Resin model for today 6/9/22 - Technomodel Lotus 40 driven by Jim Clark

1965 was a pivotal year in North American sports car racing. The US Road Racing Championship (USRRC) would essentially morph into the Can-Am series by 1966. The race at Laguna Seca attracted a who’s who of the greatest drivers of the 1960s, from sports cars, USAC, and F1: Clark, G. Hill, Gurney, Stewart, Amon, McLaren, Foyt, P. Jones, Andretti, Hurtibise, McCluskey, Hall, Sharp, Hangsen, Bucknum, Bondurant, Thompson, Miles, Pabst, and others. The race included cars from Chaparral, Lotus (30 and 40), Lola (Ford and Chevrolet), and McLaren.

Hap Sharp won the race in a Chaparral. But it was Jim Clark’s drive to a second place finish that is considered one of his best. His Lotus 40 was not necessarily fastest, and there was a lot of attrition among the other entrants, but he was able to wrest the best out of his race-damaged car to achieve that result. Car and Driver stated "the front end was lifting so badly on acceleration that he had to bang on what brakes he had left at each turn's apex just to bring it down enough to see round the turn".

Technomodel, better known for their 1/18 scale models, has introduced some new 1/43 scale race cars. Their Lotus 40 is available in four versions, and I opted for No. 43-16B, Clark’s 2^nd place Laguna Seca drive. The model is beautifully done – I especially like the burnishing job they did on the tailpipes to reflect the result of exhaust heat. This is a limited edition of 180 and I got No. 002.