FIA Big-Bore Prototypes - 1966 and 1967

Some Perspective...

The road-racing "World Championship" began in 1953 and was a series to determine the best car makers, and not drivers. But in reality it was a European championship, as the races and car classifications were organized with those countires in mind. The United States always had Sebring as a championship race, but American cars never really fit into the various categories.

Ferrari won this championship almost every year, with Mercedes and Aston Martin getting in the way only occasionally. At the time, this championship was a big thing. The car makers involved were seen as symbols of national pride, and the cars themselves took on the character (stereotypes?) of the various ethnic groups. Italian Ferraris were stylish, fiery, and passioniate. German Mercedes were full of precision and technology, and the British cars were innovative and elegant. Winning this championship gave the sort of cultural bragging rights that World Cup Soccer does today.

Back in the USA, nobody really gave a damn about some pretentious foreigners whizzing around in their expensive little cars. The Americans were busy drag racing with their big-assed Hot Rods, and turned engine tuning into an entire subculture. If the Americans were going to race on a road course, they would do so only with their beloved big-block Chevys and 427 Fords.

People take their cars as extensions of themselves, and when these American gearheads showed up in Europe to race with their 5-litre Shelby Cobras, there was a predictable European response:

"These obnoxious, rude Americans and their big loud engines are like the Brute-Force, Big-Stick, government and society that they come from"

So once again, the car becomes a metaphor for the culture. The Shelby gang gave the powerhouse Ferrari factory team a good run in 1964, and won the premiere GTIII championship in 1965. Although Ferrari was able to put a spin on that result as they did not have an "official" team that year. Instead, they focused on the less-prestigous Prototypes championship.

Also round this time, a merger deal with Ford and Ferrari went sour, and Messers Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II themselves got into a big cross-cultural pissing contest.

Class reorganizaion of 1966

In 1966 the FIA changed the name of the series to the International Manufacturers Championship. They altered the schedule so that there were fewer championship races, but prototypes were permitted at all events. The 'GT' championship classes were dropped in favor of 'Sportscars', althtough GT entrants still raced for non-points results. The net effect was that the term "World Champions" applied to the Prototypes class, and not GT cars.

"Prototypes"

These were the big engine racers with no corresponding road version. Examples are the GT40 MK II & IV, Ferrari P3 & P4, and Chaparral 2D and 2F. While the designs were very free, they still needed to cary a spare tire and have a luggage compartment for a standardized "FIA Suitcase" ...More about the Ferrari Prototypes

There was also a thriving 2-litre class that had the ferrari Dino 206, Porsche 910/907, and the Alfa Romeo T33/2.

The FIA/CSI called this class Group 6. In the 60's and early 70's these cars often carried a large "P" next to their racing number.

S-Class "Sportscars" (Supercars)

This new designation was for high-performance cars that were sold as both road and racing versions. The Ford GT40 is the classic example, but the Lola T70 Coupe' and the Ferrari 250LM were also in this class. These were the spiritual ancestors of cars like the Mclaren F1 GTR and the Saleen S7.

There was also a 2-litre class that had the Porsches 904 & Carerra 6 (906), and the Alfa TZ2. A minimum of 50 cars had to be produced to be eligable. The 906 competed in both "stock" S-Class and modified "Prototype" form.

From 1966 thru 1969, the FIA/CSI called this class Group 4. This name was changed to Group 5 for the 1970 and 1971 seasons. Throughout the period, cars often carried a large "S" next to their racing number.

GT Classes

The GT Group 3 classes had the Porsche 911S and the Alpine A110. In an interesting crossover, many of the GT teams and cars were also regulars on the European Rally scene.

These categories would remain somewhat stable until 1968. ...More about the 1968 rule changes

Group 7

The FIA used the same brief set of rules that the USRRC was using for the Can-Am and called it Group 7. It is one of the few times in history that the French have listened to Americans. Cars in this class were NOT allowed into normal endurance events, but instead had standalone sprint races. ...More about Group 7 Races

It should be noted that Group 8 was for Formula cars and there was a nominal Group 9 for "Formula Libre"

1966 Season

Ford GT40

Ford commissioned Lola to build the GT40 with the stated intent to beat Ferrari at Le Mans. Most of the story is pretty well known, so I won't bore everyone with the usual details

A side note is that Colin Chapman of Lotus felt particularly snubbed that Ford went to Lola to commission a car. He already had a good working relationship with Ford Racing with their Indy 500 program, and he was at the top of his race engineering game.

When it comes to diecast GT40's the only thing to know is that you want to stay away from evrything but the IXO's. Solido, Jouef, Eagle's Race, and Bang have truly horrible products with chromy wheels, thick paint, and bad shapes. Ixo's products for this car are in the "Minichamps-esqe" league.

Minichamps have recently announced that they will start a Ford (GT40) Mark II line. Listed for 2005 are the 1966 Daytona Winner and the Dan Gurney Le Mans Car.

Daytona 24 Hours

This was the first year that Daytona was a full 24 Hours, and also the debut of the GT40's under Shelby Racing

1000km Nurburgring

Buzz-cut, tobacco chewin' Texan Jim Hall's Chaparral scored a huge upset win on the most Euro of all European circuits- the Nurburgring. It was the most panic-inducing loss for Germans on their home soil since Patton marched into Berlin.

