wide body

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

well..it is since a long time I would like to ask u all this:

I noted many historical gt40 mk.1 have a "slimmer" rear part that many many other cars(includng all the replicas)doesnt have.
When do they changed the back of the gt40 into the sexy badass one we all love today?...and why?Was just for bigger rear tyres used in competitions?
Also I noted almost all my fujimi kits(all referred to historical originals) have the tail section much more slimmer than (for example) Clarksson Video original gt40.

Does anybody know something more about this?..or its just my illusion and they dont have any different bodies in mk1s?

Paolo

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

those are the slim body I mean:

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

and this is the Badass one:

Tell me if I am crazy..but I think is really wider than previous ones...

Paolo

[Keith Hardy]

Mmmmmmm, I like a girl with big 'ips...

(Apologies to Michael Caine)

[Dutton]

Hips. Now THERE's a thread.

Actually, Paolo, RCR offers the wide bodywork I believe you are referring to; I'm pretty sure Bill D would likely confirm that for us.

Thinking back, I seem to recall the better part of a conversation quite a few years ago with Tom Armstrong, owner of 1033. When discussing this n that about the car, somehow the topic of bodywork came up. Tom commented that he'd recently had to replace a few panels on his GT and -this point I found very interesting- during the panel process he'd learned that the rear clip came in three different sizes.

I would imagine that 'production' cars in those days were required to have full body work and, as you mentioned, competition tires were just getting wider and wider, so right along came that 'broader' rear clip. I wonder how much of a factor the wind tunnel was...

Best,

T.

[Keith Hardy]

Ciao Paulo!

It is mainly the Gulf models (widely replicated) that are famous for the bigger hips (arches). Not everyone agrees with this "look" today, although obviously those who wish to replicate the winning-est GT40 MK I's ever will want to include this feature for authenticity's sake.

[DON S.]

Initially (1964), the GT40 had 8" Borrani wire wheels in the rear. In 1965, when Shelby took over the racing effort from FAV, the Borranis were replaced with Halibrand magnesium wheels. By 1966, rear wheel width had grown to 9-1/2" (Halibrand) and 10" (the "BRM" wheel), as my GT40 #P1040 used at Le Mans that year. When Gulf began sponsoring the GT40s in 1968, rear wheel widths increased again to 12" and even 14" for some events. The expanding width of the rear wheels over the 6 years that the GT40s were intensively raced (from 8" Borranis in 1964 to 14" BRMs in 1968/69) was the driver of the expanding width of the rear "hips."

[Phil]

Paolo
Is this the width you were speaking about?
Ciao
Phil

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

Yes, thats exactly what I meant.
Don gave me the answer..now I know there are wide bodies..and now I would like to create something similar for my model kits in 1/24 scale (maybe a transkit for fujimi kits...just for the rear part if the main difference is only there).
They all are slim ones...and I love big asses as Bill D ones.

Does anybody know where I can found some drawings or measures to look exactly at the increasing of this area?
Will try to make in scale the same work done on real cars

Thnks
Paolo

[J. Salmon]

I believe I saw that Superformance will be offering bodies with three different rear fender widths and rear wheels to match. Can't seem to find the link now, but I want to say the wide one has 12's in the back. That seems to fit with the history.

Me, I gotta have the wide ones.

[Fran Hall RCR]

RCR offers the same three options....wink

[Strobe]

Had the choice and chose against...... My own feeling was the proportions were a bit extreme.
Horses for courses I guess...

[hojnacki]

Paolo: Check your kit #19 yellow Daytona. It is a MKII but it has flares that add to the back and should fit MKI. Also in kit #20 Blue Daytona. You look like you are using #12132. Try #12130 or 31, these are the Gulf cars and are wider already.

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

uuuuu...u right at all:|

Opening the shop today..I run to my showcase to see immediately this..and U are right.
I've bought from fujimi nearly all gt40s and 917 available (including pe parts) and OBVIOUSLY the gulf one is in the center of external showcase.

U are definitely right..that has the wide body other kits doesnt have (I was already starting to take pictures and some Milliput to rebuild that part...)

Now I have to start assembly my own one

[jmvelez]

Here is ERA GT 2075 at Lime Rock in Sept 06. The black GT is the ERA Spider which was finished early this year.

ERA makes the MK-I with both rears and also have the MK-II rear. They are working on the correct 4 speed gearbox for the MK-II

The BRM style wheels are 17" to make space for bigger brakes.

Also a picture of ERA Cobra and the real 3252 Cobra. Do you know which is the real car. I think this picture was also taken at lime rock some time ago.

[jimbo]

Don is exactly right on how the rear sections of the cars evolved. The power went up as the engines were developed, and wider tires were needed for that as well.

The molds used to make the body sections for my car were part of the tooling that Safir GT40 bought from JW Automotive when they began building the Mark V cars. Most Mark Vs have the narrow rear body section that was characteristic of the first cars, the ones with the Borrani wheels. I chose to go with that type as being most representative of the early cars, which I liked the best. Besides, I'm 'only' running 360hp, so I don't 'need' the wider tires...

[calvin]

The Cobra on the right is the real one. Not too many replicas use Sunburst wheels.

[jmvelez]

Both have the same wheel

[J. Salmon]

The car on the right appears to have plumbing to the oil cooler. Not sure if that means anything.