Looking for a Mark II in original condition

[Pete J]

I want to thank all those who welcomed me to your web site. I have a request. As those who read my introduction know, I am a model builder by passion. There is a new large scale kit of a Mark II about to hit the market. This is likely to be an extraordinarily successful kit as it is the first 1:12 kit done by a major manufacture.

I have a friend who owns a company that produces extraordinarily accurate aftermarket parts for such kits. His pieces are exceptionally well researched and of very high quality. The kits generally include research material to assist the builder in making very fine representations of the full size vehicle.

I am trying to help him find the owner of an original Mark II that is willing to let him photograph and measure the car for reference. A vehicle in Europe would be best, with North America being second, but anywhere in the world would be considered. As rare as these car are, travel is very much an option. Any assistance would be much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Mike Drew]

Perhaps the easiest thing to do would be to contact Lee Holman (of Holman & Moody). They had quite a few leftover bits from their years campaigning Mk II GT40s on behalf of Ford, and in the early 90s they thought they might have a go at producing continuation cars at $500K a whack. They built one car, and nobody bit (at least as far as I know).

That car is still for sale, and there's a bunch of unfinished tubs etc. sitting around too. I think it would be an excellent means for your friend to not only get to see a completed car (built to 1966 specs in every regard), but also to get close access to bare chassis, uncompleted sub-systems etc.

| Holman & Moody cars for sale |

 

[Allan Feldman]

If you need to be that accurate then I suppose you would have to be specific. There was a spare Alan Mann car up for sale in New York (this could be the state) Motor Corp. I think it was XGT-3. It was at the 1966 Le Mans as a spare but never raced. Generally the three teams cars were slightly different from each other. i.e the Holman and Moody cars had no spliters in the front nose. Alan Manns cars were assembled by Alan Manns mechanics at Shelbys facilites. They were the only team out of the three to race with bug deflectors. If you are going to be that accurate you are going to have to locate each actual car. And then find out what they were like in 1966. Some of the cars including the winner P1046 have for some reason acquired circular airvents in the side windows that were not on the car in 1966 Le Mans.
Things like the colour of the jacking brackets on the rear were different to each team. There may have been small interior and engine differences.
Good luck in your quest.
Regards Allan

 

[Paolo-LoveGT40 Modelworks]

Interesting!
I own a hobby modelling store in italy, and being seriously sick cause gt40,also I am hardly waiting to see the new Trumpeter 1/12 kit.
Knowing those chinese anyway, it seems the master model was (as usual with chinese..) stolen by others, already producing a resin/multimedia 1/12 scale kit...of the same mk2 car (if u use the search function u will found a previous thread started by me about this).
It was just a LITTLE more expensive

If u have the link of your friend making details for such cars, please PM me.
If prices are not at the level of real cars spare parts I might be interested in import such in Italy.

I really hope we will see the mk2 on the market asap, also if i suspect they will not finish the model before 2009,also cause i need a decent enemy to place near my F 330 P4 done by MG modelplus in the same scale (but 'cause Maranello brutal lawers, I suppose chinese will never dare to copy the MG kit in plastic..

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

(but 'cause Maranello brutal lawers, I suppose chinese will never dare to copy the MG kit in plastic..

Like lawyers have EVER scared the Chinese!!! Just where would you sue? In China, I don't think so. The Chinese view of Intellectual Property is that your intellect is their property!

 

[Pete J]

If you need to be that accurate then I suppose you would have to be specific. There was a spare Alan Mann car up for sale in New York (this could be the state) Motor Corp. I think it was XGT-3. It was at the 1966 Le Mans as a spare but never raced. Generally the three teams cars were slightly different from each other. i.e the Holman and Moody cars had no spliters in the front nose. Alan Manns cars were assembled by Alan Manns mechanics at Shelbys facilites. They were the only team out of the three to race with bug deflectors. If you are going to be that accurate you are going to have to locate each actual car. And then find out what they were like in 1966. Some of the cars including the winner P1046 have for some reason acquired circular airvents in the side windows that were not on the car in 1966 Le Mans.
Things like the colour of the jacking brackets on the rear were different to each team. There may have been small interior and engine differences.
Good luck in your quest.
Regards Allan

Allan - Thank you for your comments. This request is somewhat different in that the after market kit will replace cast plastic pieces with machined and photo etched metal parts. It will include detail which is hard to create in scale by the average builder, such as the seat grommets, rivet, nut and bolt detail, as well as electrical and plumbing connector(AN fittings and the like).

Most injection molding companys do a credible job in getting generalities right but bringing the model to life with detail is the challenge. Assisting modelers with this general detail is the intent of the aftermarket suppliers.

The intent is to get sufficient parts to the builder to create detail that is superior to the basic kit. From there it is up to the individual modeler to decide on, then research and create a specific car. For me, doing the research is a large portion of the satisfaction that I get from my hobby. As such I also tend to be a book collector, unintentional though it may be.

On of the major downfalls of most plastic kits is the rims. My friend starts most of his detail kits with a fine set of machined aluminum wheels. In this case, with properly sized and working knockoffs.

In general, any close to original condition Mk II will be good for the type of detail he needs. Such items and splitters as bug deflectors can easily be created by the modeler. In fact your point of the vent holes is a good case in point. Some modelers choose to do the car in it's present state, while others will build in the as race in 1966 version. These options are personal to the builder. He is trying to supply things that just look better in metal than plastic. A good example would be oil coolers and disk brakes. Photo etched metal gives higher detail and better fidelity than the best painted plastic.

