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Exoto is pleased to introduce the quintessential model replicas of
Ford's Sebring and Le Mans winning racers: the immortal Mk IV.
To honor this beautiful racing machine, Exoto designed these high
precision miniatures in grand 1:18 scale, determined to bring you an
unprecedented level of finish and detail.
Each wonderful model replica features full opening parts, working
suspension with genuine coil springs, intricate mechanical components,
a fully wired and plumbed Ford HP427 V8 motor, and the list goes on...
Modeling excellence has been pushed to furious new heights!
Mario Andretti, the fiery, young Italian-American, to take the start of
the Le Mans race in the lovely copper metallic Ford GT40 Mk IV #3. But this
was not to be. The vastly more experienced and patient Lucien Bianchi
was assigned to the opening laps.
The Ford GT40 Mk IV #3 was waiting in third position for Bianchi at the end of
the "Le Mans start" sprint. He got away cleanly and initially all was
well. Every Ford would soon be coming through the pits with one trouble
or another, with the exception of the #1 car. Bianchi was in after a
small stone damaged his windshield. Normally this might not have been a
big concern, but at 200mph on the Mulsanne and with a rash of
windshield failures in practice, he wasn't taking any chances.
At 4 o'clock in the morning, Andretti regained the circuit, having
taken over from Bianchi. The #3 Holman-Moody prepared Mk IV had just
received new brake pads. A moment after disappearing over the hill and
into the darkness, the yellow lights around the circuit began to blink,
reporting an accident. One of the front brakes had locked and sent the
Ford into an uncontrollable spin. The Mk IV came to a rest in the
center of the course after clobbering the walls on both sides of the
track and demolishing itself. Andretti scrambled over the barrier to
await medical attention.
They say bad things happen in threes. Two cars circulating with
Andretti at the time got away without incident. The next car on the
scene, however, was McClusky in his Mk IIB; he purposely spun to avoid
hitting the stopped Mk IV, not knowing that Andretti had abandoned the
big Ford. Now the debris of two cars left no room for safe passage and
Schlesser, in another Mk IIB, was the third victim. And so ended
Holman-Moody's day: three cars lost in a heartbeat.
Happily, Andretti still had an enormously long and successful career
ahead of him. For Bianchi, the highlight of his career was just one
short a year away: victory at Le Mans (in another GT40, no less)!
Version: Le Mans, car #3
Drivers: Mario Andretti, Lucien Bianchi
Features: Authentic Copper Metallic paint scheme
Diecast modeling excellence has been pushed to furious new heights!
Each wonderful Exoto model replica features full opening parts, working
suspension with genuine coil springs, intricate mechanical components,
a fully wired and plumbed Ford HP427 V8 motor, and the list goes on and on
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