And do you still have it? I bet that many of us still do. After all, collecting in essence is saving things. However some of us who are on this road for long may not even remember which was the first one. Moreover, very possibly, this first model may be long gone, either sold or traded or perhaps even simply lost. I’m fortunate that I know what model it was and when I got it. And even more important, it is still with me 🥰.
Though it’s not part of my “active” collection I have it safely displayed. Want to know what it is? Just click HERE.
The video above is about John Wyer’s Gulf Porsche 917 team. With interviews with Pedro Rodriguez, Jo “Seppi” Siffert and John Wyer himself, it focuses on the JWA team in 1970. The video, 33 minutes long, covers all the 1970 championship races, from Daytona to Zeltweg. The most interesting part is John Wyer’s take on the team’s performance on each race. In the end, a delightful half hour that will please any vintage gearhead.
“Porsche Legend: The Can-Am L&M Penske Porsche That Made Racing History” – Stephen Cox
I just finished this book on my Kindle: “Porsche Legend: The Can-Am L&M Penske Porsche That Made Racing History”. Quite short, dirt-cheap, yet I found it to be a gem. It is totally specific to the L&M Penske 917/10 in the 1972 Can-Am season, and that’s why it is so brief. Nonetheless, it brings some great stories of what happened behind the scenes in the Penske camp. It is very light on the technical side, with almost nothing on stats or specs of the Penske cars. Even so, the book is a nice read, and you can basically finish it in one sitting.
With all that, I don’t think it will appeal to all gearheads, being so specific (and brief). Yet, for the price (less then 3 bucks!) you just can’t go wrong. So, if you have an interest in the 917/10 or Can-Am, it´s a nice read.
Ferrari unveiled their new 499P Hypercar a few days ago. The new 499P will be ready for the 2023 WEC season. The car counts on a 200 KW electric motor powering the front axle and a 500 KW twin-turbo V6 powering the rear (that’s around 930 hp total). It is still to be seen if it’s good or not, however it looks MIGHTY fine.
My only issue with it is that probably it will only be available in 1:43 from $Looksmart$ 😣.
From time to time, I redo some of my older photos. Well, at least after July 2020. That’s when I got my Sony A7 III, replacing my old Nikon D70. Since the A7 III was a HUGE upgrade, I could do a much better job in showing my models. Besides, this year I made three new dioramas, two race tracks and one “parking lot”. With the better camera and better scenery, I could do better shots. That being so, once in a while I will re-shoot some of my older cars.
Such a gorgeous model deserved better photographs.
And this time I photographed the coolest MacF1 of all times, the 1995 BBA Compétition #42 art car. I recently made a new guardrail, and I thought #42 would look good with it as a backdrop. Without a doubt, the new photos came out much nicer than the previous ones.
1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM #11
Pilots: R. Sommer, T. Nuvolari
Team: Soc. Anon. Alfa Romeo
Race: 1st overall (3.0 class) at Le Mans in 1933
Spark - 43LM33 (resin)
In August I finally got a proper shop. After nine years since we moved to our new house, I now have a decent workplace. And as expected, it wasn’t 100% done (will it ever be?). Courtesy of my dad, I now have a bench vise, something that I consider fundamental in any shop.
I also installed a curtain beneath the work bench. I would rather have the shelf below exposed, however I quickly realized that was not good. Every time I drilled, sanded or worked on wood, it was a pain to clean the wood chips and dust below the workbench. So I installed one of those plastic bathroom curtains on a rail below the bench. Not exactly handsome but saves me a lot of work during cleanups.
And as you can see, there are new tools 😊. Oh come on, don’t give me the same look my wife gives me… Of course I had to get more tools. Of special note are two Japanese saws (a Ryoba and a Kataba), which made me think about why I ever used Occidental saws before. And a new (and better) jigsaw and a nail gun, both battery-powered. Unless it’s some sort of bench-top tool, I’m going cordless 100%. Next on the list is a random orbit sander and a (plunge?) router, cordless of course.
And this is the first diorama project I made in my new shop. A couple of years ago I bought a guardrail like this, though it was shorter and frankly poorly made. So using chopsticks, a strip of MDF as base, water-based paint, wood glue and LOTS of sanding and cutting, I made another one. I already made some photos using it, and it turned out pretty good. I think.
