Welcome to The Motorsport Collector!
Lots of 1/43 and 1/18 new product announcements from Spark Model this week. We’re spotlighting the latest US National Series items here:
Check all this week’s announcements HERE.
Tecnomodel will produce 1/18 scale Limited Edition resin models of the Lotus 77, Lotus 91 and Brabham BT33.
Four versions of each type have been announced. Drivers include Mario Andretti, Sir Jack Brabham, Nigel Mansell, Ronnie Peterson, Elio de Angelis and Gunnar Nilsson.
Only 90 or 100 examples of each will be produced.
Check everything out HERE.
Reserve for March 2021 Delivery!
by Tom Kristensen with Dan Philipsen
Between 1997 and 2014, Tom Kristensen won the world’s toughest motor race, the Le Mans 24 Hours, a record nine times and finished on the podium on five more occasions. Every time his car made it to the finish, in fact, he was in the top three. It is no wonder that this great sports car driver is known as ‘Mr Le Mans’ to motorsport fans around the world. Now retired from racing, Kristensen shares in this book his deepest personal reflections and insights from inside and outside the cockpit. He looks back on more than 30 years spent striving for perfection in racing and tells of the battles and setbacks that sometimes seemed impossible to overcome, including a terrible accident in 2007. Voted ‘Sports Book of the Year’ when originally published in Kristensen’s native Denmark, this thoughtful memoir is now available in English.
– Climbing the racing ladder, from karting into Formula 3 single-seaters, including championship titles in Germany (1991) and Japan (1993), then Formula 3000 and a Formula 1 testing role with Tyrrell.
– Winning as an underdog on his first visit to Le Mans, in 1997 driving an elderly Joest-run privateer Porsche in which he impressed all onlookers with a night-time charge to vanquish Porsche’s factory-entered favourite.
– His second Le Mans victory came in 2000 on his maiden drive for Audi in the R8, a car that was to become all-conquering.
– Kristensen won the next five editions of Le Mans, four times with Audi and once with Bentley (in 2003), his last victory in this sequence taking him past Jacky Ickx’s previous record at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
– His eighth win came in one of the all-time classic contests at Le Mans, in 2008, a rollercoaster of a race in which his ageing diesel-powered Audi was never expected to beat the fancied works Peugeots.
– One more victory with Audi in 2013 sealed his reputation as a true legend of Le Mans.
– His story includes exploits at other racetracks all over the world, none more prolific than Sebring, home of America’s long-established classic endurance race that Kristensen won six times.
– Personal reflections together with contributions from notable observers — including English journalists Gary Watkins and Charles Bradley — complete a truly rounded portrait of the man and his achievements.
Hardbound | 432 pages | 125 photos
I’d like to thank all of you who participated in our latest Marshall Pruett Charity Fundraiser benefitting Canteen, an Australian charity that supports young people and their families living with cancer. The sale of signed Scott Dixon ‘Start to Finish’ Championship prints raised nearly $11,000 USD for that worthy cause.
The print auction has ended but the RaiseIt.org.au page set up to accept the donations of winning bidders to Canteen in Australian Dollars is still active. Multiply the US Dollar amount you wish to donate by 1.3 for the Australian equivalent, then donate that amount HERE.
Additional fundraisers are in the planning stage. Stay tuned!
Marshall Pruett’s latest fundraiser honors the amazing run of Scott Dixon to his 6th IndyCar Championship title aboard the #9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara DW12 Honda in 2020.
Dixon led the 2020 NTT Indycar Series Championship from ‘Start to Finish’, winning the season opener at Texas Motor Speedway and sitting atop the point standings for the entire 14-race season, scoring 4 victories and 9 top five finishes along the way.
Graphic artist Andy Blackmore , well known for his Spotter Guides and livery design work, was commissioned to create this tribute to Dixon’s 2020 Championship. Beneath the profile view of Scott’s PNC Bank Honda are the point standings after each of last year’s NTT Indycar races showing Dixon’s name at the top from ‘Start to Finish’.
We are offering 25 copies of ‘Start to Finish’ at auction.
All proceeds to benefit Canteen, an Australian charity chosen by Scott and Emma Dixon that supports young people and their families living with cancer.
Each copy at auction has been signed by 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner and 6-time IndyCar Champion Scott Dixon, 4-time IndyCar and 3-time Indianapolis 500 Champion Dario Franchitti, 7-time NASCAR Champion and IndyCar rookie Jimmie Johnson, Ganassi Racing Managing Director Mike Hull, Performance Director Chris Simmons and Race Engineer Michael Cannon.
About Canteen: https://www.canteen.org.au/about-us/about-canteen/
Donate: https://donate.canteen.org.au/
Bidding
Minimum Bid: $200.00
Happy New Year!
We’re back after a short post-Christmas break.
