'61 Thunderbird Pace Car

[Scottnkat]

I decided that I wanted to build a '61 Indy 500 Pace Car. As many of you know, there is no '61 Thunderbird kit, so I had to modify the '62 kit. I started by sanding off all the trim, then making the '61 trim for it. The hood also differs between the two years, so I sanded down some half round sprue, rounded the ends, then applied that to the hood to make the hood appear as a '61. I hope you enjoy the pics:

[Scottnkat]

Forgot the engine shots:

[Bartster]

Very nice, Scott. Not being a Ford guy, I never noticed the subtle differences between '61 &'62. Now l see! What color did you use on the body?

[rmvw guy]

I've always been an Indy 500 fan, living 70 miles from the speedway. I always enjoy seeing pace cars or anything related to the race Nice job on your model and thanks for sharing.

[Scottnkat]

I used the Testors Inca Gold - I'm usually an enamel guy, but I thought this would be a nice change.

[Scottnkat]

Thanks for the comments, guys. I appreciate it

[TooOld]

That's a very cool build ! Was the original pace car that sort of color ? I thought they were always white .

[Scottnkat]

Thank you, Bob. The original cars were painted in gold - here's a pic that I used for reference:

I found a few pics of the pace cars - a few of which had a white interior. I personally prefer a lighter interior myself, so I decided to do the white interior on my build.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Scottnkat

[Guest]

That is beautiful!!

[Ron Hamilton]

There was an original annual kit of the 1961 Thunderbird. It is extemely rare, and yes I have one. Nice job on the pace car.

[roadhawg]

Oh, man.....that sure is pretty! I think '61 was Ford's best year!

[bondo bill]

that is really cool

[Scottnkat]

Thank you for the comments, guys. I do appreciate it.

I figured that there was probably an annual kit, but I had never seen one - thank you for that correction, Ron.

[CorvairJim]

A great job as always, Scott!

[Scottnkat]

Thanks, Jim - your comments are always appreciated

[Jon Cole]

How cool is that?! Awesome Pace Car!

[Scottnkat]

Thank you for the compliment, Jon