Misc Vintage Racing Clips

Yeah. Made me have a think on it too.
...how much he's having to work to keep the mighty Ford GT40 in check. from YT
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I ran the video at 50% speed, thinking the cornering looked a lot like drift cars. Could it be major oversteer and getting loose?
Or was he inducing throttle oversteer on turn entry? I admit I ddn't listen to the audio - but that might be a tell.
Then I wondered if the "twitch" sawing at the wheel was a result of anti-ackerman or parallel steering.
I checked some of the GT-40 build sites. Seems that anti-ackerman is a favored approach - much like F-1.
But, then much of the corrections seem to be made on mid-turn and turn exit. Maybe zero Caster?
The GT-40 Builders seemed favor a stagger setup on the wheels/tires; 15x8 up front and 15x10 rear.

All very good things to consider for the track.
 
I read some of the YouTube comments. Mostly just people liking it. But, a couple of technical things mentioned were the narrow tires and lack of downforce aero devices.

I wonder what that car is worth.
 
Don't know that one - but while looking at the GT-40 site well produced versions run from $120K-250/300K. EEE-Yow!
The Factory Five "variants" can run up to about $150K, some incompletes less as low as well under $50K - no engine, etc.

I'd love to, and kick myself for not jumping on the "bootleg" Chaparell body 20 years back!

Cheers - Jim.
 
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There was a link to an Animagraphs NASCAR video. Very interesting, I like their how it works videos.

 
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Good stuff. I like the subtle aero.
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A lot of good stuff there. Interesting choice of therms too. "Splitter - Stuffer," "Shark Fin" vice "fence."
A lot to unpack in that video, thanks for bringing it in!

Cheers - Jim
 
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Stumbled onto this on the weekend. A guy on eBay selling Greenwood Corvette fiberglass parts. Shipping on the roof almost as much as the price of the roof.


www.ebay.com

Greenwood Corvette Racing Hardtop | eBay

Rare Greenwood racing hardtop, very light weight 12lbs., from original Greenwood molds, other Greenwood parts available.
www.ebay.com
 
rtj said:
Stumbled onto this on the weekend. A guy on eBay selling Greenwood Corvette fiberglass parts. Shipping on the roof almost as much as the price of the roof.


www.ebay.com

Greenwood Corvette Racing Hardtop | eBay

Rare Greenwood racing hardtop, very light weight 12lbs., from original Greenwood molds, other Greenwood parts available.
www.ebay.com
Click to expand...

Yeah, but he will ship to Afghanistan but not to Ukraine? WTF, commie bastard!
 
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phantomjock said:
Don't know that one - but while looking at the GT-40 site well produced versions run from $120K-250/300K. EEE-Yow!
The Factory Five "variants" can run up to about $150K, some incompletes less as low as well under $50K - no engine, etc.

I'd love to, and kick myself for not jumping on the "bootleg" Chaparell body 20 years back!

Cheers - Jim.
Click to expand...
Ya caught my attention with the Chaparral body statement. What's some details on that?
 
There was a Chaparral Body advertised on eBay - surprisingly cheap. It was a 2d - my favorite. {worthless side note: I watched both the 2D and 2E race at the Nurburgring in high school and that was the end of puberty! WHen I dig out the pics I'll post some I shot. }

Meanwhile in the early 2000s, I was still "commuting" to NZ for our sailing life, and messing around with the 'vette when stateside. I called Race Car Replicas to get a lead or details on the Chaparral. They told me it was a "young fellow" in the Chicago/Detroit/can't recall area, who built it from scratch. He got hung up on building a chassis - hey whats's that problem? - and wanted to get rid of it. Sorry - don't think I even took a screen shot of the advert - I'll look though.

In 2020 one came up - hand made - in the UK: https://fiberclassics.org/chaparral-2d-replica-for-sale/
Meanwhile there are Official Replica (Continuation) cars available - but $200K plus as I recall. Those are being built in Texas (as I recall) and original spec chassis - monocoque aluminum, from original bluelines, etc. Link to a 2E series: https://www.drivingyourdream.com/store/p798/Chaparral2E.html

But that hand-made body with a tube frame, rear engined BB - or LS would be to Kill for.

Also a few years back, a reasonably priced Cheetah body came up as the "Old Guys" up in Alabama were selling off their stuff. Cramming for finals - end of life I expect. Again - tube chassis all the good stuff a killer racecar for under $50K I'd say.