Targa Florio

The Porsche 906 achieved homologation and two weeks later won the Targa Florio

Jaguar XJ13 - The missing legend?

Those with triskadekaphobia will blame this sory on the car's type designation, but Jaguar made a beauitiful one-off test car that was cancelled. While I don't normally include blank versions of cars, this model is intended to show the one-off prototype that was designed for Group 4 regulations.

International Manufacturers Championship 1966

Place

Car
Sponsor

Car # Class

Model

Ref. #

Image

Daytona 24 Hours
1Ford GT40 Mk.II
Ken Miles
Lloyd Ruby
98
P +2.0
Ixo
GTM050
Minichamps400 668498
Universal Hobbies1120
Jouef1120
2Ford GT40 Mk.II
Dan Gurney
Jerry Grant
97
P +2.0
Ixo
GTM073
Universal Hobbies
('Eagle's Race')
3693
3Ford GT40 Mk.II
Walt Hansgen
Mark Donohue
95
P +2.0
Universal Hobbies
('Eagle's Race')
3696
5Ford GT40 Mk.II
Bruce Mclaren
Chris Amon
96
P +2.0
Ixo
GTM074
16Porsche 911
Jack Ryan
Lin Coleman
Bill Bencker
(First win for a 911)
18
GT 2.0
Truescale
TSM144350
DNFFerrari 275 P
George Follmer
Don Wester
Paul Hawkins
N.A.R.T.
32
P +2.0
Art Model
ART293
DNFFerrari 365 P2
Lucien Bianchi
Gérald Langlois van Ophem
"Jean Beurlys"
25
P +2.0
Best
9081/2
Best9081
DNFFerrari 250 LM26Fabbri(Issue #26)
Sebring 12 Hours
1Ford GT40 Mk. II Spyder
Ken Miles
Lloyd Ruby
1
P +5.0
Bang
7094
5Ferrari Dino 206 S46Art ModelART032
14Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ263Best
DNFFerrari 330 P2
Pedro Rodriguez
Mario Andretti
N.A.R.T.
26
P 5.0
Best
9080
DNFFerrari 250 LM33Best9222
DNFChevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
Dick Thompson
Dick Guldstrand
10
P +5.0
Universal Hobbies
('Eagle Collectibles')
2005
DNFAlfa Romeo Giulia TZ2
Lucien Bianchi
Bernard Consten
62
S 1.6
Best
9451
DNFFord GT40 Mk. II
Dan Gurney
Jerry Grant
2
P +5.0
Bang
7091
DNFAlfa Romeo Giulia TZ2
Teodoro Zeccoli
Geki
61
S 1.6
Best
9558
1000km Monza
1Ferrari 330 P3
John Surtees
Mike Parkes
14
P +3.0
Bang
7227
2Ford GT40
Masten Gregory
John Whitmore
5
S +3.0
Bang
7298
8Ferrari 250 LM
Pierre de Siebenthal
António Peixinho
21
S +3.0
Best
9198
10Ferrari 206 S
Lorenzo Bandini
Ludovico Scarfiotti
35
P 2.0
Art Model
ART106
13Ferrari 206 S38Art ModelART035
DNFFerrari 206 S
Giampiero Biscaldi
Mario Casoni
37
P 2.0
Art Model
ART269
DNFFerrari 250 LM22Box8437
Best9011
DNFAlfa Romeo Giulia TZ246LorenziLO0216
Targa Florio
1Porsche 906
Willy Mairesse
Herbert M�ller
148
S 2.0
Ebbro
43637
2Ferrari Dino 206 S
Jean Guichet
Giancarlo Baghetti
196
P 2.0
Art Model
ART111
4Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2
Enrico Pinto
Nino Todaro
126
S 1.6
Best
9105
10Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2
Lucien Bianchi
Roberto Bussinello
130
S 1.6
Best
9104
11Lancia Fulvia HF 120018Progetto K083
12Ford GT40
Guy Ligier
Henri Greder
176
S +2.0
Bang
7150
13Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2




114
S 1.6
Best
9441
16Ferrari 250 LM
Clemente Ravetto
Gaetano Starrabba
180
S +2.0
Best
9256
30Ferrari 250 LM174Best9119
DNFFerrari 330 P3 Spyder
Nino Vaccarella
Lorenzo Bandini
230
P +2.0
Brumm
S036
Bang
7188
DNFFerrari 275 GTB4228Box8430
Best9007
1000km Spa
1Ferrari 330 P3
Mike Parkes
Ludovico Scarfiotti
1
P +2.0
Brumm
R157
2Ford GT40 Mk.II
John Whitmore
Frank Gardner
4
P +2.0
Minichamps
400 668484
6Ferrari Dino 206 S12Art ModelART127
1000km Nurburgring
1Chaparral 2D
Phil Hill
Jo Bonnier
(With Engine Detail)
7
P +2.0
Minichamps
436 661407
TrueScaleTSM124315
2Ferrari 206 S11Art ModelART030
3Ferrari 206 S12Art ModelART031
9Ferrari 250 LM
Willy Mairesse
Herbert M�ller
(#48 in practice, changed to #8 for P class)
8
P 3.0
Best
9399
13Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ277Fabbri
Best9229
21Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ276Best9092
Mugello
2Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA11Progetto KPK 2035
23Fiat Abarth 1000164Progetto KPK 122
500km Nurburgring
13Alpine A2102Eligor101168

