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Ford GT40s dominate Le Mans Legend

18 June, 2015

The spectacle that is the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been stealing all the headlines this week, but just as exciting — if not even more so, dare we say it — was the biannual ‘support’ race that is the Le Mans Legend.

This amazing warm-up to the real deal 24 Hours of Le Mans recently had the rules changed, allowing entry of iconic racing vehicles from between 1949 and 1968 — with a line-up including such elegant machinery as the Ford GT40, Porsche’s 908 and 910 race cars, and Jaguar C-types, all alongside the characterful vehicles of the era that made Le Mans what it is, the racing would always be great.

Image: Jakob Ebrey Photography

And great it was, with a field of 61 entrants racing cars as diverse as an Alpine A220, Shelby Cobra, and Alfa Romeo TZ1. Ultimately, the podium would be taken over by the blue oval, with a pair of Ford GT40s taking pole and second — a fitting flashback to the cars’ dominance at Le Mans 50 years ago, especially considering both cars had competed at La Sarthe in the 1960s.

Bernard Thuner took pole behind the wheel of Claude Nahum’s GT40, with Andrew Smith and James Cottingham in hot pursuit, to claim second. Ludovic Caron took third in a Shelby Cobra, with David Hart finishing in fourth behind the wheel of the AC Cobra. The GT40s’ dominance didn’t end on the podium either, with Richard Meins’ GT40 coming across the line in fifth, and Philip Walker and Miles Griffiths’ GT40 right behind.

There’s a reason Le Mans is still considered the world’s premier motorsport event, and its rich history — still showcased in such an awesome manner — is why. What a race!

Coaching from the bench: Casting plastic knobs and rubber parts

16 July, 2026

Casting rubber items is simple if you have a good original to work with. The item doesn’t have to be perfect. You can use plasticine to smooth out cracks, and you can even make whole prototypes out of low-fire modelling clay available from craft stores if you need to. Prototypes can also be made of wood or metal.
You will need mould dams to contain the liquid urethane moulding solution until it cures. You can build boxes out of strips of wood, but I have found that small plastic boxes and bowls such as those you would use for leftovers in your fridge work well if you spray them with a mould release agent.
Temperature is important to the chemical processes involved, so work in an area that can be maintained at around 20 degrees. You will also need adequate ventilation because the fumes can be dangerous to breathe. And you will want to wear latex gloves to protect your hands.

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.