With today's tech, someone could easily scale up a CAD drawing and mill a foam buck, hand lay the body and buy a sweet chassis. I bet under $50K - but need to kept it simple - no fancy interior - I mean race car not show. Streatable - but not necessarily "spouse comfortable." I'm beginning to think - building from scratch has less time from start to track, than modifying. But again, there is some real satisfaction in making the mods -- as a few members here note!

Hope that is "some help."

Cheers - Jim
 
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phantomjock said:
There was a Chaparral Body advertised on eBay - surprisingly cheap. It was a 2d - my favorite. {worthless side note: I watched both the 2D and 2E race at the Nurburgring in high school and that was the end of puberty! WHen I dig out the pics I'll post some I shot. }

Meanwhile in the early 2000s, I was still "commuting" to NZ for our sailing life, and messing around with the 'vette when stateside. I called Race Car Replicas to get a lead or details on the Chaparral. They told me it was a "young fellow" in the Chicago/Detroit/can't recall area, who built it from scratch. He got hung up on building a chassis - hey whats's that problem? - and wanted to get rid of it. Sorry - don't think I even took a screen shot of the advert - I'll look though.

In 2020 one came up - hand made - in the UK: https://fiberclassics.org/chaparral-2d-replica-for-sale/
Meanwhile there are Official Replica (Continuation) cars available - but $200K plus as I recall. Those are being built in Texas (as I recall) and original spec chassis - monocoque aluminum, from original bluelines, etc. Link to a 2E series: https://www.drivingyourdream.com/store/p798/Chaparral2E.html

But that hand-made body with a tube frame, rear engined BB - or LS would be to Kill for.

Also a few years back, a reasonably priced Cheetah body came up as the "Old Guys" up in Alabama were selling off their stuff. Cramming for finals - end of life I expect. Again - tube chassis all the good stuff a killer racecar for under $50K I'd say.

With today's tech, someone could easily scale up a CAD drawing and mill a foam buck, hand lay the body and buy a sweet chassis. I bet under $50K - but need to kept it simple - no fancy interior - I mean race car not show. Streatable - but not necessarily "spouse comfortable." I'm beginning to think - building from scratch has less time from start to track, than modifying. But again, there is some real satisfaction in making the mods -- as a few members here note!

Hope that is "some help."

Cheers - Jim
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I'm jealous about your opportunity to have actually seen the Chaparrals in action. I've been a fan since I was a young kid, but have never actually seen any of the cars in person. IIRC I've got the 2C and 2D in 1/32 scale slot cars boxed up somewhere from the last move, although the 2E and 2F are my favorite versions.
 
69427 said:
I'm jealous about your opportunity to have actually seen the Chaparrals in action. I've been a fan since I was a young kid, but have never actually seen any of the cars in person. IIRC I've got the 2C and 2D in 1/32 scale slot cars boxed up somewhere from the last move, although the 2E and 2F are my favorite versions.
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I had a Aurora 1/32 slot car track. The cars were Lola (like) bodies. I LOVED the Chaparrals and saw (on TV) every race I could and I read everything about Jim Hall. That was really the golden age of all kinds of racing with clever people doing clever things and the cars were beautiful. Then the 2J came out and it was NOT beautiful but it was oh so clever!

That's the time I learned "form follows function"
 
BBShark said:
I had a Aurora 1/32 slot car track. The cars were Lola (like) bodies. I LOVED the Chaparrals and saw (on TV) every race I could and I read everything about Jim Hall. That was really the golden age of all kinds of racing with clever people doing clever things and the cars were beautiful. Then the 2J came out and it was NOT beautiful but it was oh so clever!

That's the time I learned "form follows function"
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I still have the Eldon track I got for Christmas when I was about eight, and about forty additional feet of track I accumulated after that. Been meaning to set up a track again in the basement for several years but my plans (on everything!) always seem to take three times longer than I initially envision them.

I absolutely agree with the "form follows function" philosophy, but I still scratch my head on why Hall didn't put a simple coat of white paint on the center section of the 2J. I realize it might have been a couple pounds of additional weight, but that would have had a negligible effect on the poor reliability of that car.
 
It always (to me) looked like a last minute idea that was put together out of sheet metal and plastic sheet. I suppose that is what inspired the "Lexan" sponsorship.

1709854226338.png

Quite a change from this:

1709854306068.png
 
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