Non-Championship Races 1966

Place

Car
Sponsor

Car # Class

Model

Ref. #

Image

Nurburgring 84 Hours (Marathon de la Route)
DNFFerrari 275 GTB/455Best9280
Paris 1000km - Montlh�ry
1Ferrari 250 LM26Best9489
Kyalami (Springbok series)
DNFFerrari 250 LM
"Eld�"
Jacky Ickx
5
GR4/D
Box
8446
Best9018
TestFerrari 250 LM7Best9246
Surfer's Paradise
3Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ29Best9393
Unraced Prototype
TestJaguar XJ13Auto Art53541

1967

This was the most outright hateful period in sportscar racing history. Ferrari came back from their ass-whipping at Le Mans by sweeping Daytona. Enzo made no secret of his satisfaction in embarassing Ford in front of their home crowd.

Ferrari "P-Series" Prototypes

Ferrari Semi-Works Teams

These teams have rich histories, and deserve their own separate pages

North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T) US distributor team that took Le Mans in '65.
Ecurie Francorchamps Belgian Team
Scuderia Filipinetti Swiss team
Maranello Concessionaires UK Ferrari Dealer.
David Piper If anyone in Sportscar Racing deserves to be called "swashbuckling" it's David Piper. His desire to race anytime, anywhere, against anyone is legendary. He was a Ferrari Works Driver in 1963, and has been on their preferred customer list ever since.

Ferrari 412P

The Ferrari "P" series of cars were the backbone of their 60's racing effort. The P, P2, P3, and P4 were the bodystyle, The model number (250, 275, 330, 365,) was the engine size, but not total displacement. It was rather the "swept volume" of one cylinder in their V12 engine.

The first of the series the 250P was pretty much a 250SWB wth the engine relocated to behind the driver. This open-topped car took Le Mans in 1963 and 1964. This car was rebidied into a closed semi-road version 250 LM

While the Ferrari P2 had done well in the factory's hands, it was raced by privateers in 1965.

Ferrari built and raced three 330 P3's in 1966. At the end of the season two were upgraded by the factory to the 412P specification and sold to privateers. The 412 name referred to the 4-litre 12 cylinder engine so it did't go by the old naming convention. Two more cars were also built from scratch as 412P's. Another 330 P3 chassis was given the engine and body of a P4 and was called the 330 P3/4.
...More about the 330 P3/412P

For 1967, Ferrari ran the 330 P4. After this year, such "big-bore" prototypes were illegal, and they took off from sportscars in 1968. They would return in 1969 with the 312P.
...More about the 312P

John Wyer Gulf (albiet darker..)

John Wyer, who had taken Aston Martin to victory at Le Mans in 1959, debuted a Gulf-sponsored GT40 at Daytona. Instead of the classic powder blue this car was the darker hue seen in the Gulf logo. They changed to the lighter color and created a GT40-derived prototype car called the Mirage M1....More on the JW Gulf team at 1968 Le Mans

The Great Joe Buzzetta...

While happily entering the data for the new Ebbro Porsche 910 Nurburgring winner, I came accross the familiar-but-unfamiliar name of Joe Buzzetta. I went to college with a guy named Todd Buzzetta, and the association just struck me wierd. But who was Joe Buzzetta? He's listed as an American driver. He just doesn't seem to have much notoriety for a guy who won the 1000km Nurburgring for the Porsche works team, in a 2.0 liter car against monster unlimited prototypes in the heyday of sportscar racing...

International Manufacturers Championship 1967

Place

Car
Sponsor

Car # Class

Model

Ref. #

Image

Daytona 24 Hours
1Ferrari 330 P4 Spyder
Lorenzo Bandini
Chris Amon
SpA Ferrari SEFAC
23
P +2.0
Bang
7120
Brumm
Limited Edition
S026
Hot Wheels
Elite
P9958
Jouef
High Detail
3025
2Ferrari 330 P4 Coupé
Mike Parkes
Ludovico Scarfiotti
SpA Ferrari SEFAC
24
P +2.0
Brumm
Limited Edition
S027
Bang
Limited Edition
1019
3Ferrari 412P
Pedro Rodriguez
Jean Guichet
26
P +2.0
Brumm
Limited Edition
S028
7Ford GT40
'Gulf'
Dick Thompson
Jacky Ickx
(First appearance of 'Gulf' livery)
11
S +2.0
Ixo
GTM104
Universal Hobbies
Eagle's Race
1039
SparkS4541
21Ferrari 250 LM
Peter Clarke
Edward Nelson
32
S +2.0
Best
9563
DNFFerrari 412P
Willy Mairesse
"Jean Beurlys"
33
P +2.0
Bang
7175
DNFFerrari 275 GTB/C
Carlos Salas Guterrez
Hector Rebaque, Sr.
29
GT +2.0
Best
9747

