After a couple of years, I finally completed this Porsche 804 F1 slot car. It is a model of Dan Gurney's French GP winner. The real car is powered with a 1.5 liter flat 8 engine.
Rick told me about an article by Dick Dobson in the June 1964 Model Car Science that inspired this slot car build. Dick built a 1/32nd scale Porsche F1 bodied (Auto Hobbies body I think) slot car. Rick found a 1/24th scale Auto Hobbies Porsche body for me. So, Rick and I discussed building a scaled-up 1/24th scale version of the Dobson car.
Dick Dobson's 1/32nd scale build.
Rick said, "I've been thinking about your idea to build a 1/24th scale version of that cool 1/32nd scale magazine car.
You were thinking of a larger motor for it, and this 6 volt Aristocraft motor shown with a Pittman 196 from the 1/32nd magazine car came to mind".
Rick supplied the Aristocraft motor and the rest of the components for the car. Thanks again, Rick.
The Auto Hobbies Porsche fiberglass body was short on one side. I worked on repairing the body and wanted the body to still look like a factory-finished Auto Hobbies body, so the body was not overly refinished. The intake area of the engine cover was poorly molded. I cut out the intake area and installed some fine mesh screen. Some silver Tamiya lacquer paint was fogged in. The windscreen is from a well-used Shark vacuform body.
Big Dan's helmet sits higher than the roll bar.
The real car has two long and two short exhaust pipes. I went with two pipes.
The chassis is based on a proven design found in the January 1967 Model Car & Racing article by David Ross.
Russkit wheels and Classic brand bevel gears are used. Rear tires are urethane. The guide is Revell.
From the January 1967 Model Car & Racing article by David Ross.
Time to try out the car.
