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Carrera Ferrari 365 P2

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wixwacing
Marshal!!!
Posts: 1871
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 9:22 am

Carrera Ferrari 365 P2

Post by wixwacing »

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Carrera Ferrari 365 P2
North American Racing Team
1965 Le Mans



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by Phil Wicks


The NART 365 P2 Spyder was one of two similar cars entered for the 1965 Le Mans, both were supplied by Scuderia Ferrari being one of a variety of models they were entering that year. NART had one 365 but still fielded other Ferraris. UK importer Maranello Concesionaires entered the other car but this was doomed to fail on lap 101 with ignition problems.


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The car was a streamlined version built around a previous Ferrari ‘P’ chassis and was equipped with a 4.4 SOHC V12 engine. Drivers were, Pedro Rodriguez and Nino Vaccarella. The car started well and after a grueling 24 hours the car took honours for 7th position. The NART team sister car , a Ferrari 250 LM was overall winner, being driven by Maston Gregory, Jochen Rindt and Ed Hugus.


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The North American Racing Team (NART) was created by businessman Luigi Chinetti in 1958 to promote the Ferrari marque in United States through success in endurance motorsport. Ferrari’s close relationship with Chinetti ensured NART received a continuous line of Ferrari racers. They figured extensive in endurance racing result for the next two and a half decades using almost exclusively Ferrari’s products.


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At the time, the 365 P2 was the ultimate version of the Ferrari 250LM. It shared the car’s basic spaceframe chassis and overall shape. The body design was upgraded continuously and in 1965, regulations meant that the front windscreen was unnecessarily tall, but it gave the P2 Ferraris a distinct appearance. The car raced alongside the 330 P2. and was specifically intended for the 1965 Le Mans 24 hour.


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NART raced only at the world’s premier races, such as the Daytona 24 hour, The Le Mans 24 hour and Sebring 12 hour which in 1958 was their debut event. In 62 and 63, Pedro Rodriguez ran NART cars with great success. A NART entered Ferrari 158 saw John Surtees win the 1964 F1 world championship. Their final great achievement was 1965 when NART where at the wheel for Ferraris last outright win of Le Mans.


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So, gazing at this model we are gazing at the personification in 1/32 scale of a memorable period of American International motorsport! As expected when I ordered it the model is a good rendition and also a good racer.
Also as expected the model will be durable and survive anything little Tommy can dish out, and still be in raceable condition once Tommy has gone to bed and dad takes over the steering wheel.


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Body colour is excellent and it has an almost flawless clear coat to make it shine. And I love these early sports cars as there are few sponsors and tampo is not crowded around the door areas causing visual grid lock. Added detail is minimal in that there are some nicely modeled fuel caps! but not too much else. Carrera have reproduced the trammel mechanism in the wiper arms, and exhaust and light detail is minimal. The ‘knock off’ spinners are moulded as part of the wheel detail and this tells me the model is designed and built for home racing.


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The model is a spyder and driver’s tray detail is best as can be expected under the circumstances but Carrera have made a good job of it and there are no “Smothers Brothers” driving this car! With the body off we can see more durable handicraft with the home racer in mind. The body weighs in at 19 grams which surprises me somewhat but this is all to the betterment of the model. Carrera bodies normally weigh in at more than 30 grams, and the odd model at 40!


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Looking at the business end of the model I note the tyres come with full tread detail. Tyre compound feels to be a rubber of sorts, but we all know by now what happens to Carrera tyres if you use tyre treatment on them don’t we kiddies! The wheels are also two pieces which Carrera have done before, in some cases it is only the tyre sitting on the rim which holds the halves together! I also notice that the rear tyres are 0.5 mil wider than the fronts MMmmmmmm?!


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Topping this, and with Verniers in hand, I can definitely confirm that the wheel major step (centre ridge) is at least two centimetres proud of the tyre step. At this stage I am not aware if anyone is making urethanes, but I am sure the day can’t be far away.


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Looking underneath the body I see that this is another model which has been set up for lights. There are definitely light mounting brackets on the chassis, and the dead give away is the black paint, underbody, front and rear used to stop light bleed through the model! One of the most critical parts of a slotcar is the guide. Without a good guide system you are just a marshal’s nightmare. Carrera have once again opted for a spring return, self centering guide. As I have mentioned before, It has its advantages but my concerns lay in the corners where the spring guide is working against the wishes of the model.


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The model also comes with one spare standard guide, and one smaller guide which helps the model perform on Scaley, SCX and Ninco track. Carrera doesn’t have ‘inner’ curves, being a 1:24 system, therefore the model doesn’t need the narrower and shorter guides for the tighter bends. Going back to the guide return spring, this is accessed by the removal of a couple of screws at the front of the model thereby which the spring can be doctored if you require! The braids themselves are of the plug in quick change variety and can be changed in a jiffy. Spare braids and the smaller guide blade are accessed in the rear of the crystal display case!


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As we approach the end of the review there are only a couple of items to mention. Old hat to the seasoned Carrera racer are the two traction magnets securely clamped into the bottom of the chassis. One between the contrate and the motor; the other, between the motor and the polarity switch; they are removable though, without damaging anything, with the aid of a screwdriver. The two magnets are for use on low magnetically sensitive track like Carrera, and you may well find that there is too much magnetism for the regular steel conductor rails like Ninco, Scalextric and SCX!


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Also a perennial fixture is the polarity reversing switch. The motor is a can end drive which will give you lots of options if you race a variety of motor classes, and more often seen in Carrera models these days is the independent front end. Front wheels which revolve independently of each other, reducing front end drag in turns.


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Not being a magnet car racer I cannot give you the benefit of insight to that type of racing, what I can tell you is that the model set up is in line with Carrera’s current mode of construction, it therefore has to follow that the model should run well out of the box all bar a bit of blueprinting both inside and out. Closer to home on non magnetic board tracks the model is a little skittish out of the box but this is attributable to the tread on the medium soft tyres.


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A little light sanding saw the cornering performance improve quite dramatically, but, as mentioned before, over time, these tyres do funny things if treated with chemicals of any kinds. Nearly all Carrera owners must have experienced their rear (and sometimes front) tyres withered like dried prunes when next removed from the race box! And, as mentioned before, urethanes at this stage may not be available because of the wheel profile. No doubt someone will remedy that in the near future.


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Ferrari 365’s on eBay



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Reversing into the start position Le Mans 1965 note the wiper parked in the upright position and no black bezel round the headlight covers

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So what do we have? A great little model which in reality will make a great little shelf queen rather than a great racing car, but there will be those who will get them to fly, but, in my opinion, this model’s strong point is that it will take an NC1 or a TX1 motor at the drop of a hat, and you will end up with a model which is great to drive without being a pocket rocket. This model may well spend the early part of its life in my race box, then it will sit beside the rest of my classic sports cars!


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When I'm not racing slotcars,
I'm out in the back yard, burning food!!

When I win, it's because of my talent, not my car or my controller!
holty
Spectator
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2010 3:48 am
Location: Melbourne South east

Re: Carrera Ferrari 365 P2

Post by holty »

As for MJK tyres on Carrera classic racers, I could get the 21 x 7mm (Ninco classic size 4214 I think) ones to fit on the Carrera AC Cobra. Its wheel had a large centre step that meant the MJKs sat up off the rim. To remedy, I mounted the tyres inside out on another wheel to spin like a lathe, and used a file to cut the recess deeper. The tyres then fit well, and the AC Cobra is now my fastest skinny tyred car.
So assuming the Ferrari P2 has similar wheel dimensions to the Cobra, the above trick should work.

Holty
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