FERRARI 250 Testa Rossa 0754 won the first feature race at the Westwood B.C. Racing Circuit 50 years ago this month

[Phildaupho]

The first feature race at the Westwood Racing Circuit took place on July 26, 1959. The fifth anniversary of the track which was closed in 1991 to become a golf course will be celebrated with Historic Road Races at the Mission BC Raceway July 17, 18 & 19, 2009.

[For more info http://www.westwood50.org/ Download the excellent program at http://www.vrcbc.ca/race%20events.htm].

The three cars that were on the front row for that first feature race are the subjects of my “dioramaâ€.

From left to right

- 57 Corvette – Owner/driver Tom Luce was a former dirt track driver who had a very flamboyant and aggressive style of racing.

- Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – Owner/driver George Keck went onto win the race in the car, which originally was owned by a Yugoslavian living in Guatemala. The car had competed in the 1958 Le Mans 24 Hour Race but dropped out after six hours after a collision. The car has been owned by the same person since 1964, is in pristine condition and is raced in historic events.

- Jaguar D-Type – Owner/driver Jim Rattenbury modified the engine to accept a front mounted supercharger and fuel injection which also required increasing the wheelbase and lengthening the hood. A subsequent owner installed a 427 Ford and later had a very bad crash.

The models

- 57 Corvette – Revell Basic Builder kit was used with Tamiya paint. The windshield frame was cut away leaving on the door glass tracks. Parts box steel wheels and aluminum side exhausts were added.

- Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – The model was built from the excellent Hasegawa kit with the optional photo etched wire wheels. Wire mesh was used for the hood scoop and grill. Distinct rear fender scoops for tire cooling were cut in. The rear fuel tank vents were opened up. The paint is Model Master Custom Lacquer Italian Red without clear coat.

- Jaguar D-Type - A late fifties Merit D-Type kit and parts from a Lindberg kit were to built the model as a curbside with a lengthened hood incorporating the nose from the Lindberg kit. The distinctive rollbar was added as well as a small hood scoop, deeper radiator inlet and front brake cooling ducts. The biggest challenge building this model was working with the very hard and brittle plastic of the almost fifty year old kit.

For more photos of all three cars see

http://public.fotki.com/phildaupho/models_of_historic/

[Crazy Ed]

Wonderful bit of History and nicely built Cars.

Ed Erbeck Jr.

[David Thibodeau]

Very nice work!!

[Bernard Kron]

First off, welcome to the MCM board. I hope we can see more of your great modeling!

For more photos of all three cars see

http://public.fotki.com/phildaupho/models_of_historic/

These are three superb models. They are exceptional replicas based on this historic photo.

I really recommend that folks go out to your Fotki for the additional pics. I especially like the realistic sheen you get to the paint, not too polished, like a race car should be. The slightly raised tape numbers on the 'Vette are terrific. How did you do that? And the chassis shots of the 250TR are a real treat. Great detailing. The modified D-Type is surprisingly pretty with its lengthened hood. And the supporting reference photos of the 1:1s reveal just how successful you were at capturing the essence of these cars in you models.

Bravo!

Edited July 17, 2009 by gbk1

[Nick F40]

Very nice little bit of history and beautiful cars.

[Linetex]

Racing Ferraries,wow!