International Manufacturers Championship 1967

Place

Car
Sponsor

Car # Class

Model

Ref. #

Image

12 Hours of Sebring
1Ford Mark IV
Mario Andretti
Bruce McLaren
Shelby American
1
P +2.0
Ixo
GTM007
Verem615
17Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Spyder25Best9127
DNFChaparral 2F6Minichamps430 671406
DNFAlfa Romeo T33.2 'Fleron'
Andrea de Adamich
Teodoro Zeccoli
65
P 2.0
Fabbri
('Alfa Romeo Sport - I' Collection)(Issue #49)
Fabbri48
DNFFerrari 206 S34Art ModelART232
DNFFerrari 250 LM
Ricardo Rodriguez
Federico de la Chica
23
P +2.0
Best
9811
Monza
1Ferrari 330 P4 Spyder
Lorenzo Bandini
Chris Amon
3
P +2.0
Bang
7174
2Ferrari 330 P4 Coupe
Mike Parkes
Ludovico Scarfiotti
4
P +2.0
Monza
(Scarfiotti Special Edition)
S0822
4Ferrari 412P
Nino Vaccarella
Herbert M�ller
7
P +2.0
Bang
7104
14Ferrari 275 GTB/C
Paul Vestey
Carlos Gaspar
53
GT +2.0
Best
9288
N/CAlfa Romeo TZ2
Teodoro Zeccoli
Ottorino Volonterio
29
P 2.0
Fabbri
('Alfa Romeo Sport' Collection)
62
   Best
9141 
DNFAlfa Romeo TZ2
Paolo de Leonibus
Riccardo Di Bona
28
P 2.0
Best
9118
DNFAlfa Romeo TZ2
Serge Trosch
Teddy Pilette
27
P 2.0
Best
9193
Spa
1Mirage M1
Jacky Ickx
Dick Thompson
6
P +2.0
Bizarre
BZ384
3Ferrari 412 P10
P +2.0
Fabbri
4Lola T70
Paul Hawkins
Jackie Epstein
2
P +2.0
Best
9409
9Alfa Romeo TZ2
Serge Trosch
Teddy Pilette
30
P 2.0
Best
9529
DNFFerrari 412 P
Willy Mairesse
"Jean Beurlys"
11
P +2.0
Bang
7224
Targa Florio
1Porsche 910/8
Paul Hawkins
Rolf Stommelen
Porsche System Engineering
228
P +2.0
Spark
S3463
4Ferrari Dino 206198Art ModelART132
7Porsche 911 S
Bernard Cahier
Jean-Claude Killy
(Legendary Alpine Ski Champion)
46
GT 2.0
Minichamps
430676746
Spark
S4024
DNFChaparral 2F
Phil Hill
Hap Sharp
222
P +2.0
Minichamps
430 671422
DNFAlfa Romeo T33 ('Fleron')170
DNFAlfa Romeo T33 ('Fleron')
"Geki"
Nino Todaro
200
P 2.0
M4
7108
DNFFerrari 412P
Herbert M�ller
Jean Guichet
220
P +2.0
Bang
7106
DNFAlfa Romeo T33 ('Fleron')190
DNFLola T70 Coup�
Jackie Epstein
Hugh Dibley
216
P +2.0
Best
9183
DNFFerrari 330 P4 Spyder
Nino Vaccarella
Ludovico Scarfiotti
224
P +2.0
Bang
7147
Brumm
S037
Jouef1031
DNFFerrari 275 GTB/4
"Ben Hur"
Gaetano Starrabba
122
S +2.0
Best
9372
Mugello
DNFFerrari 412P
Mario Casoni
Herbert M�ller
3
P+2.0
Bang
7347
1000km Nurburgring
1Porsche 910
Udo Sch�tz
Joe Buzzetta
Porsche System Engineering
17
P 2.0
Ebbro
43640
Spark
S3464
5Alfa Romeo T33 ('Fleron')
Roberto Bussinello
Teodoro Zeccoli
Andrea de Adamich
Nanni Galli
22
P 2.0
M4
7154
15Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2
Serge Trosch
Teddy Pilette
82
P 1.6
Best
9322
25Honda S800
Carl Smet
Hughes de Fierlant
125
GT 1.0
Vitesse
V98117
DNFAbarth 1000 SP
Mike Walton
Jeremy Delmar-Morgan
52
P 1.3
Best
9531
DNFFerrari 275 GTB/4
Paul Vestey
Carlos Gaspar
92
GT +3.0
Best
9133
DNFCostin Nathan
Norman Abbott
Albert Powell
51
P 1.3
Spark
(Germany Special Edition)
SG030
DNFLola T70 Coupé
John Surtees
David Hobbs
1
P +2.0
Best
9210
Del Prado
('Racing Car Collection')
(Issue #?)
TestFerrari 206 S
Herbert M�ller
Jean Guichet
34
P 2.0
Art Model
ART266
Brands Hatch
1Chaparral 2F
Phil Hill
Mike Spence
1
P
Minichamps
430 671401
2Ferrari 330 P4 Spyder

Chris Amon
Jackie Stewart


6
P +2.0
Bang
7266
Jouef
1003
4Porsche 907 LH
Hans Herrmann
Jochen Neerpasch
Porsche System Engineering
12
P +2.0
Ebbro
44649
5Ferrari 330 P4 Spyder

