|
|
Post by Carl on Jun 29, 2022 21:38:53 GMT
A beautiful model! Three of your photos, with the slotcar track less apparent, look actual full-scale!
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Jun 30, 2022 10:36:10 GMT
A beautiful model! Three of your photos, with the slotcar track less apparent, look actual full-scale! Thanks Carl, that's exactly the idea.
The track is on table height so when you sit on a chair, you're practically eye level. When driving a car around, your eyes follow the car so the surroundings blur and from some angles it then actually looks almost real (except for the noise of course!  ). Like a diorama box. |
|
|
|
Post by René on Aug 17, 2022 17:39:32 GMT
It's summer time and not much going on at the moment. But there were a few new slot car releases among which the long anticipated Ferrari 512M by Italian manufacturer Slot.it. Their first release is the No.16 Craft/Weir car from the 1971 Le Mans 24h. A beautiful model and like any Slot.it product, it runs fast and smooth straight out of the box.
Next to the Le Mans car Slot.it also released a so-called white kit version so you can build and paint your own preferred cars.  I couldn't resist of course  and decided to make the 1971 Imola 300km Interseries car. This was the last time the 512M was entered as an official SEFAC Ferrari works car and it was driven by Arturo Merzario. Little Art put it on pole, led the race from start to finish and recorded the fastest lap. Ferrari abandoned the 512M project to focus entirely on the 312PB but this race again showed the potential the car had. In the hands of the private teams, it would never win a major race again.   The result...  And let's face it, in works livery it looks better and faster!   |
|
|
|
Post by robmarsh on Aug 18, 2022 7:51:24 GMT
Lovely job Rene and of one of my favourite Ferraris. At the time and to this day I do not understand why Ferrari did not race the 512M as a works car in 1971. The car was so dominant against the 917 at the end of 1970 and its success would have given the factory and racing team a much needed boost in morale. With their testing facilities available they could have developed the 312P and they still would have won in 1972 with the 312PB as there was little opposition.
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Aug 18, 2022 10:21:36 GMT
Lovely job Rene and of one of my favourite Ferraris. At the time and to this day I do not understand why Ferrari did not race the 512M as a works car in 1971. The car was so dominant against the 917 at the end of 1970 and its success would have given the factory and racing team a much needed boost in morale. With their testing facilities available they could have developed the 312P and they still would have won in 1972 with the 312PB as there was little opposition. Thanks Rob, it's also one of my favorite Ferraris.
I agree it remains a bit of a mystery why Ferrari abandoned the 512M completely. One of Enzo's inimitable decisions! Or was it money again? The 312P/PB was already quite competitive early '71 and they had a fleet of 512M's ready to be sold... still, a fascinating piece of Maranello history.
Yes, the 512M proved to be a 917 beater when entered as a works car. In the last championship race of 1970, the Österreichring 1000km at Zeltweg, the new Ferrari was one second per lap faster than the fastest Porsche! Unfortunately it had to retire but was already more than 50 seconds ahead when the alternator broke. It did record the fastest lap of course.
Jacky Ickx in the 512M, Zeltweg 1970. In November 1970, Ferrari entered the same car with Ickx and Giunti for the Kyalami 9 hours race. Pole position, fastest lap and leading from start to finish proved again the speed of the car!
Ickx at Kyalami 1970. Despite these successes, the decision was made to focus on the 3 litre car and leave the 512M to the private teams for the 1971 season. But without the works team development and drivers, it would never be a winner again.
Except for this one-time return at the Imola 300km Interseries race in May 1971! I actually don't know how this came about but they obviously still had a car available and decided to enter it for this home race. Not a World Championship race but it was an offficial works entry as described in my previous post. In any case it was a fitting farewell for the 512M in front of the Italian public. Here are some more photos I found of that race. Addendum: also interesting to note is the fact there were three more 512M's entered in this race by private teams (Escuderia Montjuich, Scuderia Brescia Corse and Gelo Racing Team) but they either retired or finished at least one lap behind Merzario. This just to emphasise how much stronger a works entry is. |
|
|
|
Post by robmarsh on Aug 18, 2022 12:50:21 GMT
Thanks Rene some info I didn't know about re the Interserie race. I remember reading the report of the Osterreichring 1000kms in MotorSport and be very teed off that they didn't include a picture of the Ferrari. A major ommission in my view. I also remember being glued to the radio for the 1970 Kyalami 9 hours.
