1959 Stingray racer Corvette (1/43)

[ismaelg]

Hello,

  As I have mentioned elsewhere, the 1957 Corvette SS is my all time favorite car. Well, a close second is the 1959 Stingray Racer which was built on an SS chassis. Built in "secret" during the official AMA ban on factory racing support, Bill Mitchell took it racing "privately" in 1959 with good success, winning the SCCA National Championship in 1960 with Dr. Dick Thompson as the driver.  It was the inspiration for the '63 Sting Ray.  GM pressured Mitchell to withdraw from racing. He drove it as his personal vehicle and it eventually became one of the most popular show cars. 
  I am puzzled as to why it has never been offered as a scale model. Back in the 60's, there was a vacuum-formed body in 1/25 that has been used to make a model, but in my search I haven't seen one for sale in over 20 years searching. I imagine the price will be outrageous if one pops up. 
  So it turns out the French company Starter offered a resin model of it in 1/43 scale many years ago. Long story made short, I was able to track down and get a built one for restoration.

The glass is broken. The photoetch script is a lost cause. Wheels and tires are a joke for now.  It was nicely painted, but the wrong color. Too dark.   







So, within a few hours of careful work I was able to disassemble it completely. 


And here is where we are now.  Next step: Carefully strip the paint from the body.

This will be a slow project and a labor of love. So bear with me.   

What do you think? Your comments are always appreciated.

Thanks,
Ismael

[ismaelg]

Hello,

Easy does it. I'm treating this with the care as if it was the real car ? 
Couple hours of work. So far so good with good progress.





Thanks,
Ismael

Edited January 4, 2024 by ismaelg

[Musclecarbuilder]

Looking good!

[ismaelg]

Hello,

Slowly moving in the right direction. The casting is very nice. Very minor bodywork will be required.  







 

Thanks,
Ismael

[ismaelg]

Hello,

  First mist coat of primer.  Will do a close bodywork inspection before proceeding.

 

Thanks,
Ismael

[Bainford]

Interesting project, Ismael. The body is looking good. Like you, I am surprised this car was never offered as a 1/25 scale kit. I had an opportunity to check out this car in person way back in 2000. It looked as cool as I knew it would.