A successor to the RA271, the RA272 was particularly noted for it's technically advanced 48-valve 1,495.28 cc V12 Honda engine, although compared to it's rivals it was regarded as rather wide and heavy. The engine which was tranversely mounted reportedly gave out an impressive 230 bhp for that era. This was to be the last season of normally aspirated 1500cc engines in Formula 1, with the cars moving upto 3 Litre engines for the 1966 season.
Honda chose Richie Ginther and Jack Bucknum as their drivers for the season. Although performing well and being competitive, the cars had reliability problems throughout the season, despite this both drivers regularly qualified well at most races. The final race of the season was the Mexican GP and would be the final laps of the 1,500cc era. Ginther again qualified third and after he took the lead on the first lap, went on to lead every lap and win the Grand Prix. Jack Bucknum also finished fifth to make it a double points finish for the Japanese team. It was a historic moment, as it was the first Grand Prix victory for a Japanese team, car and engine. The Honda RA272E had staggering acceleration and often led races into the opening lap. For various reasons the team did not participate in every race during the 1965 season, however in spite of this, in only their second season in Formula One, Honda achieved a respectable sixth place in the constructors' championship.
The model will be Richie Ginther's car from the Mexican GP, the team's only victory that season. This will be a full detailed build and with very little in the way of after market etch or detail sets available for the model, any detail enhancements will need to be scratch built.
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Click above for build and completed pictures |
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Richie Ginther - 1965 Mexican GP |
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Richie Ginther - 1965 Belgian GP |
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Richie Ginther - 1965 Mexican GP |
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