41C-GT40
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 3:09 pm
One of my fav Sports/Racing car of all time; the GT40.
Welcome in my stable.
Welcome in my stable.
A useful resource for collectors of British diecast toys
http://vbd2-archive.in-nz.com/forum/
That will look good, I'd like to see that happen.Squid wrote:The GT40 is a favorite of mine, too...the only American car to win Le Mans outright (the 1975 and 1980 winners were Ford-Cosworth powered, but the chassis were European). If I can find enough beaters, I'll customize them to replicate the 1966 Le Mans finish!
Except that all GT40s except the Mk IV were built in Slough, England. So, of the 1966, '67, '68 and '69 LM victories only the 1967 Mk IV can be counted as an American car.Squid wrote:The GT40 is a favorite of mine, too...the only American car to win Le Mans outright (the 1975 and 1980 winners were Ford-Cosworth powered, but the chassis were European). If I can find enough beaters, I'll customize them to replicate the 1966 Le Mans finish!
The 1966 result at Le Mans was an American win under Shelby American Inc. management. As J. Wyer was forced to surrender the racing operation to the US from 1965.cOO7rgi wrote:Very nice custom - the gold colour is reminiscent of the 1966 1-2-3 GT40 victory where a gold Mk II placed third.
Except that all GT40s except the Mk IV were built in Slough, England. So, of the 1966, '67, '68 and '69 LM victories only the 1967 Mk IV can be counted as an American car.Squid wrote:The GT40 is a favorite of mine, too...the only American car to win Le Mans outright (the 1975 and 1980 winners were Ford-Cosworth powered, but the chassis were European). If I can find enough beaters, I'll customize them to replicate the 1966 Le Mans finish!
That the 1966 winner was entered by Shelby American doesn't necessarily make it an American car. The 1965 winning Ferrari was an American entry by N.A.R.T. (North American Racing Team - not Scuderia Ferrari), and nobody would argue that a 250 LM is an American car (and the 1965 Ferrari even had an American driver, not like the 1966 GT40 with its two Australians).Ecclesley wrote:The 1966 result at Le Mans was an American win under Shelby American Inc. management. [...] I know there is a vivid debate going on for decades over the UK and US involvement, but the truth is that Shelby won the day in 1966.
One consolation for the Slough managemnt was that they supplied the bare chassis to Shelby, but that was about all.
(quoted from http://www.gizmag.com/go/1230/)Dearborn's Own Mark IV Proving that the victory over Ferrari and the others was no fluke, Ford entered and won Le Mans in 1967, this time in all-new car! The GT40 Mark IV was an all-Dearborn creation, born to some degree in response to criticism that the earlier cars were simply English machines funded by big American pockets. So different were the Mark IVs, for example, that they were constructed of aluminum honeycomb bonded with the latest aerospace techniques, instead of steel.
Just like you I am neither British nor American, so no nationalistic influence there.cOO7rgi wrote:That the 1966 winner was entered by Shelby American doesn't necessarily make it an American car. The 1965 winning Ferrari was an American entry by N.A.R.T. (North American Racing Team - not Scuderia Ferrari), and nobody would argue that a 250 LM is an American car (and the 1965 Ferrari even had an American driver, not like the 1966 GT40 with its two Australians).Ecclesley wrote:The 1966 result at Le Mans was an American win under Shelby American Inc. management. [...] I know there is a vivid debate going on for decades over the UK and US involvement, but the truth is that Shelby won the day in 1966.
One consolation for the Slough managemnt was that they supplied the bare chassis to Shelby, but that was about all.
But a British-built chassis seems like a good argument to me that this was not an "American car".![]()
I don't claim to be a GT40 specialist although from my knowledge the Mk IV was the only American built. I am not even British or American so there is no national pride involved. A quick search got this result:(quoted from http://www.gizmag.com/go/1230/)Dearborn's Own Mark IV Proving that the victory over Ferrari and the others was no fluke, Ford entered and won Le Mans in 1967, this time in all-new car! The GT40 Mark IV was an all-Dearborn creation, born to some degree in response to criticism that the earlier cars were simply English machines funded by big American pockets. So different were the Mark IVs, for example, that they were constructed of aluminum honeycomb bonded with the latest aerospace techniques, instead of steel.
And just to keep splitting hairs: The Matchbox model is of one of the twelve 1964 prototypes which are not GT40s: They predated the Mk I, didn't have GT40 chassis numbers and were just named Ford GT - exactly what Matchbox wrote on the baseplate and box.
A steam locomotive's identity is considered to be tied to its frames (the equivalent of a chassis). In the UK, a car's identity (i.e. its registration no.) is tied to the chassis.Ecclesley wrote:The argument that a British chassis makes it a British car is not what I can support. The whole of the car is more than the sum of its (chassis) parts.
Idris wrote:A steam locomotive's identity is considered to be tied to its frames (the equivalent of a chassis). In the UK, a car's identity (i.e. its registration no.) is tied to the chassis.Ecclesley wrote:The argument that a British chassis makes it a British car is not what I can support. The whole of the car is more than the sum of its (chassis) parts.