MM -- That red pic totally and utterly ROCKS!
I think Ferrari is mainly involved with F1, they do not consider too much the Le Mans 24 Hrs. But i was thinking: it's been a long time ago since an italian manufacturer won the race on the Sarthe circuit, last time in 1965 with Rindt/Gregory on a 275LM. And there's another italian company that already has a race car in the GT1 class, an excellent car... What would you think about a Maserati MC12 LM?
Unfortunately the ACO has ruled against that car's eligibility at Le Mans as it's now configured and Maserati elected not to make the required changes. Judging how the Maser's are doing on the FIA Championship Tour it would, assuming the required changes wouldn't cripple it, be a real contender. It's also interesting to note that the 1965 entry was a private (NART) one. Best
I know about the restrictions on the Maserati: but i do think that the required changes could only improve it. It's a special race car, something unbelievable since the McLaren F1 GTR, if you understand what I mean lol...
Although that photoshop looks great, I would think it would be more likely for it to have a full metal roof instead of the glass-like polycarbonate. Just doesn't seem too safe, especially in that category of racing. Anyone who knows more than I do, feel free to chime in, just an idea. Peter Hatch
So where can I get LM Racer red BIG.jpg??? That's definitely a wallpaper! (or will this one scale, etc.)
<as Jim watches the rumor mill tip off its axis, roll slowly across the country, and plunge into the Atlantic, hissing and shrieking like some LMP superdemonmobile>
Cars in the Prototype class regularly run open cockpits in the same race. If FChatters gets a vote on this whole "race a P4/5 at LeMans" idea, please add one more to the "YES!!" column from me Jim. >8^) ER
Wow. Why can't I stop looking at that pic? A few duplicate chassis', a couple spare Enzo/599 motors and some more CF bits popped off the molds and you're there. Remote, but very viable. C.
What is a Coda Lunga? Sorry for my ignorance. Also, I'll have to wait and see how the body comes along. Could you imagine a targa-like roadster version blaring down the straight aways? I guess it would just be getting weight down, and the body modifications of the P4/5 with some minor adjustments for a racecar. Work your magic Jim. I'm sure whatever you want to happen will turn out well. I have handed the idea over to a friend of mine who works miracles on photoshop, so I'll see what he can whip up. Peter Hatch
I believe FIAT has decreed that, for product identity reasons, different parts of their empire compete in different classes - so Ferrari do F1, Maserati do GT, Lancia do rallying (or did) and Alfa Romeo do touring car racing. At least, I guess that's why they came up with the MC12 rather than an Enzo variant, leaving private teams to run the F430s, etc. The GT rules have managed to peg the MC12s back to the level of the other cars (the ones you're more likely to see on the road!), even front-engined Corvettes and Astons - but the ACO have always played to their own rules. I don't see a likelihood of a repeat of the 1995-1998 period when the slack GT rules let the manufacturers homologate GTs with only 1 road example, so prototypes will always win LM nowadays. Roof material safety:- all closed competition cars now run with full rollcages, whether they're built of CF, steel, ali or paper (there's a thought - a race-tuned Trabant!). Colours:- she looks great in any colour - it's the shape, not the decoration! Of course, NART ran various colour schemes....the 1965 Le Mans winner was plain red; 412P s/n 0844 went from red to white/blue stripe, then to red with a white/blue stripe like the 365P2 that won the Reims 12-hours in 1965; and when Surtees won the F1 WDC in 1964, entered by NART, he carried white above blue. Personally I think red with blue/white stripe says it all, and then there's no danger of being mistaken for a French team! Paul M
Anyone want to see a picture of Jim the first time he saw the finished product? Yes, there was a pre-unveiling...