[woodcote]

   

Pioneer P128 1968 Trans-Am Camaro, Blue #23 'Duane Winkel'. Available now

Of all the liveries on the excellent Scalextric 1969 Camaro Z28 moulding, the Al's Body Shop sponsored car is probably my favourite. Although Duane Winkel only started racing his Camaro in Trans-Am during the 1970 season, it was an early-production 1968 Camaro he'd been taking to local SCCA events - so the Scalextric model isn't quite right. Yes, the 1969 updates weren't huge, but there were differences - the most obvious being the front grille. Not that the Scalextric model doesn't look great, but purists can now relax because Pioneer have released the livery on the correct car...

       

Like the Scalextric model, Pioneer will have used the restored historic racer to research the livery. The car is owned by Californian Bill Godwin...

       

The headlamp covers on the Pioneer Z28 could be a smidgeon bigger, but otherwise it's a damn fine model of a great-looking car...

       

Turn the sound up, because here's the restored car in action at Laguna Seca, back in 2016...



Although Godwin's restoration is well known on the Historic Trans-Am scene, the car wasn't much photographed back when Duane Winkel was driving it. Based just south west of Chicago, Winkel focused on his local Mid-West Trans-Am races at Road America and Mid Ohio - although in 1973 he ventured east Watkins Glen and a 900-mile adventure to Sanair, near Quebec. In eight Trans-Am starts, his best finish was 11th at Sanair - so worth the trip.

Duane Winkel caught the racing bug in 1968, seeing Mark Donohue, George Follmer, Sam Posey and Peter Revson take part in the Trans Am race at Meadowdale Raceway, near Chicago. With race partner Al Wilson of Wilson Chevrolet, Winkel added a stout roll cage and the necessary safety equipment to the '68 Camaro and began racing in his local SCCA region. The team made their Trans-Am debut at Road America in 1970, but the Camaro lasted only two laps before retiring. Despite this shaky start Duane Winkel continued his grass-roots efforts with his beautiful and well-built car. However, Duane and Al's dreams of beating the top dogs never materialized.

   

The Duane Winkel Camaro Z28 is one of four new models just released by Pioneer and available from Pendles, Inaslot and other Pioneer stockists. For anyone new to Pioneer Trans-Am cars... they have the same sidewinder set-up as the Scalextric Trans-Ams and are Digital Plug Ready, so a mixed fleet make a stupendously good Trans-Am grid - analogue or digital.