Ludovico Scarfiotti
Peter Sutcliffe


7
P +2.0
Bang
7121
6Ferrari 330 P4 Spyder

Paul Hawkins
Jonathan Williams


8
P +2.0
Bang
7140
7Ferrari 412P

Richard Attwood
David Piper


9
P +2.0
Bang
7116
DNFLola T70 Mk.3 GT Chevrolet
John Surtees
David Hobbs
2
P+2.0
Best
9231
500km Nurburgring
11Honda S800
Tetsu Ikuzawa
57
GT 1.0
Ebbro
44250

Non-Championship Races 1967

Place

Car
Sponsor

Car # Class

Model

Ref. #

Image

Kyalami
5Ferrari 412P
'Coca-Cola'
David Piper
Richard Attwood
7
J
Bang
7148
Bloemfontein (Land Speed Record Trial)
1Ferrari 412P
'Coca-Cola'
David Piper
(South African Flying Mile Land Speed Record of 189.41 mph; Fitted with long-nose attachment)
5
Bang
7245

1968

Eurotrash Revival

The ACO and ISC decided that seven-litre American cars were a bit too obnoxious for their taste. So they rewrote the entire rules for Prototypes, and set a maximum of 3-litre engines. The "Supercars" that had at least 50 road-going units could have 5-litre engines. In theory, this made sense as the "S" class's bigger engine size would be balanced by weight and more real-wold practicality requirements like trunk space.

In April of 1968, the F.I.A. announced that as of 1969 only 25 cars would be required to homologate a particular model to compete in Group 4 of the "International Championship for Makes". This minor change would eventually lead to the most famous sportscar of all time, the Porsche 917. ...More about the Porsche 917

P-Class Prototypes

The main problem with this class is that nothing existed to run in it. Nobody had a car ready for this spec, but Porsche entered some 2.2-litre 910's. At mid-season they launched the excellent 3-litre 908. ...More about the Porsche 908

Due to these rule changes, the Ferrari works team was left without a competetive car for either class and sat the out year. They spent the time concentrating on F1 and developing a "proper" 3-litre prototype, the 312P for 1969.

These categories would remain somewhat stable until 1970. ...More about the 1970 rule changes

Targa Florio

Phoebe once said to Joey: "I like the idea of a name that begins with 'the'". So it is THE Targa Florio, which was a half-rally open-road race in Sicily

While the entry was large, it wasn't as large as the car numbers implied. 0-99 were for GT cars, 100-199 were for 3-litre prototypes, and 200-299 were for sportscars.

Alfa Romeo T33/2

Best has a version that is somewhat chude in detail and finish, and Minichamps came out with a box set of a "road" version.

Porsche 911 T/R

The 911R of 1967 had lived a strange existance, being stuck in the Group 6 prototype classes as it had been modified beyond what was legal in Group 3. For 1968, Porsche was able to take advantage of the lighter weight of the low-line 911T, and add some of the parts that were developed for the 911R. They offered the 911 T/R as ready-to-race, and it was fully compliant to the Group 3 GT car category. The rules allowed owners to upgrade to any available Porsche engine, which typically was the 911S-style fuel injected unit. While only 35 were built this way at the factory, many other owners used these parts to prep their 911 racers.

