Ferrari 250 GTO s/n 3987GT, Sebring 1963 : Roger Penske/Augie Pabst

[1959scudetto]

In October 1962, Luigi Chinetti /NART bought  GTO 3987GT and his car won the 1000 km Paris(Monthléry) with the Rodriguez brothers at the wheel. Shortly afterwards, he sold the car to John Mecom - his Mecom Racing team campaigned the car with Roger Penske driving at most events, sometimes together with Augie Pabst. The car was repainted in the well-known Mecom colors of metallic blue with a white stripe.

In Sebring they achieved a 4^th overall behind 3 Ferrari prototypes, winning the GT 3,0 class:

Internet pictures by Louis Galanos and Bernard Cahier :                 

 

At the end of 1963, the car was sold again and after several ownerships, 3987GT finally ended up in the famous Ralph Lauren collection in 1985.

On to the model: 

I bought a cheap, unpainted  buildup of Revells  kit from 1989 (ex-Italeri ) and wanted to turn it into the 1963 Sebring class winner – the goal was a quick curbside build to show off Jason’s fantastic 3D printed  Borrani wheels.

Building turned out to be a string of troubles and took much longer than expected: the paint still has some issues, but as this is supposed to be a racer and not a show-queen, I called it a day .

As a 3^rd cooling slot had been cut into the body sides between practice and race, I tried Ace’s method in replicating that.

Anyway, I’m glad it is finally done – some small touch-ups here and there will be done, otherwise it is finished. Its best feature is the Borrani rims and Dunlop racing tires from Jack Modeling  – highly recommended  - see my separate topic in the Car Aftermarket/Resin/3 D printed section!    

On to the pics (taken today):

         

       

Edited November 15, 2023 by 1959scudetto

[Jim B]

Great looking Ferrari.  Well done.

[Rich Chernosky]

Helmut...despite all your trials and tribulations you managed to turn out a very respectable model.   Well done.  Helpful hint..if I may.  Next time you need a thin parting line stripe  lay a piece of appropriate color vinyl tape on a piece of glass. Cut it the width you want with a sharp blade and metal straight edge.  Apply like tape where you want it. You can even adjust it when  its on the model with a toothpick or similar. Much easier than trying to paint it although you still did a great job. 

[Pierre Rivard]

Nice to see Jason's wheels & tires on a finished model. You gave new life to an old kit and Jason's parts are a definite upgrade for these nice Ferraris.

Thanks for sharing it Helmut. We never tire of seeing cars from your GTO stable.

[Yeah Nah]

Great job on this Helmut. Also makes a nice change to see a Ferrari not painted red! ?

[afx]

Nice work.

[250 Testa Rossa]

Looking good! How can I get in touch with Jason? Would like to order a set of his wheels.

[1959scudetto]

26 minutes ago, 250 Testa Rossa said:

Looking good! How can I get in touch with Jason? Would like to order a set of his wheels.

Here is his e-mail-address:   contact.jackmodelling@gmail.com

[1959scudetto]

13 hours ago, Yeah Nah said:

Great job on this Helmut. Also makes a nice change to see a Ferrari not painted red! ?

I have always liked Ferraris in colors other than red...

[1959scudetto]

18 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

Nice to see Jason's wheels & tires on a finished model. You gave new life to an old kit and Jason's parts are a definite upgrade for these nice Ferraris.

Thanks for sharing it Helmut. We never tire of seeing cars from your GTO stable.

Thanks, Pierre, these wheels are definitive worth it - can't wait to see what excellent GTO you're going to build next.

I need a quickbuilder now - this was giving me endless troubles I had not expected. My skills have rusted a bit and I don't have the patience for super detailing like you and Ace and Andy show in your WIPs - there is some competition going on, raising the bar always higher...

 

 

[happy grumpy]

That's a beautiful replica Hemut. The greater the pain , the greater the reward.

[1959scudetto]

20 hours ago, Rich Chernosky said:

Helmut...despite all your trials and tribulations you managed to turn out a very respectable model.   Well done.  Helpful hint..if I may.  Next time you need a thin parting line stripe  lay a piece of appropriate color vinyl tape on a piece of glass. Cut it the width you want with a sharp blade and metal straight edge.  Apply like tape where you want it. You can even adjust it when  its on the model with a toothpick or similar. Much easier than trying to paint it although you still did a great job. 

Rich, your contributions are always very helpful -I will try this next time when facing a similar situation. 

[Hoffman]

Helmut, your GTO looks GREAT! Very nice. ? Love the wheels and tires, and authentic colors and markings. You captured the original really well. Thank you for sharing. Keep up the good work!

By the way; now that it's done and resting on your shelf, GTO stands for "Great-To-Own". ?

Edited November 7, 2023 by Hoffman
typo

[Dave B]

Looking good Helmut, a fair bit of extra work to replicate the racer, congratulations.

Dave B

PS the wheels do look good!!

[ChrisR]

Very nice!

[PappyD340]

Looks great!

[Phildaupho]

Great to see a GTO in a non-red livery and I think it is very interesting that models of two cars Roger Penske actually raced at Sebring in '63 and '64 are simultaneously  Under Glass.

Roger's Team Penske has a very successful year in 2024 with an Indy 500 win, a NASCAR championship and some wins with the Porsche 963 GTP.

[Gramps46]

I am late to the thread but you did a great job with this GTO.  Your attention to details is noteworthy.

[1959scudetto]

On 11/10/2023 at 7:45 AM, Dave B said:

Looking good Helmut, a fair bit of extra work to replicate the racer, congratulations.

Dave B

PS the wheels do look good!!

Thanks, Dave - I tried to get the details correct as far as possible, but after painting I realised that the ventilation slots behind both side windows should have been closed (they do not exist on this very car). Unfortunately, I had almost run out of the color (can was used up), so I let it be like that.

[1959scudetto]

On 11/13/2023 at 2:53 AM, Phildaupho said:

Great to see a GTO in a non-red livery and I think it is very interesting that models of two cars Roger Penske actually raced at Sebring in '63 and '64 are simultaneously  Under Glass.

Roger's Team Penske has a very successful year in 2024 with an Indy 500 win, a NASCAR championship and some wins with the Porsche 963 GTP.

Phil, I like Ferraris in other colors - the works cars have to be red, anyway.

Penske's cars of 1963 and 1964 at the same time under glass is pure coincidence.

[1959scudetto]

On 11/16/2023 at 5:01 PM, Gramps46 said:

I am late to the thread but you did a great job with this GTO.  Your attention to details is noteworthy.

Thank you Gary, I always appreciate your comments.