[circuittaps]

Asked by some of you I just want to give you a quick run down of how my project of creating the F1 grids from the 1955 season is progressing.

Monaco GP, Monte Carlo, May 22, 1955
24 cars planned - 11 down, 13 to go.

Belgian GP, Spa-Francorchamps, June 5, 1955
14 cars planned - 6 down, 8 to go.

Dutch GP, Zandvoort, June 19, 1955
16 cars planned - 6 down, 10 to go.

British GP, Aintree, July 16, 1955
25 cars planned - 14 down, 11 to go.

Italian GP, Monza, September 11, 1955
24 cars planned - 12 down, 12 to go.

If you are missing the Argentine GP, Buenos Aires, January 16, 1955, you are quite right, but there are few domestic teams, drivers and cars were I can find absolutely no photo evidence at all, so here I have - for now - given up.

So in total my score is 49:54. Not quite over the top..... But, I have several identical team cars about 80-90% finished, so from now on it will go faster.

Just to give you an example of how I combine RTR and kit cars, here is one of the Monza teams:

Daimler Benz AG
#14 Mercedes-Benz W196 - Piero Taruffi (Cartrix 0912 re-decorated)
#16 Mercedes-Benz W196 STR - Stirling Moss (A2M 15102)
#18 Mercedes-Benz W196 STR - Juan-Manuel Fangio (A2M 15102)
#20 Mercedes-Benz W196 - Karl Kling (Cartrix 0912 re-decorated)

On another topic you can see my Scuderia Ferrari from Monaco including cars from ACME, David Sykes and Cartrix (RTR).

What else can I show you?

Joel once wrote on SF that he loves F1 cars with enclosed bodyworks (streamliners). This is what to my knowledge was entered during the 1955 season:

From L to R:

British GP, Aintree, July 16, 1955

Connaught Engineering
#32 Connaught Type B STR - Kenneth McAlpine
#34 Connaught Type B STR - Jack Fairman
Betta & Classic

Leslie Marr
#38 Connaught Type B STR - Leslie Marr
Betta & Classic

Cooper Car Company
#40 Cooper T40 - Jack Brabham
AA Bodies 17 (modified)

Italian GP, Monza, September 11, 1955

Daimler Benz AG
#16 Mercedes-Benz W196 STR - Stirling Moss
#18 Mercedes-Benz W196 STR - Juan-Manuel Fangio
A2M 15102

Officine Alfieri Maserati
#36 Maserati 250F STR - Jean Behra
BSR 029

Next team in my pipe line will be this from Monza:

Equipe Gordini
#22 Gordini T16 - Hernando da Silva Ramos (David Sykes)
#24 Gordini T32 - Jean Lucas (Penelope Pitlane RB07)
#26 Gordini T16 - Jacques Pollet (David Sykes)

I am really looking forward to this, since I always find it fascinating to combine different makes into one team. Photos will follow.

Cheers, Holger

 

[loosesalute]

Superb cars Holger!
I`m really pleased that you`re posting pictures.
Cheers
Kev

 

[circuittaps]

So am I, Kev - so am I.....

/Holger

 

[Barry Boor]

This is wonderful, Holger.

It's so similar to what I do it gives me a warm feeling to know I'm not alone out there....

The question is, what will you do with them all when you have finished?

 

[Philip P]

Thanks for posting the photos Holger. I know from previous posts that you have been on this mission for a little while now and it is good to see that you are making progress.
I think it is great that someone has the patience, time (and money!) to take on a project such as this and see it through. It is also good to see the wonderful creations of Milan at MTR32 (unless I am mistaken) and others along side other cars of the era.

I am sure that many of us out here in "Slot-land" dream of doing the same for other Grand Prix seasons. (Mine would probably be 1978.)

Please keep the updates and pictures coming.

Many thanks,
Philip

 

[circuittaps]

Barry - you are quite right, we share a common interest

When I finish a car, it will be placed in a Showa display box bearing the name of the particular race. Please see below my current grid from Monza 1955 (12 cars either RTR or finished).

But what will happen once my quest is ended, I do not know. Hopefully new challanges will arise

If I study your splendid web site it seems, that you collect complete seasons. I do collect complete grids from each race. Please see below my Daimler Benz AG team from 1955:

From the front row to the back: Monaco, Belgian, Dutch, British, and Italian GP 1955. Much easier if the cars would share the same race number during the whole season as today.

When I took the photo my wife passed by and wondered, why on earth I have so many silver coloured cars... She should see my upcoming Officine Alfieri Maserati team from same season (21 identical red cars just with different race numbers!).

And then I must confess, that one Mercedes W196 is still missing. When Hans Herrmann crashed his #4 car during practise for the Monaco GP, Frenchman Henri Simon raced in the spare car, an ex-Buenos Aires Formula Libre car, also with #4. This car was so different to the others, that I can not use a Cartrix version as donor car. It is planned to build upon a David Sykes resin shell.

