P1001

[Keith]

Sorry Jim, it's a well known fact that Hoffa and Lord Lucan were gay lovers and skipped off to Bali.....where Elvis was waiting with Michael Jackson......:heart:

However, the excess baggage costs for Hoffas concrete filled 40 gallon drum was too excessive even for the Teamsters bank account, so Lucan went on his own. As for Hoffa, it has been years since I cleared out my garage, and I have a sneaking suspicion...........

 

[Jimmy P]

Jim and Keith, a couple of classic responses that brought a chuckle to my day. Well done.

Andrew, In the most recent photos I see nary a wing mirror in sight. Do you plan on putting them on 1001? I can't figure out how these drivers could race a car without having something to aid them in the race. I know the cars must have been fitted with a rear view mirror but when I look out of mine all I see are 8 little trumpets and not much else. Maybe a classic case of the old Italian driving method that being....."what is behind you does not matter!"

 

[Andrew Komosa]

Hi Jimmy... by the time this monochrome photograph was taken in 1970/1, the car had sprouted wing mirrors, probably for road use. The holes in the front clip are still there today and will be filled with a pair of period Les Lestons. Well spotted and a good question which keeps me on my toes... Andrew

 

[Andrew Komosa]

Re: P/1042 (1001)

Recently, BIG NEWS keeps flooding in, as I have received information that Kiwi Chris Amon, the 1966 Le Mans winner with Bruce Mclaren, is to test drive P/1042 (1001) upon completion in New Zealand. Although we had no plans for this, my wife Debbie and I have decided to fly out to NZ next Spring to be present during the track sessions and meet the great man himself. For now, I attach a few more photographs of GT40P/1001, which John S Allen kindly donated to the project archives. Enjoy... Andrew

 

[Andrew Komosa]

In addition, this latest trio of photographs, provides more evidence that my front clip was renewed in 1968 following this accident at Spa. Note the driver's door scoop, which is a perfect indication of the pictures being of GT40P/1001. Looking back through all the images, it's apparent that the car used both styles of front nostril panel, the single and double vent varieties. This is good, because the panel I'm using has a single vent and is off GT40P/1020.. the Le Mans Museum car... Andrew

 

[Andrew Komosa]

Re: P/1042 (1001)

I keep going on about this, but this is what interests me- as my wife, Debbie, and I visited our local village classic car show last Sunday in our 1966 bright yellow Porsche 912 "Love Bug". Flicking through a pile of books, Debbie came accross a 1967/8 Motor Racing year book. There she found an incredible and very rare photo of GT40P/1001 with Denis Hulme, while he was racing for Sid Taylor. Rare, because it's an interior shot, showing the instrument panel. Can you help me please identify the switches and gauges? Is that a clock on the far right? We were also talking to another stall holder in the autojumble and he said he used to be best friends with the late Matt Daghorne, I think the last driver to race GT40P/1001 in 1969, before it was registered for the road. Any help with identifying the instruments and switch labels, would be welcome... Andrew

 

[Andrew Komosa]

"SKCOLLOB".. it's not a left hand drive! Try again.. Andrew

 

[Mark Clapp]

Hi Andrew, they must have flipped the negative of the photo over before printing the picture. The door opening and dash layout looks left-hand drive in the picture but we know it can't be. The gauge on the far right is really the speedometer, which is normally in the far left position. I can't read the switch labels.

Mark Clapp

 

[Andrew Komosa]

Hi Mark. I was in a rush and wasn't aware the scanner had reversed the image. The second attempt (above) is correct. I would be grateful if people could name the switch labels and gauges please? Thanks in advance... Andrew

 

[Jos]

Can I claim the easy one - to the left of his right hand two switches - fuel pumps under - double ended arrow between - off above on below

I think the layout for gauges is speedo/amp/fuel/oilpress/oiltemp/rev/watertemp

 

[Andrew Komosa]

OK, the gauges I have to go out to NZ are:- CAV ammeter, Smiths Rev, Speedo, oil temp, oil pressure, water temp, fuel quantity and fuel pressure. I think the left hand switch says "PASS", could this be the lower driving/passing lights, and not the BRAKES O/RIDE label, to turn off ones brake lights when a rival is getting too near your rear end!

