11 replies to this topic

[TSR]

Another nice model from the house of Pactra, produced in 1968:



This 1965/1966 Ferrari 365P2/P3 with a streamlined body by Drogo was one of the 1965 cars sold by the works to Luigi Chinetti of the North American Racing Team, the US Ferrari distributor. Driven by Sam Posey and Tony Adamowicz, the car was white with a blue stripe. It also ran in 1967. Pactra painted theirs in silver, the only known color, and also sold the clear body separately. The chassis is standard Pactra fare with a soldered brass tubing, aluminum drop arm and independent front wheels.

This model purchased from a seller on ePrey has the later gray sponge tires and was quite dirty. A quick wash and brass cleaning and it looks pretty nice... ready for AKTION!

[Horsepower]

Sweet! I don't know how you find these cherries!?
Anyone looking for a repo of this body should contact Tom Andersen.
http://members.aol.com/ch2a/page1.html

[Lone Wolf]

Here's a pic of a body I was wondering what to do with. Question for Dokk and others, was this made as a factory built car from Pactra? The body mount seems a little cheesy on the underside pic. Only mounted in the middle? My body insert paper has the year as 1966 not 1968. Which is correct? Also the motor in the pic looks to have a riveted endbell. Did Pactra offer rewinds? Still learning.

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[Darkron9]

Just for your own information, I had quit slot racing before 1968, but was a fixture at the tracks in 1966. I had one of these bodies as I was in a "buy all bodies Ferrari" mode during 1965 and 1966 and part of 1967. So the 1966 year is correct.

I bought mine as a clear body only.

Loved those fins!

Ron

[Tex]

That IS a beautiful body, Ron. It needs to have a '66-style inline jaildoor chassis under it. Dokk, what would have motivated such a beast in 1966?

[TSR]

Question for Dokk and others, was this made as a factory built car from Pactra?

Yes indeed, this car was produced as a complete kit or factory-built RTR. But the kit and RTR models not issued until early 1968 according to our Pactra catalogues. However the clear body was produced after le Mans 1966 where the car first appeared in late June. With the model-making factor and mold construction, it is probable that the body was first issued in September or October 1966.

The car ran the 1966 and 1967 le Mans races and ran a couple times at Lime Rock. It was later re-bodied as a standard open P2 and was raced until 1968. The Drogo body with fins was a one-off. The Drogo body was designed for more top speed in the Hunaudieres straight at le Mans, but was found to be unstable. The addition of the two fins helped to keep it straight. It was nicknamed "the White Elephant". It even had a little white elephant painted on the fins after a small wing was added between them in 1967.



The Pactra body mounting is always the same: a 1/16' brass-tubing piece through the drop-arm tubing, and another piece soldered to the back double "hoop" on the chassis. One pin on top, two pins on the sides. It DOES cause some body distorting, but one has to live with it.

[TSR]

More to the story, CLICK HERE

[Prof. Fate]

Hi,

Wow... consistently pulling the fins must have been a nightmare!

Fate

[Allan Feldman]

Yes, it ran in 1966 as number 18; this was without the fins. These were only added in 1967 with dark blue? (I assumed it was a NART entry) background with a small white elephants painted on them.

While discussing this car on another thread, an interesting fact to all you anoraks (including me) emerged. The number 26 was going to be painted dark blue (or black?) with white lettering but the organisers thought it would not show up. So the team had to change this and painted the numbers straight onto the body.

Sorry about the colour confusion but I am sure the tail fins are dark blue but the numbers are black.

Incidentially I have the clear Pactra body.

Regards,

Allan

[TSR]

I DID verify the date of issue of the Pactra body: it was September 1967, not 1966. The kit and RTR were issued for Xmas 1967 and were produced until February, 1968.

[Lone Wolf]

Dokk, Thanks for the info. I was wondering who made the decisions on which bodies would be produced by a company like Pactra. Did they have to pay silly royalties and such as they have to do now?

At the time these were made ('60s ) I had very little interest in the "foreign" jobs as I was a muscle car guy. Only in the last few years have I come to appreciate the true beauty of some of these designs.

[TSR]

No one paid any royalties to anyone at the time. In the new book I tell the story of how that eventually happened when a man by the name of Reeves Whitson organized the British racing car makers into a licensing union.

While it did not work then, it sure does now!