ShawnS Posted February 2 Posted February 2 Hi guys, Fresh off the bench after 13 years is this beast. It started out as AMT's '62 Impala convertible with a roof from an AMT '63 Impala. I made my own 3d printed interior and Carter AFB carbs and detailed the rest of the engine bay. The paint is a custom mix of SMS pearls to get my own approximation of Twilight Turquoise and the roof is Tamiya TS26. The bumpers, mirror and door handles are SMS Hyperchrome. The Car. Australian racing legend Norm Beechey needed a solution to the problem of beating the Jaguars that were starting to dominate Australian racing in the early 1960's. After reading about Dan Gurney shaking up the Jags in the UK with an Impala he decided to get one and see if it could do the same here. Gurney's Impala was a 2 door but as large capacity 2 door cars were banned under Australian touring car rules at the time Norm had to settle for a four door. Not a big issue as he was going to sell it after he was finished racing anyway. The car arrived and after some running in time it was found there were issues with the 409s bearings and after some correspondence with Mr Gurney a solution was found and the big car ht the track. It only raced 8 times over the course of a year and was expensive to race and maintain so Norm returned it to road car spec and moved on. Anyone who saw the car race back in the day (not me) still talk fondly of it and it has made itself at home in the foggy mythology that is the history of Australian Touring cars. Norm ended up buying the car again and used in targa rally type events. I'm not sure if he still owns it but it pops up now and again at historic events. It also has Model Car Garage PE inside and out and Modelhaus Tyres. So very glad to have this one finished after way too many fights with it. Thanks for looking. Cheers ShawnS 18
bbowser Posted February 2 Posted February 2 Very cool! Who would think an Impala could compete with Jags? Thanks for the history.
Pierre Rivard Posted February 2 Posted February 2 Love the story as it puts the build in perspective. Transforming the body must have been a very difficult journey and the result is fantastic. Buckle up tight, seatbelt is the only lateral support you'll get in this car.
TarheelRick Posted February 2 Posted February 2 That is a beautiful conversion effort. Looks to be factory original, great job.
stavanzer Posted February 2 Posted February 2 Wonderful Build, and Conversion. I'm glad to hear that the car still exists. Good Show.
ShawnS Posted February 3 Author Posted February 3 18 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said: Buckle up tight, seatbelt is the only lateral support you'll get in this car. Thanks guys. Norm didn't seem to mind a bench seat as quite a few of his cars had them he even raced a '66 Nova with a front bench seat for a couple of years. Cheers ShawnS
echo Posted February 3 Posted February 3 Outstanding build with exquisite detailing. Congratulations on completing a long term build, I have a few myself to attend to. Again beautiful build.
Chuckyg1 Posted February 5 Posted February 5 This is a wonderful build. Last bee all the little details. The engine bay is so clean. Nicely done and great lead in story.
W-409 Posted February 5 Posted February 5 Great to see a race car with a cool history being built in scale. I had known about Dan Gurney's '61 Impala, but never knew about this one. Excellent work with the body conversion and the whole rest of the build. Everything seems to be just right. Where are the hose clamps on radiator hoses from?
espo Posted February 5 Posted February 5 The first thing I noticed looking at your build is the realistic looking body lines and trim moldings. The paint looks great and a good match for the OEM paint colors. Like the engine and interior detailing. While I knew of the Dan Gurney adventures, I find your story here every bit as interesting.
ShawnS Posted February 6 Author Posted February 6 19 hours ago, W-409 said: Great to see a race car with a cool history being built in scale. I had known about Dan Gurney's '61 Impala, but never knew about this one. Excellent work with the body conversion and the whole rest of the build. Everything seems to be just right. Where are the hose clamps on radiator hoses fro Thanks again everyone. I'm glad you like the little bit of history that I included as some context makes things a bit more interesting. Niko, the clamps are from an old Crazy Modeler PE set of asst clamps that I've had for years. It's very nice soft metal that bends easily and stays there. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any more available anywhere that I have looked which is a bummer as I would like some more. Cheers ShawnS
Bruce Scully Posted February 10 Posted February 10 Another one of your super builds , looks so right . You are a top class modeller . As an old Beechey fan I love this .
1320 Posted February 28 Posted February 28 Nice work! Great to see the dedication to an Aussie build. Jim
Angry351 Posted March 1 Posted March 1 Love that you've included the bike handbrake throttle blip on the shifter... One of Norm's trademarks!
Brockc Posted April 18 Posted April 18 Man this is one build that inspires me to build a model of Ken Spence’s Mk 2 ford zephyr that had a 289 hi po motor in it. That was a drag and circuit raced during this era of Australian motorsports.
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