 

[Keith]

In practice I found the opposite to be the most useful option when being harried from the rear (oooer missus!)

The ability to flash ones brakelights forcing the pursuer to brake too early can only be decribed as a "Prevent Pass" button. Like brake testing without slowing!

Priceless!

Switching them off at a crucial moment when being closely followed could result in a rather intimate, and somewhat destructive rear ending....

I'm quite sure both methods were employed in the day though..:thumbsup:

 

[Jos]

Andrew - having looked at every dash Google could find I'm still sure most cars only had five (not six) small gauges - best shot is here : Mirage GT40 | Gelscoe Motorsport

The three left hand switches are usually lights and your middle says 'HEAD' - the other two may be SIDE & SPOT - it is possible the left hand of the pair through the wheel says 'DIP' ie high/low beam - the right hand appears to have an & beginning line 2

Your photo is unusual in having two fuel pump switches - as the more normal single switch is often elsewhere this throws the location of the other switches on the dash eg radiator fan - wipers/washers - indicators (called winkies by one team - they all marked up differently) etc

If you want to email a hi-res scan (larger than 72 kb !) I'll take another look

 

[Andrew Komosa]

Thanks for the detailed response. If it were five gauges, then we'd have ammeter, oil pressure, water temp and two fuel quantities, plus larger tacho and speedo. However, a reliable source, someone who runs a classic racing car garage and who has had a lot of original GT40s through his hands, says he's never seen one with any fuel gauge, so that would leave room for oil temp and fuel pressure. Hhhmmmm.. as most replicas have two fuel quantity gauges, but no oil temp, nor fuel pressure, makes this interesting. The problem is only period photographs tell the real tale, as modern restorations often do not get everything 100% accurate and, after all, I don't think two GT40s were exactly the same back in the day in any case. I'll certainly email you a better quality scan, so we might be able to get to the bottom of yet another puzzle. Where's our Ronnie, when you need him??? Cheers.. Andrew

 

[40 Bud]

According to the GT40 Illustrated Parts List there are 8 Guages. 2 fuel (one by the speedo and 1 at the drivers end of the dash), 1 oil pressure (next to the tacho), 1 water temp
(other side of tacho), then the 1 oil temp, then the ammeter and last the speedo.

 

[Andrew Komosa]

Latest photographs of P/1042 (1001)s reconstruction... Andrew

 

[Jim Rosenthal]

And then you get to talk it all apart again and paint it.....but at least you know everything will fit together after it's painted......looks like it is coming along handily.

 

[Dave P]

Andrew:

Spent some time this weekend going over your thread. I noticed that on the back side of the roof spider it looks as P1001 has slotting for venting in the photographs. Is that for the cabin or air intake?

 

[Andrew Komosa]

Hi Dave... I'm not sure which slots to which you refer, but GT40P/1001 would have had the longitudinal row of slots in the rear of the roof spider, as all the first six production GT40s had (that's what I understand anyway). These slots were designed to suck the air out of the cabin, as there is a low pressure area there. The early cars had ventilation under the seats and it was thought it would keep drivers cool at speed. I have read, it didn't work as planned, hence the later cars have not got them. As the roof spider on an original GT40 is steel, not glassfibre, these will not appear on P/1042, as they don't form part of the fibreglass bodywork off GT40P/1001. I hope this answers your excellent question. Perhaps, those better informed than I, will agree or disagree? Best Wishes.. Andrew

 

[Dave P]

Andrew:
Those longitudinal slots are exactly the ones I was referencing. I found your thread very interesting in regards to building a gT 40 as it would be if it was its current age. My only part that has a GT 40 part number on it are the doorhandles which I got from Lee Holman. Keep up the good work and the awesome documentation.