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Greetings, I only have a few projects, although most exist as two-thirds finished mock-ups begging for slight sorting and of course - paint and final assembly. What follows would be a brief record of what are a pair of scale models of the oddball Herb Adams 'Gray Ghost' SCCA Trans Am '64 Tempest, the entry run with fleeting success in the 1971 series. At a glance something of a joke effort, nevertheless the project was undertaken by skilled Pontiac engineers in their spare time, embodying considerable thought even as it was packaged in a decidedly odd wrapper. Based in nearby Rochester, MI. (an error this - see below. M.K.), the team and the history of such has personal interest, while a rare opportunity afforded to me to make an inspection of the actual racer before it was restored recently prompted me to take on first a 1:25th scale project, and later a 1:18th diecast-based project even as a subpage on this board exists for such. I'll try to toss out things I did consistent with lending value to anyone attempting a like-project, although don't register shock if things go silent. More text will be afforded to the 1:25th project here, while if I do more with the 1:18th diecast effort, a new thread charting progress will emerge and take form there. Thanks... ...this would be the topic late-season in 1971. Obviously not your typical 5.0 liter svelte road racing sedan, as a positive it didn't have parallel leaf springs holding matters up in the rear. ...this would constitute my much-massaged 1:25th scale project. The body, bumpers, tail light lenses and decals are from a Scale Coachworks release of which maybe 50-70 examples were made. The shell is based on the old AMT annual release, while the model was sold with what would seems to have been a Modelhaus '64 Tempest hood which would be sans faux hood scoops otherwise witnessed on a like-year GTO. Should one compare this photo to other examples of the Scale Coachworks body online, one will note that I've filed off a lot of material consistent with reshaping the openings and softening the flares to come up with what is seen. On a happy note, it can be said that I didn't have to add anything here, with the as-delivered shell only requiring a lot of referral to period photos to largely make right. Other things discerned and in brief then. Tires are ancient MPC Goodyear Blue Streak NASCAR tires in the same size front to rear. Wheels are resin clones of Jo-Han Javelin-sourced Minilites with turned aluminum outer rims sporting a taper. Grilles are Lindberg items, while the interior panels and dash are sourced from the same '64 GTO tool. The chassis is from a recent vintage AMT '66 Oldsmobile 442 which at least tosses in a good B.O.P. rear end if nothing more. The engine is a mix of recent Pontiac kit releases consistent with coming up with better than the ancient MPC rendition of the 400 c.i.d. Pontiac. The actual car ran a 303, although this based upon the heavy tall deck block topped with Ram Air IV heads. The oiling system on the actual car is very interesting indeed. Although some discreet exterior lettering is missing on the as-supplied decal sheet, in the main the Scale Coachworks decal art is well thought out. If you happen to chance across a body or whole transkit on sale , harbor an interest in vintage SCCA Trans Am topics, etc., do consider gathering it up for it's an honest effort of something special. ...just in brief then, this is my much modified 1:18th scale Sun Star '64 GTO telegraphing as a '64 Tempest for a great deal of work. The cast-in metal faux hood scoops were filed down by hand and gone over with a sanding block for about a month to afford the profile seen here. The effort was nothing short of ghastly... This would be a much cleaner rendition of a July '71 Motor Trend race report under hood image taken at the Lime Rock event - the first of the season then. The picture was found on the new PP/SEMA online archive which I recommend to everyone like-inclined. The engine is quite basic from a glance at the exterior, with an old Edelbrock RD4 dual-plane intake, just a single 4 BBL as per the rules, etc. ...with mostly scratch built under hood paneling, plus scratch built intake and hand-sculpted flares. The left side grille was cast in resin and done twice over to avoid use of the standard model grille otherwise found on the right that bears the expected 'GTO' identification, while the headlamp block out plates are polished aluminum rod wafers cut to fit. Uber time-consuming all this, while the scribble noticed is that of one Herb Adams who I met briefly at an area book signing. Mr. Adams was able to inspect the model, and I hope bless it in a scale-model sense... ...rear three-quarter then, with lightly glued on renditions of decal art to come consistent with me getting a bearing on what I'm doing. O.K. - no more diecast stuff here then! Thanks for reviewing this post and thread. Mike K./Swede70