Did all Gulf cars have rear flares?

Alex Hirsbrunner · 05-02-05, 11:00 AM

Hello,

In selecting options for my RF, I started to wonder if any Gulf (orange and blue) GT40s did not have rear flares. After looking through a number of GT40 books, I saw only one photo of 1076 with an orange arrow stripe that looks like it may have "standard" rear bodywork (but the angle of the shot makes this difficult to tell.

Thanks for any insights.

Regards,

Al H.

GaryF · 05-02-05, 08:13 PM

I have the original bodywork of my car and it's guards are flared. So I assume all of the Gulf Spec cars were made this way.

Canuk40 · 05-02-05, 08:37 PM

Hi Alex,

Gulf sponsorship started about the same time as the wider rubber became available. So the rear clip was modified to accept the new tires. Eventually they ended up at a 15"dia wheel 14" wide! There were several variations of the flares through 1967 to 1969 although, like the nose section, there has become a "standard" Gulf flare look, as seen in most replicas today.

Alex Hirsbrunner · 05-02-05, 10:12 PM

Hi Gary and Ian,

Thanks very much for the information. That helps me quite a bit - my main concern was whether or not my replica would look odd with Gulf flares but without a corresponding increase in rear track - I don't believe this is currently an option offered for the turnkey RFs that are built in South Africa. I still have about 3-4 months in queue before my car starts the build process so I have plenty of time to rethink my original choices (as Hersh will attest to!). So I'm still leaning towards my original choice of the slightly flared standard RF MK1 in gulf colors.

I have read that some folks feel that cars duplicating the appearance of 1075 are screaming "replica", but since I first saw Steve M. in LeMans when I was about ten, those colors just have done it for me, be it on a GT40 or 917 or whatever. Coincidently, Amazon just shipped my copy of Michael Cotton's "Blue and Orange" book which I'm really looking forward to reading.

Best Regards,

Al H.

Canuk40 · 05-03-05, 02:26 AM

Hi Alex,

There's a lot of great racing team colour schemes to consider besides Gulf if you're doing a standard width car.

You can do whatever you like of course, but IMHO the Gulf colours begs the wide track or wheels. Might as well be one option

Whatever you go with, welcome aboard, it's a helluva ride!

Cheers

Ron Earp · 05-03-05, 08:22 AM

Alex,
Ian is correct on the flares. If you look through the books you'll notice differences in cars depending on when photos were taken. You'll see this on all the cars that saw competition - differences in side windows, marker lights, radiator vents, rear clip vents, mirrors, latches, etc. If you are trying to duplicate a particular car the best you can do is duplicate it "at that moment".

When Lynn was looking at windows latches for the side windows I think you can easily fine in one book, the Allen book, three different styles and types of hardware to accomplish that task. In that same book you'll find at least two, and I think three, different types of wide flairs. So, make your pick!

I'm not sure if RF does those on the SA cars right now or not, but I'm sure they will shortly since the demand will be high. I like'em without flairs, but eveyone has his/her own preferences and the flaired ones are awesome cars to look at too.

Hershal Byrd · 05-03-05, 12:55 PM

The only disadvantage to the flares is the side mirrors are pretty useless unless they are extended out more to see around the flares. If being period correct is not all that important to you Al, then I would do as Chuck did and put on the Mini Cooper mirrors. I think they look great and compliment the roundy shapes of the MK I.

Hersh [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

allanfeldman · 05-03-05, 02:52 PM

I'II think I put in some input to this question of Gulf Colours. The first unoffical Gulf GT40 entry was in Daytona 1967 when the John Wyer Mirage M1 was not available and Grady Davis( President of Gulf Oil) used his road car in a dark blue with a orange stripe painted on. I was trying to find out if this was the first time Gulf Oil colours were used. But this is not the case since the base colour was not the Gulf Dark blue proper. Remember Pale Blue was only used when Gulf acquired Whiltshire Oil who's colour it was. This might mean you could use a non flared car As I am not sure if Grady's car had flares. The proper dark blue Gulf colour's did appear on the 1969 Daytona entry. And that's why some recent Gulf entries to Lemans appeared in dark blue with an orange strip i.e. Mclaren F1 and Audi R8 spring to mind.
Regards Allan

Alex Hirsbrunner · 05-03-05, 02:55 PM

Thanks again for all the great suggestions and info.

While I'm not trying to duplicate any specific car, I would say I am going for a "gulf-like" replica. For example, I don't plan on displaying a historic number in a roundel because my car will probably include some attributes of difference gulf cars.

A few follow-up questions for Hersh (or anyone else):

Do you know if the Blue GT40 on the RF website (that allows you to rotate the view of the car) is a standard or flared model? (I'm guessing it's standard) http://www.roaringforties.com.au/showroom.html

Is there a wider wheel/tire available from RF to fill up the additional space when ordering Gulf flares on a turnkey?

If Ron's car in the photo above is an RF, does it have standard RF wheels, tires, rear suspension? - it looks very nice from behind.

Best Regards,

Al H.

Ron Earp · 05-03-05, 02:59 PM

Hershal,

Do you have any other pictures of the Gulf RF car, side or frontal side view? I'm interested in something...

Ron

Canuk40 · 05-03-05, 04:16 PM

Hi Alex, Hershal

Ah yes, the mirrors... Now's a good time to grow eyes in the back of your head! I'm jealous of transport drivers who can back a rig up a ramp and around a corner on mirrors alone.

The 40s have tremendous side and forward vision, quite panoramic really, but three quarter vision back, well there is none.

We've found the original Talbot mirrors work well only in showing a car in the blind spots. No way to reverse out on them.

Of course with these cars you instantly have a crowd and new friends to help you out of a parking spot or laneway!

This was the only three quarter view I could come up with showing the line of sight to the mirrors. I'm ordering up some convex mirrors for the next car, see if that improves the situation.

I also like the idea of newer, door mounted mirrors, just haven't done one yet.

Cheers

Phil · 05-03-05, 11:43 PM

Hello All
Having acess to an original rear deck proved confusing because as Ian pointed out there are several variations. I have seen the Gulf flares with a returned edge which are wider than the original body work, and the original I have has a feathered edge and is much wider. Also there are some imperfections in the decklid which I seem to see in all of the later cars telling me most of these flares came out of the same molds. The thing that was a surprise to me was finding POP rivets buried in the fiberglass at the attachment point, I wonder what a hot sunny day will bring up in the bodywork. The Brake and Oil cooler ducts are also very interesting.
Phil

Hershal Byrd · 05-04-05, 12:21 AM

Al,
The blue GT40 on the web site is a standard rear clip.
The RF Gulf cars have wider tires and wheels and they are included with the Gulf GT options.
Ron, I have some of those pictures on a disc...somewhere...I have to look around and find them.

Hersh [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Alex Hirsbrunner · 05-04-05, 04:40 PM

Thanks Hersh!

Al

Mitch D · 05-04-05, 07:35 PM

For anyone that wants some pictures and details about the 1967 car referred to by Alan Feldman, here you go:

http://www.grandsportcorvette.com/gt/1049.htm

It appears it started as a road car that was re-fitted for racing. I need to get some of those lucky horseshoes for my car when it gets here. Giddy up!

Mitch D