International Championship for Makes 1968

Place

Car
Sponsor

Car # Class

Model

Ref. #

Image

Daytona 24 Hours
1Porsche 907 LH
Vic Elford
Jochen Neerpasch
Porsche System Engineering
54
P
Spark
43DA68
Schuco
450 362900
2Porsche 907 LH
Jo Siffert
Hans Herrmann
Porsche System Engineering
52
P
Spark
S2985
3Porsche 907 LH
Jo Schlesser
Joe Buzzetta
Porsche System Engineering
51
P
Spark
S2986
5Alfa Romeo T33/2
Udo Sch�tz
Nino Vaccarella
20
P
Best
9121
6Alfa Romeo T33/2
Mario Andretti
Lucien Bianchi
23
P
Best
9120
7Alfa Romeo T33/2
Mario Casoni
Giampiero Biscaldi
Teodoro Zeccoli
22
P
Best
9200
DNFFerrari 250 LM
David Piper
Masten Gregory
N.A.R.T.
81
S
Best
9266
12 Hours of Sebring
1Porsche 907
Jo Siffert
Hans Herrmann
Porsche System Engineering
49
P 3.0
Minichamps
400 686849
Spark
S4161
DNFLola T70 Coup�
Scooter Patrick
Dave Jordan
9
S 5.0
Best
9310
DNFLola T70 Coup�
Mike De Udy
Hugh Dibley
11
S 5.0
Best
9172
DNFLola T70 Coup�
Lothar Motschenbacher
Ed Leslie
6
S 5.0
Best
9379
Brands Hatch
6Lola T70 Coup�
Jo Bonnier
Sten Axelsson
2
S 5.0
Best
9157
Monza
14Abarth 60Best
15Abarth 59Best
DNFAlfa Romeo T33/2
Gustave Gosselin
Serge Trosch
26
P 2.0
Best
9632
Targa Florio
1Porsche 907
Vic Elford
Umberto Maglioli
(Includes cutaway roof detail)
Porsche System Engineering
224
P 3.0
Spark
S4160
Schuco
4503621002
2Alfa Romeo T33/2
Ignazio Giunti
Nanni Galli
186
P 2.0
Spark
S4874
3Alfa Romeo T33/2
Lucien Bianchi
Mario Casoni
192
P2.0
Best
9286
6Alfa Romeo T33/2
Giancarlo Baghetti
Giampiero Biscaldi
182
P2.0
Best
9191
22Ferrari Dino 206/S
Hans W�ngstre
Evert Christofferson
206
P 2.0
Art Model
ART202
24MGB MkII
Peter Brown
Tony Fall
202
P2.0
Universal Hobbies
(Eagle Collectables)
UNHV1140
DNFFerrari 250 LM
David Piper
Paul Vestey
138
S5.0
Best
9369
DNFAlfa Romeo T33/2
Gustave Gosselin
Serge Trosch
180
P 2.0
Best
9390
1000km N�rburgring
1Porsche 908
Jo Siffert
Vic Elford
2
P 3.0
Minichamps
400 686802
Ebbro
43738
5Alfa Romeo T33/2
Nanni Galli
Ignazio Giunti
16
P 2.0
Best
9402
DNFPorsche 908
Gerhard Mitter
Ludovico Scarfiotti
1
P 3.0
Ebbro
43739
DNFFord F3L P68
Frank Gardner
Richard Attwood
7
P 3.0
Minichamps
400688407
DNFFord F3L P68
Chris Irwin
Pedro Rodriguez
(Severe crash in practice; Irwin survived but never raced again)
8
P 3.0
Minichamps
400688408
1000km Spa
1Ford GT40
'Gulf'
Jacky Ickx
Brian Redman
33
S 5.0
Bang
7349
3Porsche 908
Hans Herrmann
Rolf Stommelen
5
P 3.0
Schuco
450372500
10Lola T70 Coup�
Jackie Epstein
Eric Liddell
31
S 5.0
Best
9158
16Alfa Romeo T33/2
Gustave Gosselin
Serge Trosch
16
P 2.0
Best
9578
DNFFord GT40
Willy Mairesse
"Jean Beurlys"
32
S 5.0
Bang
454
Box
8454
Watkins Glen 6 Hours
6Porsche 908
Hans Herrmann
Tetsu Ikuzawa
Jo Siffert
Porsche System Engineering
2
P 3.0
Ebbro
44590
DNFAlfa Romeo T33/2
Horst Kwech
John Martino
33
P 2.0
Best
9639

Non-Championship Races 1968

Place

Car
Sponsor

Car # Class

Model

Ref. #

Image

Paris - Montlh�ry
1Porsche 908
Hans Herrmann
Rolf Stommelen
12
P
Spark
SF050
DNFFerrari 412P
David Piper
Richard Attwood
9
P
Bang
7180
DNFAlfa Romeo T33/2
Andr� Pilette
Rob Slotemaker
22
P
Best
9419
Mugello
DNFAlfa Romeo T33/2
Teodoro Zeccoli
Teddy Pilette
1
Best
9204
DNFAlfa Romeo T33/2
Ignazio Giunti
Nanni Galli
7
Best
9148
Imola
1Alfa Romeo T33/2
Nino Vaccarella
Teodoro Zeccoli
3
Best
9115
3Alfa Romeo T33/2
Mario Casoni
Spartaco Dini
2
Best
9186
Hockenheim
1Porsche 908
Hans Herrmann
1
P +2.0
Ebbro
44604
Nurburgring 500km
9Ford Escort TC
Rolf Stommelen
79
T 1.6
Minichamps
400 688179
DNFFord Escort
Gerhard Mitter
(Flared fenders; Run in the Prototype category)
2
P 1.6
Minichamps
400 688192
DNFFord Escort
Hubert Hahne
(Flared fenders; Run in the Prototype category)
3
P 1.6
Minichamps
400 688193

1969

Porsche 908/2 spider - the workhorse

Because it lives in the shadow of the 917, it gets no respect. They debuted the open version of the 908 at Sebring, and called it the 908/2. The 908/2 would also be raced with modified "Flunder" bodywork and also in longtail trim. The 908 concept would be taken even further with the 908/3. ...More on the Porsche 908/3

Jim Rockford - Team Manager

James Garner got some money from Goodyear and founded a team called American International Racers. Thay ran a Lola T-70 Mark III at Daytona and Sebring, finishing a fine second at the former. And they even made a promotional documentary film of the whole thing called The Racing Scene. Speedvision used to show it all the time before they started with all the NASCAR crap. Maybe we'll get a DVD release some day... On a brighter note, the diecast model of this Lola has finally been released.

Porsche says to the FIA: "Up Yours"

When the minimum pruduction requirement for the Group 4 "Sportscar" class was reduced from 50 to 25 chassis, it was intended to allow for more "supercars". When this change was announced, Porsche began developing the 917 and actually made 25 cars. While the cars were technically road-legal, this was so they could jump through the "production based" loophole. Doing this then would be like Bentley saying that the EXP 8 is available for sale at your local dealer. This may be the ultimate "up yours" gesture that anyone has ever made in racing history.

Although the first body configuration was so bad that many drivers refused to race them. They had a disasterous run at LeMans that year. They sorted out the bugs, and 917's dominated the whole sports car scene for two years. But since there were 25 cars running around, there was still lots of competition. Arch-rival teams 'Gulf' and 'Martini' provided plenty of drama, along with numerous other privateer teams.


