Porsche 956 C | Revell 1:24

28 November 2021

Author | Krzysztof Szpakowski

 

 

Stefan Bellof
 

The beginning of the 1980s was a period of great changes in motorsport. The new regulations allowed the use of turbochargers in Formula 1, the 4x4 drive was introduced in rallies, later creating Group B, while in track races the groups from 1 to 6 were reduced, creating new divisions such as Group A and C.

Porsche was able to boast of excellent preparation for starts in Group C, the league of prototype cars, by introducing the successor to the 936 model. 1982 marks the beginning of a wave of success in endurance racing for Porsche and its drivers, such as Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx, who won the Le Mans 24 Hours in the year of the 956's debut.

 

In 1983, Porsche recruited a German driver named Stefan Bellof. The 25-year-old very quickly adapted to the car, which easily reached speeds of over 350 km/h and in a short time began to win with his teammates.

 

 

 

 

A ggressive, uncompromising, fast - this is how the driving style of Bellof can be described in a nutshell, thanks to which the German was successful and was also subject to accidents. Undoubtedly, one of the greatest achievements of Bellof, which went down in the history of motorsport, was completing the northern loop of the Nürburgring track, the famous Nordschleife, with a time of 6 minutes and 11,13 seconds, which makes him the first man in history to complete a lap of the old track at an average speed of more than 200 km/h. The record was broken only after more than three decades by a specially prepared Porsche 919 Hybrid. Note that Bellof has set his time in qualifying for the race.
 
 
 
 
1984 brought the world title in endurance racing and the DRM championship for Brun Motorsport Team. At the same time, Bellof drew his attention of the Formula 1 teams. Despite his successful tests with McLaren, who used Porsche engines at the time, there was no place for him in the team. Porsche blocked the signing of a contract with Brabham and ATS that used BMW engines. That's why Stefan signed a short-term contract with Tyrrell still using naturally aspirated V8s.
 
 
 
 
In 1985, the German terminated the contract with the Porsche factory team, continuing to drive for Brun Motorsport in the DRM and World Championship, focusing mainly on Formula 1 starts, so it should come as no surprise that many have seen him become the first German champion of queen of motorsport.
 
Unfortunately, during one of the qualifying rounds of the World Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps, Bellof had a tragic accident. On lap 78 of the Spa 1000 race, Stefan battled former teammate Jack Ickx driving a Porsche 962 (newer 956 version).
Bellof tried to overtake the Belgian in the Eau Rouge corner, in result both cars hit the barrier at full speed.
 
The accident was recorded by a camera from Porsche Jacky Ickx: YouTube

For over 10 minutes, the emergency services tried to get the driver from the crashed car. The official announcement was that Stefan Bellof died on the way to the hospital. A tragic death and a huge loss for the sport.

 
 
 
 
Model
 

The model I built is a miniature Porsche 956 C, which Bellof triumphed in the DRM series, and more precisely, I wanted to reproduce the car from the 1984 Norisring race, in which Stefan started from the first position but finished the race in 3rd place.

Work on the model proceeded without any major problems, except for the fitting of the windshield. The end result is more than satisfactory for me. The 956 line is timeless and the orange color adds charm. This is my first car model from this racing series and I must admit that it is the largest and lowest 1:24 model I have built. Work on the model lasted between August and December 2015.

 

There is nothing else for me to do but invite you to watch the effect of my work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author | Krzysztof Szpakowski

 

 

 

 

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