1967 was a momentous year for Ford. The 12 Hour Endurance Race at the Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida took place on March 26, 1966. Ford’s MKIIB #2 barely survived the race, which stands today as one of the most disastrous events in American motorsports history. Canadian driver Bob McLean lost control of his car while approaching the famous hairpin turn. Careening into a ditch, the car burst into flames, trapping McLean inside. Later in the race, a Ferrari and a Porsche feuded through the difficult Webster turns before plowing into a group of spectators, killing four.
The drama of the race required special attention, which is why AFX’s rendition of the Sebring MKIIB #2 comes with a unique twist of characteristics. Instead of showcasing the car in all its glory before the race, we opted to display the car in its exact state the moment it crossed the finish line.
If you look closely, you can see a paint scuff on the driver side door along with a silver line over the door handle. There’s even a fun story about the #2 Roundel on the driver’s side door, but we’ll let you do the digging on that.
Steve heard this from the man himself, Carrol Shelby, that the door handle on the left side of the car handle was lifting at those high speeds, so the pit crew used duct tape to hold the handle down and keep the car door from opening mid-race!
The race number #2 on the sides of the car were displayed on “roundels” which were a special 3M material that was significantly more reflective to allow higher visibility during pit stops. However, the material was so rigid, that they had to attach the roundels with pop-rivets (the silver dots around the roundels).
It’s unclear as to when the car’s body was scuffed on the driver’s side, but it can definitely be seen from several documented photos of the car during and at the end of the race.
CHASSIS TYPE: Mega G+ SHORT Wheelbase Chassis (1.5″)