Excerpt from Driving Porsche�s Panzer by Bob Ward

The origins of Porsche�s all-conquering 917 go back to the dominating performance of Ford�s mighty 7-liter Mark II and Mark IV LeMans winners of 1966 and 1967. After upstart Ford steamrollered the European competition two years running the FIA decided that steps had to be taken to restore the proper order of things. For 1968 the 7-liter monsters were banned. In their place The FIA established a class for 3-liter prototypes. These would be, in essence, Formula 1 cars with fenders � light, agile, and very European. The FIA knew, however, that the 3-liter cars couldn�t carry the whole show by themselves, so it established a new class called Group 4, for cars with a minimum production of 25 units in one year and a 5-liter displacement limit. This was to be the home of all the privately owned Ford GT40s, Ferrari 275 LMs, and Chevy-powered Lolas needed to provide the supporting cast to the 3-liter prototypes.

Porsche, however, saw the group 4 rules as a window of opportunity big enough to drive a truck through � or more to the point, a LeMans winner. The 3-liter 908, introduced in 1968, barely lost that year�s Manufacturers� Championship to the JW / Gulf Ford GT40s. Why not, the Porsche racing engineers thought, add four more cylinders to the 908 engine to make a 12-cylinder, 4.5 liter unit, wrap it in a chassis and body rather like a 908 coupe on steroids, and build 25 of them?

The bean counters gave the okay and the result, designated the Porsche 917, turned up at the 1969 LeMans test day. With 520 horsepower on tap the car easily set the fastest time at almost 143 miles per hour. The cars were awe-inspiring on the long Mulsanne straight, but when they were entered in their first actual race, at Spa, Belgium, their handling was so twitchy that Porsche�s leading driver pair, Jo Siffert and Brian Redman, switched to a 908 for the race even after setting the fastest time in practice with their 917. The big cars were even worse at the Nurburgring, proving almost undrivable on the winding 14-mile circuit.

The biggest change for the 1970 season was the farming out of the 917 racing effort to private teams, though with heavy involvement by factory engineers. Porsche made a deal with its arch-rival of 1968 and 1969, John Wyer�s JW Automotive Engineering, to be its lead team for 1970 with Gulf Oil sponsorship continuing from Wyer�s previous efforts.

Porsche and JW embarked on an intensive development program. One of the major problems to be overcome was a shortage of grip at the rear, causing the car�s infamously dodgy handling. The tests produced the now-famous upswept tail that has come to characterize the definitive 917 shape. This change transformed the 917, giving it the stability it needed to convert all of its power into speed on the track.

The rest is history. The 917K, as the revised car came to be called, dominated endurance racing in 1970 and 1971. The JW team won 11 World Makes Championship races with its 917s in those two years. Porsche Salzburg won LeMans in 1970 and Martini Racing took the 1971 race with a JW car second. In the 1970 Watkins Glen CanAm, the 917 coupes, which had run 700 miles the day before, finished 2-3-4-6-7, beaten only by Denis Hulme�s McLaren M8D. The 917, created in a rush project to take advantage of a loophole in the rules, had more than fulfilled its promise and purpose.


Mclaren M6GT - The other missing legend?

When he smashed his brains out on the flag tower at Goodwood, Bruce McLaren was building a street-legal version of the M6 Can-Am car. This car had a small-block chevy, and a spaceframe chassis. They had 25 copies of the bodywork made and were planning on getting them into the sportscar class.

There were plans to finish these cars and sell them to collectors. I caught this one at the California Speeedway historic races in 2002:

Championship Points System

While sportscar racing has typically considered each event on its own merit, this era is one of the few times when the overall championship points was important.

Of the ten championship races in 1969, points were awarded to the best finishing car of each make. Nine (9) foints for first place, 6 for 2nd, 4 for 3rd, 3 for 4th 2 for 5th and 1 for 6th. Also, only the five best scores of the year were counted. Therfore a perfect score of 45 points could be had by winning any five races.

Ferrari 312P

Ferrari ran these cars as open spyders, and then converted them to Coupes for Le Mans. Both versions exist by BEST model

Daytona 24 Hours

Penske-Donohue Lola T-70 scored an upset against the heavy hitters at Daytona.