Philip - you are so right. With my limited skills I am still not able to build a descent multi-coloured car, so I am strongly depending on some of the specialists out there. In the forefront the marvellous Milan from Slovakia. In my topic concerning the Connaughts I tried to give www.mtr32.com full credit for the Streamliners.

If I could chose, I would prefer 1973 as my favorite season, but there is about nothing to start with on the market concerning this particular season, so I took the nostalgia road.

More photo will follow, Holger

 

[superhornets]

Hi Holger
1973?
Penelope pitlane do a pretty tasty lotus 72E which i,ve got one of, ready to start when i,ve finished making aero screens and wing mirrors

Cheers tony

 

[circuittaps]

Tony - OK, I will take up the challange and order 2 x PP Lotus 72E kits just to have them ready in the box for my next quest = the 1973 F1 season. But more important to an old Cevert-Stewart-Tyrrell fan is the fact, that Pattos offers an 006 shell.

The 1973 season will be relative easy, since from the Belgian GP on Zolder, May 20 (I was there in person), and onwards, the cars had fixed race numbers for the rest of the season, so I only need to do one car of each!

I expect your PayPal request for the aero screens and the wing mirrors every day now!

Barry - this is the answer to my prayers (and your question). After completing my 1955 collection I will go for my favorite season, the 1973 WC. I expect to begin January 2013.

/Holger

 

[Barry Boor]

My list of races for my 1950-51 cars numbers 50. I have run 20 so far so I'm going to be running those cars for years but my 1959 series has only 3 races left so pretty soon I shall be breaking those cars up and commencing the construction of a 1960 set.

 

[circuittaps]

Pretty soon I shall be breaking those cars up??? I do not like that phrase......

/Holger

 

[mgmike]

Barry NO put 'em up for sale here I am sure that some one will offer pocket money for them
Maybe me
Mike

 

[Barry Boor]

I wondered if that comment would raise alarm in some quarters.

At any given time I have about 100 working cars. Every car, with one or two necessary exceptions, has a Johnson large can motor and all, not surprisingly, have four wheels with tyres on them.

A new series of cars will always number around 40 - 50 and I have neither time nor especially, finance to start from scratch building that many new cars. So, the bodies are removed and stored safely in boxes and the new bodies are, wherever possible, mated to chassis from the previous season cars.

Of course, there is a certain amount of 'carry over' if the new season chronologically follows the last; my 1958 B.R.Ms are running in my 1959 series and numerous F.2 Cooper T.45s are running from '58 and will continue into 1960.

So, I'm very sorry if true slottters are offended by this practice

but that's how it has been for decades and will continue to be.

Sorry to derail your excellent thread, Holger.

 

[circuittaps]

Voila! L´equipe Bleu from Monza, September 11, 1955:

Equipe Gordini
#22 Gordini T16 - Hernando da Silva Ramos
#24 Gordini T32 - Jean Lucas
#26 Gordini T16 - Jacques Pollet

2 x David Sykes shells plus 1 x Penelope Pitlane RB07 combined with PP chassis, Scalex motor, Cartrix wheels, and Pattos decals.

One more team in the box. Several to go......

Cheers, Holger

 

[circuittaps]

And yet another team in the box. Scuderia Ferrari ready to have a GO at Aintree, July 16, 1955:

Scuderia Ferrari
#16 Ferrari 625 - Mike Hawthorn
#18 Ferrari 625 - Maurice Trintignant
#20 Ferrari 625 - Eugenio Castellotti

ACME shell, PP chassis, Scalex motor, Cartrix wheels, and Pattos decals - and wind screens made out of the clear part of the packaging of a BISON METAL BONDING EPOXY ADHESIVE GLUE FAST CURE KIT

Strongly recommended!

/Holger

 

[Barry Boor]

Mike Hawthorn's helmet was blue - similar colour to Jim Clark and he NEVER wore goggles - always a visor.

 

[circuittaps]

Barry - I know of some colour paintings showing Mr. Hawthorn in his early carreer wearing a maroon or reddish brown helmet. But, as said, only paintings, so the helmet will be changed as soon as I can lay hands on my blue paint again (I am on the move between two houses right now).

The visor is a more demanding challange. But as my colonel keep telling me: Never give up!

I´ll be back.

/Holger

NB! At least I hit the dark blue bow tie of Mr. Hawthorn.

 

[circuittaps]

Barry - I know of some colour paintings showing Mr. Hawthorn in his early carreer wearing a maroon or reddish brown helmet. But, as said, only paintings, so the helmet will be changed as soon as I can lay hands on my blue paint again (I am on the move between two houses right now).

The visor is a more demanding challange. But as my colonel keep telling me: Never give up!

I´ll be back.

/Holger

NB! At least I hit the dark blue bow tie of Mr. Hawthorn.