1963 Rover BRM (1969 Aurora dual purpose kit)

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  • June 25, 2019 at 11:21 pm #11779
    Avatar photoKen

      I met a guy at the Torcan model show. He said he had a rare 1/32 dual purpose kit that came with parts to be static, or a slot car. He said it was a Rover BRM. I never heard of it, but I like my BRM 578. So my interested was peaked.

      The real car has a turbine engine! Nuts! The kit is at least 50-years old. Aurora Plastics was sold in 1969. Then again in 1971. The company was parted out in 1977.

      This is what came in the box. Besides missing the instructions, it’s also missing one headlight from what I can tell. The chome roll bar, inserts, steering wheel, and tail light bezels all sparkle nicely.

      Some kits are so far from the real car that they are an insult to the manufacturer. This model may actually look a bit more sleek compared to the real car. I’m not complaining about this one in the least. It looks cool to me.

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      • June 26, 2019 at 8:31 am #11780
        Avatar photoMiA

          Great score Ken!! Love it. :heart:

          Ticks all the boxes, British, old, rare, and an orphan!! :good:

          As is my inclination I did a bit of research… :scratch:
          I could find nothing that said this was ever made as a dual kit that came as a static model or with  a possible slot car intention. Perhaps there was some confusion by the seller or I just couldn’t find it listed. Are there mounting posts in the upper body that match the slot chassis?? Or perhaps you also got a spare vintage chassis and motor, an even better deal!! With beautiful inserts I might add!!

          Regardless, these are really, really rare so it will be wonderful to see your build!

          This model looks to have been only produced the one time in 1964.
          https://www.scalemates.com/kits/aurora-672-100-rover-brm–1149921

          This kit is apparently the 1964 LeMans version of the car which did not run due to transportation damage. The 1965 version of the car had 2 air intakes at the base of the rear roof pillar that are visible in some of the videos below.

          And for those so inclined, and now that one will be in the works a little history is in order!!

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover-BRM

          Of course due to it’s uniqueness and to keep it absolutely authentic Ken is intending to  build it with a 60,000 rpm motor with real turbine sound!!

          There will be no confusion with the class in which it runs -as there was at LeMans-, it will be given it’s own class!! B-)

          Really looking forward to seeing it!!

        • June 26, 2019 at 10:26 am #11781
          Avatar photoKen

            Thanks a million for the cool info and videos MIA! It’s really appreciated that we have a historian in the group. :good:

            I’m glad it doesn’t have those crazy intake scoops. It looks cooler without… to me.

            The seller did some research based on the parts that came with the kit. It came with a static chassis. It also came with separate front and rear valance panels to accommodate a slot car chassis. The original owner glued them to the body years ago. The photo below shows the extra valances. I should have posted that with the original group of photos. You can see evidence of the 4-slot car mounting posts that don’t get used for the static interior and chassis. I am not sure what the chassis is yet. But the chassis fits the other blue and green slot car interiors which sort of fit the body already.

            Nice wide arc on the extra valance on the front to clear the guide. Both extra valances were definitely molded and not modified from a spare chassis. Everyone is hunting for the instructions because it will apparently have all the facts. The seller is a model fanatic and came up empty handed. I’m just happy to have found the kit.

            I’m not so sure about a 60k motor in a slot car. I’m still having troubles at 25k.

            The designers built the turbine engine to compete in the 1.6 liter class. The tech officials didn’t know how to class the turbine so they played it safe and called it a 2-liter car.

          • June 26, 2019 at 12:55 pm #11783
            Avatar photoMiA

              WoW!! :yahoo:

              Giving it a closer look it seems that one of the flat Blue and Green interiors would fit the mounting points on the chassis and then fit the mounting points on the body.  As much as I would like to see a 60K track burner :wacko:  it deserves to have the chassis and body together regardless.

              This little orphan has found a good home! B-)

            • June 26, 2019 at 9:20 pm #11785
              Avatar photoKen

                Unfortunately the interiors don’t fit the body post locations very well hence the “sort of fit” statement. They are another brand used to adapt the chassis.

                I’m going to set the old interiors and chassis aside and create a new scratch chassis that will make the car equal to what we build today. :yahoo:

                However. It’s a shame to use this one body and all its parts, and then they are no more. Hmm… 😥

                For example. If I had two of these kits? The 2nd one would probably have an unlimited motor (60k maybe?). I could afford to wreck a car and not worry about it being the only one. B-)

              • June 27, 2019 at 9:13 am #11786
                Avatar photoMiA

                  Positioned on the chassis could the interior be made to fit by adding holes in the proper places for the body mounts and perhaps a little carving??

                  Perhaps if a skilled source were to make a few replica kits many issues could be solved?? I’m in should anything like that happen.

                  Good luck with it however you proceed, can’t wait to see the results!!

                • June 27, 2019 at 12:37 pm #11787
                  Avatar photoKen

                    MIA. Art’s flat interior and driver fit the car nicely (see pic). I can put the outdated stuff that doesn’t fit the car properly in the “drawer of relics”.

                    Here are a few more details as I further investigate the car.

                    Wheelbase = 73.5 mm

                    Body width = 56.5 mm

                    The wheel wells are perfectly round and allow the track width to match the body = 56.5 mm

                    Body weight = 13 grams.

                    A very nice alternative to the 49-Tudor as a slow, or fast Sportcar.

                     

                  • June 28, 2019 at 5:17 pm #11798
                    Arthur

                      Well done!

                      The Happy Canadian Scale Modeler!

                    • July 2, 2019 at 7:20 pm #11802
                      Avatar photof1nutz

                        Great find Ken!

                        The chassis you’ve got is actually a Revell chassis and is not intended for an Aurora kit.

                        Aurora used the K&B (also made by Aurora) chassis which utilized a pancake style motor and was generally slower than the 16D which most other manufacturers of the day used.

                        The chassis mounting posts on your interiors don’t fit a K&B chassis or your body because they are also Revell.

                        Looks like the green one is from an Aston Martin and the blue possibly from a Mercedes

                        The K&B chassis has 2 mounts at the rear fairly close together and one at the front.

                        Ironically it is an aluminum channel type chassis not unlike what you build.

                        Thanks for posting the research Michael. I remember seeing that Pathe film back in the good old days of Speedvision. ;^)

                      • July 2, 2019 at 7:46 pm #11804
                        Avatar photof1nutz

                          I researched a little further and I don’t think the kit ever came with a slot car specific interior so likely it was intended for scratch building.

                          Here is a link to a French site that has good pictures of a few builds as well as pics of other Aurora slot cars and chassis.

                          There is also a pic from a price guide that shows the ‘value’ relative to other Aurora kits. Apparently it is quite rare.

                          http://slot-retro-forum.vraiforum.com/t360-K-B-et-Aurora-1-32.htm

                           

                        • July 2, 2019 at 9:13 pm #11806
                          Avatar photoKen

                            Thanks a million F1nutz! You answered my question about the old chassis.

                            I really got lucky with this one. The gentlemen that sold me the kit was a super nice guy. The $150 price tag suggested for the kit is when all the parts are still in the sprues and nothing is missing. I didn’t get many parts or instructions. Plus this kit was already started.

                            There’s a chance the Rover BRM might end up being more of a common car in S32 circles. I’m not about to have it collect dust and never see the light of day. It needs to be raced. :yahoo:

                          • July 2, 2019 at 9:38 pm #11808
                            Avatar photof1nutz

                              Yes that “value’ is relative and may be for the slot car version which as far as I know doesn’t exist so best to enjoy it the way it was intended.

                              I look forward to seeing it on the track!

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