|
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Aug 18, 2022 16:35:31 GMT
Wasn't the 512M developed to a higher level by the great driver/engineer Mark Donohue, in successfully achieving the standard unfair advantage sought by Team Penske?
|
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on Aug 18, 2022 17:41:58 GMT
A beautiful model René, it is always a good feeling to make a unusual model that easy appeals to you and that is social to you and not necessarily available from the "big"manufacturers. There i something interesting in your submissions that you may nay be aware of and that is in the photos of Arturo at the Imola race he is actually seen just in-front of a McLaren M6B and this was I believe a Kieth Greene managed car driven by none other than Chris Craft who drove the original Slot-It 512M. TYOu can also see him the Arturo's left on the winners rostrum at the bottom. Chris was a fine and very adaptable drivers, driving everything from touring cars to F1 and eventually won the 1973 European 2 litre Sportcar Championship in the Crown Racing Lola T292.  |
|
|
|
Post by René on Aug 18, 2022 17:51:04 GMT
Wasn't the 512M developed to a higher level by the great driver/engineer Mark Donohue, in successfully achieving the standard unfair advantage sought by Team Penske? Carl yes, Penske and White bought the Ferrari to compete in the 71 championship. It was actually a 512S that already raced in the States and was upgraded to a 512M with an upgrade package from Maranello. But from there they developed the car further, most noticeably the rear wing. The blue Ferrari was super fast but it never won due to reliability issues and bad luck. But this was probably as close to a works Ferrari as you could have. The original car is now owned by Lawrence Stroll by the way and ran at Goodwood a couple of years ago. Wish I’d seen that!  |
|
|
|
Post by René on Aug 18, 2022 18:01:14 GMT
A beautiful model René, it is always a good feeling to make a unusual model that easy appeals to you and that is social to you and not necessarily available from the "big"manufacturers. There i something interesting in your submissions that you may nay be aware of and that is in the photos of Arturo at the Imola race he is actually seen just in-front of a McLaren M6B and this was I believe a Kieth Greene managed car driven by none other than Chris Craft who drove the original Slot-It 512M. TYOu can also see him the Arturo's left on the winners rostrum at the bottom. Chris was a fine and very adaptable drivers, driving everything from touring cars to F1 and eventually won the 1973 European 2 litre Sportcar Championship in the Crown Racing Lola T292. Thanks. I knew it was Craft on the podium (and Leo Kinnunen) but I didn’t know it was him in the McLaren behind Arturo. It is always nice to build something different. The next release of the 512M will be the blue Sunoco car and I expect some yellow versions and maybe the Kyalami works car but certainly not the Imola version. I think I’ll do the Zeltweg version also to make history complete. |
|
|
|
Post by René on Aug 18, 2022 18:11:51 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on Aug 18, 2022 18:18:50 GMT
In a way a strange choice as it wasn't that successful or last that long, the 512S might have been more appropriate but a lot of Fly versions in the past!! I have heard that the Penske 512M is next, wonder if it will be covered in silver tank tape as it was at Daytona  . |
|
|
|
Post by robmarsh on Aug 19, 2022 7:53:36 GMT
I am always surprised to see how small physically the 917 and 512 were. In pictures they look big on the track but when taken with the driver standing next to it the cars are small.
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Aug 19, 2022 11:01:51 GMT
In a way a strange choice as it wasn't that successful or last that long, the 512S might have been more appropriate but a lot of Fly versions in the past!! I have heard that the Penske 512M is next, wonder if it will be covered in silver tank tape as it was at Daytona .
Yep, the 512S has been covered by Fly! And the 512M is still a big favourite for many because of its looks. A fav for Rob and myself in any case!  |
|
|
|
Post by René on Aug 19, 2022 11:06:46 GMT
I am always surprised to see how small physically the 917 and 512 were. In pictures they look big on the track but when taken with the driver standing next to it the cars are small. They are Rob, and very low!
|
|
). Like a diorama box.
and decided to make the 1971 Imola 300km Interseries car. This was the last time the 512M was entered as an official SEFAC Ferrari works car and it was driven by Arturo Merzario. Little Art put it on pole, led the race from start to finish and recorded the fastest lap. Ferrari abandoned the 512M project to focus entirely on the 312PB but this race again showed the potential the car had. In the hands of the private teams, it would never win a major race again.
.
