- BODY: Road Race Replicas
- WHEELS & TIRES: Vincent
Although it’s relatively new and not vintage, this beautiful car has to be amongst the most valuable in my collection. I frequently mention how Road Race Replicas, and the cars and accessories they make, are what really got me into this hobby, and looking at this car, its pretty clear why! RRR makes their bodies in very small quantities and they are a “when they’re gone, they’re gone” proposition. And if their stunning model of the Ferrari 250GTO is their best work to date, this awesome pony car must be the 2nd best.
RRR made the Mustang fastback in 7 original factory colors, and they claim production of only 100 of each. By the time I started buying slot cars in January of 2020, most of the more popular colors were already sold out. My first one was the Honey Gold copy I profiled in one of my earliest “MtF” posts, which remains one of my favorite cars. After Signal Flare Red, this color-Tropical Turquoise-was the 2nd to sell out. But, as luck would have it, sometime in the spring of ’20 I happened upon this one for sale on ePay with a Buy It Now price which, while not cheap, was reasonable enough that I jumped on it, and it’s a good thing I did! If I wanted to acquire one of these now, I’d have to get a 2nd mortgage…and that’s assuming I could even find one!
I obtained a decal sheet from RRR for this car-actually I bought two of them, thinking it was unlikely that I would be able to successfully apply such tiny detail myself, such as the “289” badges on the fenders and the rocker stripes, but with enough patience I was able to pull it off; the hardest part was the grille insert, but I wanted that since it gives the car a different look than the gold one, which has an all chrome grille.
Initially mounted on a disappointing chassis, I quickly corrected that situation by re-mounting it on one of the screaming fast light brown “Barn Find”/”Graveyard Cars” chassis, which looks fantastic with the light blue body. Of course it was finished off with my favorite wheels and low profile tires, the only kind that will fit under this car when using the AW Ultra G chassis.
It took a lot of work-a lot of subtle grinding and shaping-to get this body to fit the Ultra-G, but I believe I achieved the fit I needed without any real damage to the body; hardcore collectors may turn their noses up at a body that’s has some material removed from underneath, but since I’m not a hardcore collector-at least, not yet-I’m happy with the result; can you tell where its been modified?
So this is a rare one, it’s very desirable, and I am very happy to have obtained it. I treat this one with exceptional care, but I still race it…as good as it looks on the track, it’s hard not too!
Since this is a factory original GT, it’s safe to assume that it’s a “K-code” model with the “Hi-Po” 289 which has had additional work done through the years, including being bored out and topped with a Holley “Double-Pumper” 550. Named “Tropical Twist” in honor of its color, it is a California native driven by Jeff “Road Runner” Ramsey, also a California native, whose nickname was given to him by his grandmother when he was racing his pedal cars against other neighborhood kids at the age of 6! Talk about a born racer! Ramsey bought the “Twist” for $850 in 1971 when he was only 17, and had it turned into a formidable street racer by the time he left high school. The strengthened and lightened small block pushes through a 4-speed to a limited slip 8 inch axle, a recent swap for road racing that replaced the full posi-traction 9” he was running for the strip. Having had only moderate success at the drags, Ramsey is running up victories fast on the road course, and is one of the many younger guns pursuing that Holy Grail of a tournament victory.
Well, I can’t see where it’s been modified! Great Job. You do good work on those decals. I want to add some to my train set buildings and signage. Tropical Twist is a great name and it is too cool!