2 replies to this topic

[John M Wimett]

What if Chevrolet had not re-instated the factory sponsored ban on racing in 1963.

The development of the big block "Mystery Motor" would have continued and Rex White would have continued to receive financial support and cars from Chevrolet.

 

Instead Rex was dropped by Chevrolet and the 1963 Impala with the "Mystery Motor" he was testing went to Smokey Yunick in Florida.

Junior Johnson scrambled to buy all of the "Mystery Motors" he could find (17 or 18 were made) to finish out the 1963 stock car season.

Junior once said "I led every race I started with that motor until something happened to it."

 

The first two photos are a tribute to a season Rex White wouldn't have, a 1964 Chevrolet Impala powered by the "Mystery Motor" and Rex's livery at the time.

It is a hard body model kit, the chassis is a Hogure with short drop arm and articulating front end, motor is a Globe SS-91.  The interior is a resin re-pop of the Cox stock car with a Cox Chaparral driver holding on to a Impala steering wheel.

 

The next two photos are a tribute to the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport that was a victim of the same racing ban.  This model represents the number 006 of 125 Grand Sports that were originally planned to be built.  That number would have allowed them to compete with the Cobra's head to head.

 

The tribute is a hard body model kit in the configuration that was sent to Nassau Bahamas in November 1963 for the Trophy Race.

The chassis with drop arm and motor are by Champion.

 

 

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[Martin]

Great looking cars, John. Very nicely done. You mention the racing ban, was Chevy working with Chaparral in secret around this time ?

Kinda quiet here in amateur 1/24. Sorry I did not complement sooner.

[John M Wimett]

Thank you for the compliment.  They were a winter project that managed to run into springtime!  I paint outside and had to wait until the weather warmed up this year, not that it helped. I don't paint enamel on hard bodies, about nine in the last eighteen years. 

 

I am a big Chaparral fan and from everything I've read it seems that Chevrolet continued to support Jim Hall big time through the sixties.  One, he was located far away in Midland, Texas and two, he owned his own race track for testing.  About that same time Jim Hall hired Roger Penske as a driver and then as team manager, it was Penske who arranged to have Reynolds Aluminum (he had worked for them) cast the small block motor in aluminum.  Hall was so intent on developing his own race cars that he didn't have much interest in the Corvette Grand Sport.