Collectors Note: There is a non-compliant red version of the crude Solido model

International Championship for Makes 1969

Place

Car
Sponsor

Car # Class

Model

Ref. #

Image

Daytona 24 Hours
1Lola T70 Mk.3B
'Sunoco'
Mark Donohue
Chuck Parsons
6
S 5.0
Spark
S1437
Spark
43DA69
Solido
100 Series
175
GMP
Penske Donohue Box Set
12401
2Lola T70 Mk.3
Ed Leslie
Lothar Motschenbacher
8
S 5.0
Best
9223
Spark
S1466
Super Champion34
7Lola T70 Mk.3
Scooter Patrick
Dave Jordan
9
S 5.0
Best
9477
23Ferrari 275 GTB/C
Sam Posey
Ricardo Rodriguez (Cavazos)
41
GT 5.0
Best
9710
DNFAlfa Romeo T33.2 2.5
Eduardo Dibos
Mario Calabattisti
25
P 3.0
Best
9242
12 Hours of Sebring
1Ford GT40
'Gulf'
Jacky Ickx
Jackie Oliver
22
S 5.0
Bang
7208
Spark
SE4369
Eagle's Race
1138
2Ferrari 312 P
Chris Amon
Mario Andretti
SpA Ferrari SEFAC
25
P 3.0
Best
9298
(Centauria)
Ferrari Racing Collection (2019)
#13
47Ferrari 250 P
Pedro Rodriguez
Chuck Parsons
N.A.R.T.
26
P 3.0
Art Model
ART296
Brands Hatch
Porsche System Engineering
1Porsche 908/2
Jo Siffert
Brian Redman
53
Best
Sports Racing
9042
2Porsche 908/2
Vic Elford
Richard Attwood
55
Best
Sports Racing
9043
3Porsche 908/2
Gerhard Mitter
Udo Sch�tz
54
Best
Sports Racing
9041
8Lola T70 Coup�
Chris Craft
Eric Liddell
7
S5.0
Best
9283
DNFFord F3L P68
Denny Hulme
Frank Gardner
58
P 3.0
Minichamps
400 698458
Monza
DNFFerrari 312 P
Pedro Rodriguez
Peter Schetty
SpA Ferrari SEFAC
2
P 3.0
Best
9221
DNFFerrari 312 P
Mario Andretti
Chris Amon
SpA Ferrari SEFAC
1
P 3.0
Best
9227
Targa Florio
1Porsche 908/2
Gerhard Mitter
Udo Schütz
Porsche System Engineering
266
P3.0
Ebbro
43729
Best
9195
2Porsche 908/2
Vic Elford
Umberto Maglioli
Porsche System Engineering
270
P3.0
Best
9238
3Porsche 908/2
Rolf Stommelen
Hans Herrmann
Porsche System Engineering
274
P3.0
Best
9670
Lorenzi0209
4Porsche 908/2
Willy Kauhsen
Karl von Wendt
Porsche System Engineering
272
P3.0
Best
9482
5Alfa Romeo T33/2
Enrico Pinto
Giovanni Alberti
248
P3.0
Best
9137/2
Best9137
8Abarth 178Best
9Lancia Fulvia F&M Special
Rauno Aaltonen
Sandro Munari
238
P 2.0
Best
9698
11Abarth 122Best
21Porsche 908/2
Rudi Lins
Gérard Larrousse
Porsche System Engineering
264
P3.0
Best
9209
33Porsche 908/2
Richard Attwood
Brian Redman
Porsche System Engineering
268
P3.0
Best
9666
39Alfa Romeo T33/2
Nino Vaccarella
Andrea de Adamich
262
P3.0
Best
9147/2
Best9147
46Costin-Nathan GT206Spark
DNFAlfa Romeo T33/2
Ignazio Giunti
Nanni Galli
180
P 5.0
Best
9814
Spa
1Porsche 908
Jo Siffert
Brian Redman
Porsche System Engineering
25
P 3.0
Spark
SB037
2Ferrari 312 P
Pedro Rodriguez
David Piper
SpA Ferrari SEFAC
2
P 3.0
Best
9243
Nurburgring
1Porsche 908/2
Jo Siffert
Brian Redman
Porsche System Engineering
1
P 3.0
Minichamps
437692001
Best9093
2Porsche 908/2
Rolf Stommelen
Hans Herrmann
Porsche System Engineering
4
P 3.0
Best
9771
3Porsche 908/2
Vic Elford
Kurt Ahrens, Jr.
Porsche System Engineering
3
P 3.0
Best
9754
15Alfa Romeo 86Best9514
27Lancia 50Best
29Lancia 51Best
DNFFerrari 312 P
Chris Amon
Pedro Rodriguez
SpA Ferrari SEFAC
7
Best
9672
DNFLola T70 Mk. 3B
Jo Bonnier
Herbert Müller
55
S 5.0
Super Champion
34
DNFAlfa Romeo T33/2
Teddy Pilette
Rob Slotemaker
16
P 3.0
Best
9464
Watkins Glen
1Porsche 908/2 Flunder
Jo Siffert
Brian Redman
1
P 3.0
Best
9145
5Ford GT40
Helmut Kelleners
Reinhold Joest
7
S 5.0
Bang
1030
Zeltweg
1Porsche 917
Jo Siffert
Kurt Ahrens, Jr.
(First victory for a 917)
29
S 5.0
Spark
1897
DNFLola T70 Coup�
David Piper
Dieter Quester
32
S 5.0
Best
9295
Tour de France (Non-Championship)
1Porsche 911R
G�rard Larrousse
Maurice G�lin
181
Spark
S0946
Vitesse
Limited Edition
L042
DNFFerrari 275 GTB/4
Hedriud
Syda
142
Box
8442
Best
9015
DNFPorsche 910
Henri Balas
Robert Neyret
183
Spark
S3476
DNFFerrari 250 LM
Jean-Pierre Rouget
Jean C. Depret
192
S +2.0
Best
9023/2
Best9023
Box8451
Kyalami
1Porsche 917
'Coca-Cola'
David Piper
Richard Attwood
9
J
True Scale
TSM114312