with drew the cofines of Lodge Cornholio to enjoy a great meal and then continued the festivities with a Trans Am race.

Stock…shhh really Brian..noone noticed Scalextric cars competed.

Chris beat Lego by about 3/10 of a sec. Followed by Marek, Stew, Brian, Peter, Art now on the ragged edge of the effects of Laughing Clown Liquor and Ray. Marek through Art were covered by a blanket 8/10th of a sec to show you how intense racing was in this event.

Things were wraped up with an IROC style race, three Fly Ferrari 512 S equally prepared. Which car is yours? The red one..no wait the red..wait re…crap…Cars stayed in their respective lanes while drivers rotated. Chris piped Stew after 36 laps, chased by Lego, Ray, Art, Marek…who fell prey to Mr. shortarms marshalling skills so Art could beat him, Peter and Brian.

Theree fun events in a long day. Great racing. Fantastic company. Thank you gentlemen. Till next time!

Well moving into a house has been more work than anticipated but all great fun though sometimes quite exhausting! The track and car room are ahead of schedule and the little plastic trees are about to sprout and a variety of "tiny folk" are ready to return. Pictures tell the story as the Autdrome has been reborn in its new location. Changes are subtle but all for the good. The track surface survived in excellent condition. Drivers stations have been moved to the back straight. Timing screen is in a better spot. All is starting to return to the theme of what a vast Scaley layout would look like if an English school boy dreamed of it....kinda nostalgic...goofy...Lionel realism...ahh forget it. Its my Autodrome and I'll clutter it right up and hide little scenes all over it.

Pictures are worth a thousand words so have a peek at things to this point.











Work may be a bit slower now that the layout is fully operational! Enjoy!