1963-1974 Sports Car Bodies

[HO RacePro]

From the current IHSR Division 3 car classification rules...

Division 3 – CLASSIC Sports Cars (1963-1974)
This division is designed for cars (min. 2 seats, covered wheels) which competed during the above era.
Maximum overall width is 2.65" measured from the outside of the rear tires.

In scale this would include prototypes with a maximum track of 84.8 inches wide (215.4cm).

I have been looking for 1/32nd bodies that would meet the requirements for this classification. Ideally an open-cockpit car with the widest allowable track and a long wheelbase. But I'd consider a closed-cockpit car if it has a wide track and a long wheelbase. It would have to be an injection-molded or printed body. Vacuum-formed bodies are not permitted.

Finding a suitable body has been a frustrating search. Aside from the fact that discovering prototypes with a large footprint is hit-or-miss, there are a limited choice of prototypes that have been modeled in 1/32nd, and few of those are available as separate bodies -- not sold as part of a ready-to-run slotcar. I'd like to buy three bodies to be fitted with my own custom-made chassis, and I'd like to avoid the expense of buying chassis that I don't want to use. But if I have to buy an all-up slotcar to get the body I may just swallow hard and buy it. Maybe eBay the chassis.

Static-model bodies are a possibility. I have successfully used static models as bodies for the Vintage Sports Car class. (Specifically the Monogram "Cooper Monaco" sold on the Professor Motor website.)

Printing bodies is another possibility. I have a filament printer, but I have not yet used it to print a body. But for the right body I'll give it a try. A resin-printed body is not something I am ready to attempt. I might consider buying one if its printed in a crash-tolerant resin.

And while I am wishing for the moon, it would be great if the body were really light. That is important.

Can anybody help me here?

[chappyman66]

Ed,
Not sure where you have been for the last couple years but there are files for most of the major CanAm spyders which often also ran USRRC.
If you look at the Group 7 proxy you will find a file list, although there may have been some additions since that's a year or more ago.

If you want max scale width, you want the Ferrari 612 and there is a nice file available. There is one running in the current CanAm proxy although that's a resin version.

You could consider the 917-20. Or the 917/30. Or the the March 707/717. Or the Sting GW1. Or even a Mirage M3. Or a Lola T310.

These are the big cars.

And FWIW.....FDM bodies tend to run 10-15g, depending.

[Mitch58]

The Chaparral ll raced in '63 & '64 as a sports car before Can Am was created., The MRRC & Monogram version have the exact same footprint as the Slot It GT40.

[HO RacePro]

After an awful lot of online searching, greatly aided by 'UltimateCarPage.com', I have found that it is hard to beat the 1972 Porsche 917/10K for overall width. The prototype is listed as 2,080 mm (81.9 inches) wide. In 1/32nd scale that comes to 65 mm (2.56 inches) wide -- very close to the IHSR max spec of 2.65 inches across the rear tires. The wheelbase is listed as 2,316 mm (91.2 inches), which is 72.4 mm (2.85 inches) in scale. Pretty average for a 1/32nd scale slotcar.

https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/spec...e-917-10K.html

The Porsche 917/10K is a fairly common slotcar model. ProfessorMotor.com lists a number of body-only unpainted versions for US$24.99 and US$29.99. Pricey by my lights, but I haven't found alternatives that are any cheaper.

I have purchased STL files for a version listed on 'Cults.com', listed as 'Porsche 917 Le Mans Printable Body Car'. That cost me US$13.66. My first attempt to print that body failed. I was not able to remove the support structure without breaking the body shell. The body shell was only 0.050 inches (1.3 mm) thick. That, and serious defects in the print surface, has discouraged me from printing my own bodies. I may try again, but I expect there is a bit of learning ahead of me before I can get anything useful.

One big advantage of printing my own bodies would be to assure they are accurately to scale. If I buy a body I take a chance that they are a bit smaller than scale. And that would defeat the whole purpose of the exercise.

FYI, 'Cults.com' seems to be a pretty good resources for slotcar body print files. Worth a look.

[chappyman66]

Except for the Ferrari 612 (2040mm wide).

[dungeonracer]

Ed, your original question was about Sportscar.

Is the 917/10k considered a Sportscar in your group? It isn't in the group I race with, which is why I asked.

[HO RacePro]

We have raced Porsche 917's in the Classic Sports Car class. It appears to be accepted as a sports car for IHSR competition.

[dungeonracer]