8 replies to this topic

[Slot Car Rod]

Paul Newman won the SCCA CP championship in 1979 driving a Bob Sharp racing Datsun 280-ZX.

 

Here is my 1/24th scale slot car version of his winning car.  It uses an Airfix model kit.  The rear fenders were flared out.

A Plafit stock car chassis was shortened and fitted to the Datsun body.  Wheels are Pro-Track, and rear tires are H&R fish foam.  

Wheels that resemble Gotti wheels were found and used as inserts.  The car is powered by a ProSlot D-can motor.

 

The Plafit chassis actually works better with a short wheelbase.  The car is fun to drive and chassis handles the D-can motor power. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bill from NH]

Paul Newman had the driving skills of a professional driver. That's why he drove for the Bob Sharp factory team for several years.

 

The Sharp  race cars always were red, white, & blue.

 

I had a '75 280Z street car & used to source some parts from Sharp. MA had a popular "Z owners" club at the time. The Bob Sharp Nissan dealership in CT was sold in 2020.

 

Rod, nice job on building this slot car. It should be another fun car to drive.

[old & gray]

A professional driver requires many skills, not all of them involve holding a steering wheel.

 

For a man of his age, PLN could wheel a well-prepared car very competently. A driver in the current day needs to bring publicity to the team in a positive sense to attract sponsors and that PLN could do in spades.

 

A driver needs to provide feedback to the team on what a car needs to improve so they can correct problems. "It doesn't go fast enough" is not helpful feedback.

[rvec]

Great Job!  I love hard body racing

[Brian Czeiner]

Great Job!  I love hard body racing

 

It is the grass roots of our hobby.

 

 

Very nice modeling skills Rodney.

[Dave Crevie]

Excellent job!

[MG Brown]

Datsun/Nissan racing cars of this vintage are starting to finally be produced as RTR's.

 

Scaleauto/BRM announced its intention to produce a 1971 240Z RTR Slot Car in three liveries and likely a "white kit," but it will be at least a generation prior to your model.

 

 

Unfortunately, BRM is known for missing ship dates on USA subjects.

 

Having read Newman's book In Pursuit of the Common Good...(an excellent read), I gained a new respect for him even though I had thought he was a very cool guy ever since his role in the movie Winning. Of course, his involvement with Sharp and the partnership with Carl Haas further cemented his uber-hero status in my heart and mind.

 

[bronxcomet]

If you were a LimeRock vet who saw these cars in the heyday, Paul would walk around like an average person.

 

Add a little rain, sit on the hill, and veg on the fall colors—that's the "rock."

 

Cars would fly off and wind up in the forest, thinking Tulius' tempest in the wet!

 

Marty P.....................surfs up

[Slot Car Rod]

Roll cage protecting PLN.