21 replies to this topic

[tazman]

I went to ED to read up on this car and was floored with the price - $1450. I checked on it in December and it was about $450. Why so much of a jump - is there a real demand for this car in unopened box? Makes me wonder if there was demand for THIS car back in the 60s!

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[Jairus]

Hey, I'll sell mine for $1300 if anyone wants it.

The truth is, no GT 40's were ever offered with a "Team Modified" chassis.
This car is a phantom built from a first gen GT 40 and built to look like a GT 40 Mk2 as ran in LeMans 1966.

 

[Martin]

They are rare for sure but they did make them,and if you have to have one of every Cox car made you arrive at that price. I'm sure someone we know can tell us the production numbers.

Jairus, hate contradicting, but you maybe confusing the stillborn ( prototypes only) Cox GT 40 Mk2 with the team modified. 

Very nicely done GT40 MK2. I always wanted to do one. Would the Fuji model body work or is it to big or???

Now, I cannot find a pic of a adjustable chassis GT 40 in the box. But for $1450 I would like to see inside the box. 

 

Found this also, from Phillippe.

 

Quote

At a time when most slot car models had gone to lighter weight vacuum formed bodies, Cox re-issued their four basic kits (Ford, Chaparral, Cheetah and Lotus) as the "Team Modified series", a very unsuccessful try that lasted only one year. These kits used the new adjustable chassis fitted to the existing body kits, and black ground and trued neoprene sponge tires on modified rear wheels mounted on a threaded axle and retained by an aluminum flanged nut. At first they used the leftover TTX250 motor and used the existing display trays, meaning that two of the wheel blisters remained empty as the rear wheels were now firmly embedded inside the rear tires. Very quickly this changed, and so did the motors. For quite a while, Mabuchi had been increasing its prices on its slot car motors, and the company representatives had become quite arrogant since it completely dominated the market. Leroy Cox sought a solution in Hong Kong and had Mr. Ting source a motor manufacturer on the island. The new Cox motors were called "NASCAR 3500", and were of the same physical size as the Mabuchi, but with more power and torque. They were also not as reliable and more often subject to failure. Large blue stickers were applied on top of the older boxes, as well as new stock numbers printed on small stickers applied at each end of the box. There were also small stickers on the box's sides, indicating that the motors were now made in Hong Kong. The Team Modified kits sold poorly as the wind was blowing more and more in favor of speed versus scale at the raceways, and these models were simply obsolete, being too slow around the track. Intact kits of the "Team Modified" models are now very difficult to find.

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[Jairus]

No, "Team Modified" as I understand it were the adjustable chassis allowing a variation of gear ratios with an aluminum plate holding the motor as I have shown.
The clamped in motor did not.

Yes, mine is a version of one of the long tongue possible prototypes, but the "Team Modified" chassis only appeared under a Ferrari Dino or Chaparral.
Of course there could be the odd variation of old stock being sold with the newer sticker I suppose.   But that would be even rarer, and only supported by another such labeled item.

Do you have a link to the Electric Dreams sale?

[Jairus]

Yeah, but the Ford was never produced.

[Martin]

That is a lot of money for just the Team Modified sticker on a stock GT40 box, I want to see inside the box.

 

http://www.electricd...ox-c-4_179.html

 

See if this gets you there but just the one pic ? How much$ for a peak in the box?

[Jairus]

Thank you, I see it.
That just MIGHT have the correct chassis inside, but with the standard Mk1 body.  Thus the sticker.
I too would love to see inside.

[MattD]

There was a Team Modified Ford GT.    It is not the same chassis as the Dino Ferrari(16D).   It is the same chassis as the Chap 2D(36D).    The body is the basic Ford GT.   Not sure what the inside of the kit looks like, but probably the only change is a switch of frames with the earlier Ford GT kit.

 

There was a TM kit of the Cheetah and Lotus,  probably the Chap 2, but I don't recall ever seeing one.   These kits are rare because  that style of car was very outdated at that time.   The changes were so fast in those 3-4 years of the slot car explosion, that the mag chassis cars were not very competitive and there were quite a few rtr cars that were just better at racing.

 

I'm sure P will check in here with more detailed info,  

 

Bottom line is any rare piece is only worth what someone will pay.  Asking prices mean nothing.

