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Chassis:
Originally sold to American amateur racers Chris Cord and Steve Earle, chassis 1040 was briefly raced as a 512 S in the United States. It was subsequently acquired by Kirk F. White and Roger Penske. They had the car rebuilt as a 512 M by the factory. Upon its return to the United States, Penske set about improving the car where he saw fit. A lightweight fibreglass body was commissioned and the 512 M was also fitted with a full-width rear wing. The V12 engine was carefully tuned by experts Traco, who found another 40 bhp. The finishing touch was a coat of deep blue paint to represent Penske's long time backer Sunoco.
Arguably the fastest of all 512 Ms, it was plagued by bad luck from the outset. The David Hobbs and Mark Donohue driven machine clinched pole at its Daytona 24 Hours debut by over a second over the quickest 917. Unfortunately an accident during the night dropped them right down the order but they still managed to secure an impressive 3rd place finish. It would not get any better in the remainder of the season, despite claiming pole several more times. Accidents and mechanical failures prevented the car from ever scoring the victory it deserved.
Now obsolete, White and Penske sold the car early in 1972. In 1986 chassis 1040 was acquired by Swiss historic racer Peter Heuberger, who campaigned the car extensively. He did not sell the car until 1996 and in 1998 it was acquired by its current, Canadian owner. He had the car completely restored and has since raced and shown the Sunoco liveried machine at a variety of events.
| Chassis details |
| Manufactured in |
1970 |
| First owner |
Chris Cord |
| Last known location |
Canadian Private Collection |
| Appearances |
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