There wasn’t much time to update this space during the December rush but you can catch up with all the new arrivals since our last post HERE.
Spark announced well over 100 new models during December, most with rather short advance order deadlines.
You can check out all the categories HERE.
We should be able to accommodate your requests on some of the more unusual stuff and National Series items for the next week or so.
We will be open 6 days a week during the month of January. Gloves and masks are available at the door, if you need them.
Contact-free pickups are no problem.
We hope to finally take delivery of our first Display Case restock since June later this month, due to the shortage of acrylic stock.
We’ll keep you advised.
Tecnomodel has announced they will produce four versions of the Ferrari 712 including the car driven by Mario Andretti to a 4th place finish in the 1971 Watkins Glen Can Am.
Advance reservations strongly recommended. Click HERE for details.
We will be closed Thanksgiving Day but will be open today and Friday 10am to 5pm (Central).
We will also be open every Saturday until Christmas from 10am to 3pm.
We have a great selection of new and estate books, models and artwork in stock with additional items arriving nearly every day. Stop by and browse or visit MotorsportCollector.com for the latest additions.
Happy Thanksgiving
Porsche 935/78 #43 “Moby Dick” – Le Mans 1978
Martini Racing
Manfred Schurti / Rolf Stommelen
$400.00 – Reserve HERE
PLEASE RESERVE BY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30 TO INSURE AVAILABILITY!
The 1970s marked the decade in motorsports history when engineers discovered the impact of wings on top speeds. The best example of this came from Porsche in 1978, when the Stuttgart team experimented with the Porsche 935/78, nicknamed the “Moby Dick”. It started off with Norbert Singer, Porsche’s front man of their motorsport engineering department, when he was given a Porsche 911 and tasked to build a Group 5 machine. He returned with the Porsche 935, which most famously won the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans outright.
Out of all the countless Porsche 935, the 1978 variant was the best rated because it utilized every loophole of the Group 5 regulations. The dominance of the car was clear; fastest at the Silverstone Testing, and only 4 seconds slower than a Formula One car. In Le Mans, the long-stretched silhouette and ground-effect body work resulted in enhanced aerodynamics specially made for Circuit de la Sarthe. The engine was enlarged to 3.2L and output between 750 to 850hp, which resulted in a top speed of 366km/h on the infamous Mulsanne Straight. This led to qualifying in 3rd position on Saturday, only behind the prototype Porsche 936 and the Renault that would eventually win. Unfortunately, several issues on race day led to the Moby Dick finishing in 8th place. With Porsche not entering Le Mans the following year, the Moby Dick’s attempt at a Le Mans victory came to an end.
The Porsche 935/78 “Moby Dick” is the pinnacle of 1970s motorsports engineering. Stunning in 1978, and still an icon even for today – it has been countlessly celebrated throughout the 70th year of Porsche, Le Mans history, Group 5, and even automotive development in general. By developing this model in 1:12 scale, we will be able to highlight even more fine details that show off the high level of craftsmanship on this piece of motorsports history. With precise historical research and a high degree of technical skill shown on this model, collectors will be able to fully experience this amazing design in their own collection.
Today we’re featuring the latest new product announcements from Tecnomodel and Spark Model. Everything has been uploaded HERE.
First, Tecnomodel has announced a set of 1/43 scale Limited Edition resin models of the McLaren Speedtail.
Yes, 1/43 scale.
Three versions; Geneva Autoshow 2019, Metallic Orange (seen above) and Metallic Light Bronze. Each will be produced in Editions of 99. Details HERE.
In 1/18 scale, Tecnomodel will produce 2 versions (1985 & 1986) of the Sauber C8 in editions of 150 each. Details HERE.
They will also do 4 versions of the Ferrari 312 B2 from 1972 in editions of just 100 each. Reserve HERE.
As usual with Tecnomodel, first come first served. Please order ASAP!
We also uploaded the latest 1/43 scale announcements from Spark Model. Highlights include the Skip Scott / Peter Revson Ford GT from Le Mans 1966, a Jochen Rindt Cooper T86, and Spark’s first 1/43 scale Corvette C8.
Check out the entire list HERE. Please reserve by November 18 to insure availability.
Acme Trading Company has released a highly detailed 1/12 scale replica of the car made famous by last year’s Best Picture nominee ‘Ford v Ferrari’.
Driven by Ken Miles and Denis Hulme, the #1 Ford GT Mk.II dominated the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans but ended up finishing second on a technicality when Ford Motor Company’s desire for a ‘dead heat finish’ had race officials dig into the rule book for tie breakers. Since the #2 Ford GT Mk.II started the race a few feet behind the Miles/Hulme machine, Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon were declared the winners, having covering more distance over the 24 hours.
This latest Masterpiece Collection 1/12 scale Ford GT incorporates the quality and attention to detail as previously released Acme Trading and GMP replicas.
$599.95 – Order HERE