[Jairus]

Sorry Martin, missed your question.
Yes, the Fujumi body on a Cox chassis makes a very nice looking car.
I actually built one and handed it off to Chris Clark for painting.
These are the only two pics I have comparing it to the Cox GT 40.




Chris moved back to England to take care of his parents and so all the other projects I built for him went into storage.
 

[Martin]

Thanks Jairus, great comparison pics. Next time I rumage  through my model kits I will set it the to do pile.

[bossnine]

I beg to differ that COX didn't make an adjustable frame TMS GT40.  I bought this example from an antique picker on ebay probably 15 years ago and it clearly has the adjustable frame.  This was one of those cars that got assembled and ran a couple of laps and then went back in the box and on the shelf for the next 30+ years.  It came with a very nicely assembled and decaled body which I still have on a typical COX mag frame.  I built the body pictured from an NOS carded body kit and sold the example pictured maybe 8-10 years ago for about $600 if my memory serves me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bossnine]

Here is the body that actually came on the TMS car.  Definitely an experienced modeler that built this one and not a 10 year old.  Sorry best picture I have.

 

[bossnine]

Here is another pic of the TMS car/box showing the part number if anyone is interested.

 

 

[MattD]

Darrell, I posted above better info on the TM kits, but wasn't sure if the Chap 2 was ever done that way.    I've seen the other kits, but haven't seen a Chap.   Do you know if it was ever offered in a TM kit?  I figured Philippe would straighten this out, but I guess he hasn't seen this thread.

[don.siegel]

Thanks for posting that. 

 

I got a Cheetah TM a few years ago, and it seemed in good shape, with the box, but I thought it was odd that it had knockoffs on the front and regular Cox nuts on the outside of the wheels in the back... was going to complain to the seller, but I looked at the instruction sheet first and that's the way it was sold. I see your GT40 TM has the same arrangement! 

 

Don 

[bossnine]

Darrell, I posted above better info on the TM kits, but wasn't sure if the Chap 2 was ever done that way.    I've seen the other kits, but haven't seen a Chap.   Do you know if it was ever offered in a TM kit?  I figured Philippe would straighten this out, but I guess he hasn't seen this thread.

 

Matt, Yes the Chap 2C was also offered in the TMS kit as I had one several years ago.  Same sticker on the box, same adjustable frame with sponge tires and flange nuts on the rear.  And.. I think the same same drop arm as the Lotus you show.  I've never had a Lotus TMS but did have a Cheetah TMS once with the same adjustable frame.  Only difference the Cheetah TMS had a different drop arm than the rest of the TMS cars and similar to the Dino mag frame cars.  The Cheetah drop arm was canted upward near the end where the guide flag is as opposed to the Chap, Lotus and GT40 with the long straight drop arm with the ridges running along the bottom.  I have probably got some pictures of the Cheetah and Chap TMS cars but on a floppy disk.  Sometime I will drag out my hardware and download some pics to photobucket and post them.  I regret doing so now but 12 years ago I decided to buy a 70 BOSS 302 Mustang and sold off all but a few cars to help fund the purchase.  I kept an NOS Cheetah RTR I bought off Philippe in 1993, a regular Cheetah kit car and the GT40 with the decals in the previous post.  I've since bought a real nice boxed 2D but sold the Cheetah RTR to Scott Bader or should I say the LA Slot Car Museum about 3 years ago.  I only have three cars left... the GT40, 2D, and Cheetah all in very nice boxes for display.

[bossnine]

Thanks for posting that. 

 

I got a Cheetah TM a few years ago, and it seemed in good shape, with the box, but I thought it was odd that it had knockoffs on the front and regular Cox nuts on the outside of the wheels in the back... was going to complain to the seller, but I looked at the instruction sheet first and that's the way it was sold. I see your GT40 TM has the same arrangement! 

 

Don 

 

Don, I can't remember for certain but I sure thought my Cheetah TMS car had the usual acorn nuts in front, but for sure had the sponge tires glued to American wheels with flange nuts in back.

[MattD]

Darrell,  be glad you sold off your good stuff.  I did the same 15 years ago or so when prices were kind of at a peak and I bought a new Chevy truck.    I have since bought most of what I really wanted at 1/2-2/3 of the prices I sold the same cars for back then.    Only some really outstanding items are still  appreciating.