For that reason he can be a little broader is what he uses in his research. When the time comes for me to do my build, I will need to do exactly what you are saying. At that point the specifics become very important.

Thank you for your comments.
Pete Johnson

 

[Pete J]

Perhaps the easiest thing to do would be to contact Lee Holman (of Holman & Moody). They had quite a few leftover bits from their years campaigning Mk II GT40s on behalf of Ford, and in the early 90s they thought they might have a go at producing continuation cars at $500K a whack. They built one car, and nobody bit (at least as far as I know).

That car is still for sale, and there's a bunch of unfinished tubs etc. sitting around too. I think it would be an excellent means for your friend to not only get to see a completed car (built to 1966 specs in every regard), but also to get close access to bare chassis, uncompleted sub-systems etc.

| Holman & Moody cars for sale |

My friend has sent a letter of introduction to Mr Holman. Hopefully he receives a positive response. Thank you for the suggestion. Pete J.

 

[Pete J]

Interesting!
I own a hobby modeling store in Italy, and being seriously sick cause gt40,also I am hardly waiting to see the new Trumpeter 1/12 kit.
Knowing those Chinese anyway, it seems the master model was (as usual with chinese..) stolen by others, already producing a resin/multimedia 1/12 scale kit...of the same mk2 car (if u use the search function u will found a previous thread started by me about this).
It was just a LITTLE more expensive

If u have the link of your friend making details for such cars, please PM me.
If prices are not at the level of real cars spare parts I might be interested in import such in Italy.

I really hope we will see the mk2 on the market asap, also if i suspect they will not finish the model before 2009,also cause i need a decent enemy to place near my F 330 P4 done by MG modelplus in the same scale (but 'cause Maranello brutal lawers, I suppose chinese will never dare to copy the MG kit in plastic..

Paulo - I appreciate your comments. I also had heard that they were using another kit as a basis for theirs, but I have also seen the test shots and know that they say they have a long way to go. Perhaps a year or more before the molds are ready. Knowing trumpeter, they have had some great kits and some garbage. Hopefully they will get this one right.

I know that you are familiar with my friend. He has been doing this for a while. Here is the link. Scale Motorsport: Pete Johnson's Porsche 935
This link is to a model I did 4 years ago using one of his sets. I am currently working on a better version of the same kit.

I recently purchased a lathe and am now making a number of my own parts.

Pete J.

 

[Paolo-LoveGT40 Modelworks]

LOL...and I am getting mad exactly in this moment to get his decals sheets for the corvette C6R down here in europe..Hiroboy didnt answer me,may I buy the decals directly from him in the US?.
The quality of all your works is impressive ,congratulations!

 

[Pete J]

Perhaps the easiest thing to do would be to contact Lee Holman (of Holman & Moody). They had quite a few leftover bits from their years campaigning Mk II GT40s on behalf of Ford, and in the early 90s they thought they might have a go at producing continuation cars at $500K a whack. They built one car, and nobody bit (at least as far as I know).

That car is still for sale, and there's a bunch of unfinished tubs etc. sitting around too. I think it would be an excellent means for your friend to not only get to see a completed car (built to 1966 specs in every regard), but also to get close access to bare chassis, uncompleted sub-systems etc.

| Holman & Moody cars for sale |

Mike -
Thank you for your suggestion. We did indeed contact Mr. Holman and he was most gracious. We are setting up a time that is convenient when we can go to his shop and have access to the car. I am really looking forward to meeting him and hearing his take on the car.

Thanks again.

Pete J.

 

[Mike Drew]

I'm glad to hear it! Looking forward to seeing the results of your efforts! :thumbsup:

 

[Pete J]

I'm glad to hear it! Looking forward to seeing the results of your efforts! :thumbsup:

We are scheduled to go the second week in January. Camera(Sony Hi Def hard drive video) is ready and I am really getting excited. The birth place of original cars has got to be a treat. I will post photos on return.

Pete

 

[Pete J]

Perhaps the easiest thing to do would be to contact Lee Holman (of Holman & Moody). They had quite a few leftover bits from their years campaigning Mk II GT40s on behalf of Ford, and in the early 90s they thought they might have a go at producing continuation cars at $500K a whack. They built one car, and nobody bit (at least as far as I know).

That car is still for sale, and there's a bunch of unfinished tubs etc. sitting around too. I think it would be an excellent means for your friend to not only get to see a completed car (built to 1966 specs in every regard), but also to get close access to bare chassis, uncompleted sub-systems etc.

| Holman & Moody cars for sale |

Mike - Just got back from Charlotte and had an unbelievable experience. Lee Holman spent the day with us in his shop. The other employees had the day off, so we had the place and Lee to ourselves for the entire day.

We went through all of the parts and pieces, all the documentation, plus full access to his personal car. I have to say that it was an absolute pleasure to have his company and expertise. What he doesn't know about the GT 40 is probably not worth knowing. Just hearing that massive 427 fire up gave me great insite as to why people spend years building replicas. It was just GT-40 heaven.

Thanks for the recommendation.:drunk:

 

[Mike Drew]

:huh: Whoops, that didn't work....

 

[Mike Drew]

I love it when a plan comes together...:wiseguy: