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Roger Penske 1963 Grand Sport Corvette

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  • Member since
    October 2020
  • From: Texas
Roger Penske 1963 Grand Sport Corvette
Posted by MarkJK on Thursday, May 20, 2021 7:55 AM

Finally finished after 231.5 hours . I always wanted to do this build since I was a 13 year old kid. I was into auto racing big time, and about the only source I had for news and pictures were magazines. I had a subscription to Sports Car Graphic, Motor Trend and Car and Driver. Whenever there was anything in a magazine about racing , I would cut it out and put the pictures and story in 2 scrap books. One for Stock car racing and one for Sports car racing and Indy cars. I still have the scrap books today but they are falling apart from age. I just happened to be thumbing through the sports car scrap book and spotted the story about Roger Penske's victory at the Nassau Tourist Trophy race in the Bahamas in 1964. His Grand Sport looked so awesome, I knew I had to finally build a replica of it. Turns out the race was a battle between him and Ken Miles of "Ford vs. Ferrari" fame. Mile's 390 Cobra could pull away from Penske in the straights but Penske's Grand sport would catch up in the turns. Miles Cobra finally blew up trying to stay ahead of the powerful and nimble Corvette. I  learned alot about the car. It had a 377 cubic inch all aluminum engine with 4 weber side draft carbs and hemi heads . It basically was a 327 stroked a quarter of an inch to get to 377. it pumped out 485 horsepower. This is an amt kit because I did not know there was a much better kit, until I started the build and was informed of this, so I had to do a lot of scratch building. The wip link is at the bottom of this page.

 

 

If you want to see the wip check out the link below

For some reason the link doesn't take you to the right place, but its over at Model Car Magazine's wip section for road racers, if you're interested.

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Nashville, TN area
Posted by bobbaily on Thursday, May 20, 2021 12:33 PM

Great build Mark on what I can only imagine is a very challenging kit (couple in the stash).  I especially liked reading the history of the car-was a different era back then.

Unable to get either link to work-I really want to see how you handled the hood-if memory serves me correct the Accurate Minatures kits do not have that version of the hood.

Again, job well done!

Bob

Bob

 

  • Member since
    October 2020
  • From: Texas
Posted by MarkJK on Thursday, May 20, 2021 2:04 PM
  • Member since
    October 2020
  • From: Texas
Posted by MarkJK on Thursday, May 20, 2021 2:08 PM

It takes a while for the pictures to build, but the link is working now. The hood does'nt really start to come together until the second page.

  • Member since
    October 2019
  • From: New Braunfels, Texas
Posted by Tanker-Builder on Thursday, May 20, 2021 3:40 PM

Hmmmm;

 Me Likum BadA##$@ Corvette.I wish that would have been available at my dealer. I would've bought it instead of a Mustang!

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: East Bethel, MN
Posted by midnightprowler on Thursday, May 20, 2021 4:31 PM

Wow! Backwards,  !woW

Hi, I am Lee, I am a plastiholic.

Co. A, 682 Engineers, Ltchfield, MN, 1980-1986

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

Ask me about Speedway Decals

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Nashville, TN area
Posted by bobbaily on Thursday, May 20, 2021 6:19 PM

MarkJK

Thanks for the link-even more impressive that you took an AMT Corvette and created the Grand Sport-I assumed that it was the Accurate Miniatures kit...WOW!

Bob

 

  • Member since
    January 2020
  • From: Maryland
Posted by wpwar11 on Friday, May 21, 2021 6:03 AM

Very impressive.  The history lesson was also nice.  Im also a motor sports fan.  You mentioned the various car and racing magazines.  When I was a kid (I'm 51 now) I read autoweek.  I remember it covered only motor sports.  It was more like a newspaper and they later printed it like a regular magazine with glossy pages.  I haven't seen a copy in sometime.  I wonder if it's still in print?

This is really cool because I don't know much about Penske the driver.  He sure has been successful on all aspects of the sport.  

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by keavdog on Friday, May 21, 2021 7:55 AM

Nice job.  What a great (and dangerous) era of racing.  I had a subscription to Hotrod magazine from age 12 on I think!  Really nice - and now you've make me want to do Ken Miles' Cobra as I have done the AM grand sport.

Thanks,

John

  • Member since
    October 2020
  • From: Texas
Posted by MarkJK on Friday, May 21, 2021 8:17 AM

keavdog

Nice job.  What a great (and dangerous) era of racing.  I had a subscription to Hotrod magazine from age 12 on I think!  Really nice - and now you've make me want to do Ken Miles' Cobra as I have done the AM grand sport.

 

I too would like to do Ken Miles Cobra with the all aluminum 390 it had, and display it right next to this model. But finding a kit is very hard and expensive. I probably have less then 50 bucks invested in this model, but I have seen diecast collectibles of it that weren't correct, selling in the thousands of dollars. They just built a few and I guess the price has appreciated wildly.

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by keavdog on Friday, May 21, 2021 9:14 AM

I just found the Monogram kit on ebay for a reasonable price, but I understand there's fit issues.

Thanks,

John

  • Member since
    August 2007
  • From: back country of SO-CAL, at the birth place of Naval Aviation
Posted by DUSTER on Friday, May 21, 2021 5:29 PM

keavdog

I just found the Monogram kit on ebay for a reasonable price, but I understand there's fit issues.

 

Well isn't that just too dang gone ter-it-er-able fer words. Fit issues! Why back in my day, you young whipper snaper, we never had "fit Issues". Heck we was lucky if there was all the parts in tha box , if there Was a box.  Did that stop us -HECK NO- we just sanded, cut, pushed, prodded the dang parts together, an' held 'em with our fingers 'til the glue dryed. Then we had a Real Model!  It even got so we'd call it a fine scale model 
(did ya think the magizine was the first to use that? -HA!) They learnt that  from us original modlers - ya bet cha.  Young kids ta-day no idea how to model like we had ta do....mumble mumble 
                                 grumpy

Steve

Building the perfect model---just not quite yet  Confused

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by keavdog on Friday, May 21, 2021 11:30 PM

Lol been a while since I whipped a snap.  Now get off the OPs lawn!

Thanks,

John

  • Member since
    October 2020
  • From: Texas
Posted by MarkJK on Saturday, May 22, 2021 2:35 PM

keavdog

I just found the Monogram kit on ebay for a reasonable price, but I understand there's fit issues.

 

 

If you found the Monogram kit, go for it. Its ten times better then this amt kit for sure and its actually a Grand Sport kit. So you just need to assemble it and paint it and I'm sure you can figure out the fit issues. 

  • Member since
    October 2020
  • From: Texas
Posted by MarkJK on Sunday, May 23, 2021 8:26 AM

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the feedback.

  • Member since
    August 2007
  • From: back country of SO-CAL, at the birth place of Naval Aviation
Posted by DUSTER on Monday, May 24, 2021 11:37 PM

You really turned the original kit around into a class act.

Steve

Building the perfect model---just not quite yet  Confused

  • Member since
    October 2020
  • From: Texas
Posted by MarkJK on Saturday, May 29, 2021 8:46 AM

Thanks, Steve. It was a hair puller at times but turned out okay. had to  re-engineer the hood to fit flush. put a flange on the front of the hood and a pointed rod that fit into a tube at the rear of the hood to create a variable friction latch . the further you push down on the hood at the back the tighter the pointed rod got in the tube. I got it tight enough to hold the hood down when the hood got flush at the rear you need a small screwdriver to get the hood open now after it is shut. this should work good on other models too.I really dislike hoods that dont fit flush.

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