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New Fly Hesketh 308B has arrived!
#1

The first two Fly Hesketh 308B models have - at last - arrived. And the James Hunt car is selling out very fast...

       

       

There are plenty of fabulous pics and stats - as always - over at Pendle Slot Racing, where you can still buy both cars at the time of writing for £49.50 each...

Fly A2006 Fly Hesketh 308 No.24 Dutch GP 1975 1st, James Hunt. www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/fly-hesketh-308-no-24-f1-james-hunt

Fly A2007 Fly Hesketh 308 No.26 Monaco GP 1975, Alan Jones. www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/fly-hesketh-308-no-26-f1-alan-jones

So what's the big fuss? Firstly, a lot of slot car enthusiasts are of an age that the 1970s F1 cars really mean something. All the Fly F1 cars are particularly lovely too. But the combination of Hesketh and Hunt is something a bit special...




The ITV documentary "When Playboys Ruled the World" - about the lives of James Hunt and Barry Sheene - is definitely worth watching in its entirety here.

The Hesketh Racing Formula One era - with Lord Hesketh at the helm and James Hunt driving - lasted just three years and was utterly glorious. They started out with a March 731 in 1973, picking up unlikely podiums at Zandvoort and Watkins Glen. Together with the car, Hesketh also brought in a young designer from March - one Harvey Postlethwaite - who modified the 731 and then designed the all-new Hesketh 308 for the 1974 season.

Powered by the Ford Cosworth DFV (Lord Hesketh had planned to produce his own V12), the 308 was the first of many Postlethwaite classics - a pretty conventional design, fast, but rather unreliable. Hunt put the 308 on pole at its debut at the Brands Hatch Race of Champions, but span out on lap four. At the 1974 International Trophy at Silverstone (I was there), Hunt recovered from clutch and gear stick problems to beat Ronnie Peterson's Lotus for the race win. In the World Championship, Hunt struggled to make it to the end of races - although when he did, he finished near the front. Hunt and Hesketh ended the 1974 season having scored third place finishes at the Swedish, Austrian and USA Grand Prix, plus a fourth in Canada.

The 1975 season started with some modifications to the car - now designated 308B. The most obvious is the second front wing or 'cow-catcher' and the repositioned oil radiators. Underneath, there was Postlethwaite's revolutionary rubber sprung front suspension. With four 308 chassis built, two were sold to other teams - including the Harry Stiller Racing car driven by Alan Jones at Monte Carlo. In Hunt's hands, the 308B was competitive throughout the 1975 season, challenging for the win at the first two Grand Prix, before grabbing a historic victory in the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and going on to finish fourth in the World Championship.

       

The win at Zandvoort was a memorable one - the plucky British playboy privateers somehow beating world-champion-elect Niki Lauda and the might of Maranello. Hunt had qualified third, behind the two Ferraris. Rainstorms - which, with the Zandvoort sand, gave all the cars a yellow tinge - delayed the start of the Grand Prix and meant all the cars started on wet tyres. Hunt dropped back early on, but an early stop for dry tyres saw him in the lead after everyone else had been to the pits. Lauda put Hunt under enormous pressure for the final 20+ laps, but the Hesketh driver stayed ahead - something he'd failed to do at the season-opener in Buenos Aires. The Ferrari was quicker through the corners, but the Hesketh had the legs on the straights. Hunt's victory was greeted by a huge roar from the Dutch crowd.

The Fly model captures that day - including the sand-coloured body panels behind the front wheels. It is a super looking car and an icon of 1970s Formula One racing. It is going to be a difficult one to resist!

At the end of 1975, Lord Hesketh withdrew from Formula One, Hunt moved to McLaren and Postlethwaite took a new design to the Wolf-Williams team. However, Hesketh Racing did live on for another three years in the hands of co-founder and team manager Anthony 'Bubbles' Horsley. Time was finally called halfway through the 1978 season.
[+] 4 members Like woodcote's post
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#2

Nice designed body... I wonder where they got the designs from  Tappingfoot


I think I'll wait for the SRC version, which will be quicker (might be a long wait though).
[+] 1 member Likes ABBO's post
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