 

I'm not a kit collector and the only one I have is the second issue Ford GT.  It was the most common kit at my local raceway and  I enjoy showing it to people that were around 55 years ago!   

 

i collect what I really like now without much regard for rarity.   My rarest stuff has ended up in LA, also.   I think many of us can say that!   That's good.  There will be one place where it can all be documented and preserved.    Our numbers will continue to diminish just like Lionel train collectors.

[Allan Feldman]

Just info. The picture Jaruius has is a No 98 MKII that ran at Daytona 1966 not Le Mans Also although the 1/24th Cox Ford GT artwork shows the twin headlight car i.e. Le Mans and Reims. The car is supposed to represent the Daytona winner which has one headlight and a revised front. The Cox 1/32nd Ford GT Box artwork shows the single headlight light car. Both 1/32nd and 1/24th Cox Ford GTs being double headlight slotcars and therefore not what was depicted on the box!

Regards Allan

[Jairus]

You are correct Allan on the race, it was Daytona.  My mistake.
My car is not purely kit based, but a modification of the original Cox GT 40 in an effort to create a "what if" kit had Cox updated the molds.
Nothing more and a lot of work to produce I can tell you!

[bossnine]

Darrell,  be glad you sold off your good stuff.  I did the same 15 years ago or so when prices were kind of at a peak and I bought a new Chevy truck.    I have since bought most of what I really wanted at 1/2-2/3 of the prices I sold the same cars for back then.    Only some really outstanding items are still  appreciating.

 

I'm not a kit collector and the only one I have is the second issue Ford GT.  It was the most common kit at my local raceway and  I enjoy showing it to people that were around 55 years ago!   

 

i collect what I really like now without much regard for rarity.   My rarest stuff has ended up in LA, also.   I think many of us can say that!   That's good.  There will be one place where it can all be documented and preserved.    Our numbers will continue to diminish just like Lionel train collectors.

 

 

Know what you mean Matt... I actually waited a few years too long especially when my NOS Cheetah RTR only brought $330..I think.   I remember seeing one sell for $1200 in the early 2000's.  I would love to go the LA museum but probably never be back in California.  I did get to see Philippes collection in 01 when he had it at the Marconi Museum in Tustin.  I was ought there on business and staying at my bosses house in Tustin so had to make time for that.

 

I am not now,nor ever was, a kit collector either.  I guess they are neat to look at but just not worth the price to me.  I always tried to score loose kits or the ones an experienced modeler built and then never ran like the TMS Gt40.  I did buy a kit once that I found improperly listed in "die cast" stuff.  I guess the picker saw die cast on the box so that is where they listed it.  ebay has changed though, not for the better in my opinion either.  But anyway.. I found a perfect and I mean perfect Cox Lotus kit that looked like it had been laying between two blankets in a cedar chest since 1967 in the die cast section and bought it for a little over $200.  I flipped it about a year later for $1000.  Wish I could do that every day.  That was about 02-03, I think.

 

Funny you mention trains.  I got an American Flyer for Christmas in 1954 when I was 10 months old.  Truth be known dad probably bought it for himself as a 10 month old a little too young.  I eventually sold the train in the early 90's so I could go buy slot cars and not get any heat from the Mrs.  Toy for a toy.  Seemed like a good deal to me as I was never into the trains.

[MattD]

I had trains and slot car sets as a kid, but my uncle with no kids really wanted Lionel.   He bought a cheap loco 2025, I think and Union Pacific diesel set for "us" when we would visit him.   I got this whole setup after he died.    I actually traded the UP for a gray MPC GTO many years ago.    I sold the GTO back when stuff was crazy, but kept the 2025 and actually bought a couple others that I like from the "golden" era of Lionel.   They just set on a shelf, but I do like looking at them.   

 

I can see why guys do model RR'ing, though.   It can be a solitary hobby, much like building routed home tracks with detailed scenery.   Even by yourself you have a fulfilling hobby.    There are several different aspects of both these hobbies.    

 

Running scratch built cars on a detailed track with other like minded guys  must be fun.   I'm sure Pelican Park is great. 

 

I'm happy just to have a few guys that like to run on the local King with the cars I build for them.  I spent a lot of years just collecting and not enjoying the "fun" of playing!!!