A little history
The military defeat suffered by Japan in 1945 forced many of its large corporations, deeply involved in the war effort, to seek new activities. Tachikawa, an aircraft manufacturer, was among those and turned to automobiles. It first produced an electric car, the Tama, but switched to more conventional vehicles in 1952, when its name was changed to Prince.
While most Japanese car manufacturers of the era built a variety of bubbles and cubes set on tiny wheels, Prince aimed from the start at the top of the market. Throughout most of its history its two main models were the Skyline, a mid-range car, and the luxurious Gloria.
The Skyline was introduced in 1957 while the Gloria, originally a refined Skyline, followed two years later. For the 1962 model year, the Skyline was renewed and, one year later, a totally different Gloria appeared.
The new Skyline was exclusively sold as a saloon, the former estate and the elegant hand-built Michelotti coupe having been dropped. Engines were fours of 1.5 and 1.9-litre displacements. Willing to enter the II Japanese Grand Prix held in 1964, Prince also developed a special version of the Skyline, subsequently referred to as the GTB, into which the Gloria’s 2.0-litre, six-cylinder engine had been dropped (an increase in wheelbase was necessary in order to increase the size of the engine bay). The GTB finished second overall and was victorious in its class, enticing Prince to produce a small series of road-going GTBs.
The Gloria, which adopted a heavy American-influenced style as a mark of refinement, was powered by either the 1.9-litre four of the Skyline, with which the car proved popular as a taxi, or the company’s first six, a 2.0-litre block that was enlarged to 2.5-litre after only a year. Unlike its smaller counterpart, the Gloria was also available as an estate.
Both cars were produced until early 1967, when they were replaced by new Skylines and Glorias which, this time, bore the Nissan name – the large company had taken over Prince the year before. Prince never totally disappeared, nonetheless. The name has occasionally been used on domestically-sold Nissan Glorias, and the division is still in charge of the development of some specific Nissan models.
About the models
Model: Prince Gloria Super 6
Year: 1963
Maker: Ebbro
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ebbro, "Oldies" series ref. 43568 (black) or 43570 (bleu)
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006 (black) and January 2007 (blue), in Hong Kong, S.A.R.
Ebbro chose to reproduce the top-range Gloria Super 6, the finest Japanese car of its time. Large amounts of bright plastic and silver paint render well the sophistication of the original cars. Ebbro didn’t stop on the outside, and perfectly reproduced the passengers’ compartment. I have two of these cars, having bought a black Gloria first, then later found that a blue one was much more glamorous. The black one aged poorly, ugly blisters appearing all over the model’s paint: the first two pictures below have been taken while the model was still brand new, whereas the third one dates back from a few days ago - the difference is noticeable. On the other hand the blue one never encountered such a problem and remained immaculate. I’ll give 14/20 to both.
Model: Prince Skyline GTB
Year: 1964
Event: 1964 Japanese Grand Prix, driven by Yoshikazu Sunako (2nd overall, 1st in class)
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette Fujingaho as subscribers’ gift no.2 of its Japanese Car Collection press series
Acquired: new with neither box nor stand (probably a production overrun or quality control reject), in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.
Norev has produced a wide range of Japanese cars in order to people a press collection sold in Japan. The offensive is clearly aimed at Ebbro as all of the French die-casts maker’s models already exist in Ebbro’s range, at a higher price but with a much higher degree of quality and a better detailing. This racing Skyline is no exception, having been built by Ebbro as its ref. 43395. Not having seen the latter I’m content enough with Norev’s version. Badges have disappeared here and there, the windshield wiper is missing, but overall this model’s correct. Anyway I didn’t want to spend more than I did as I find that the Skyline GTB, with its narrow thread and extended bonnet, have a particularly odd silhouette that can hardly qualify as beautiful. My rating is 12/20.
The military defeat suffered by Japan in 1945 forced many of its large corporations, deeply involved in the war effort, to seek new activities. Tachikawa, an aircraft manufacturer, was among those and turned to automobiles. It first produced an electric car, the Tama, but switched to more conventional vehicles in 1952, when its name was changed to Prince.
While most Japanese car manufacturers of the era built a variety of bubbles and cubes set on tiny wheels, Prince aimed from the start at the top of the market. Throughout most of its history its two main models were the Skyline, a mid-range car, and the luxurious Gloria.
The Skyline was introduced in 1957 while the Gloria, originally a refined Skyline, followed two years later. For the 1962 model year, the Skyline was renewed and, one year later, a totally different Gloria appeared.
The new Skyline was exclusively sold as a saloon, the former estate and the elegant hand-built Michelotti coupe having been dropped. Engines were fours of 1.5 and 1.9-litre displacements. Willing to enter the II Japanese Grand Prix held in 1964, Prince also developed a special version of the Skyline, subsequently referred to as the GTB, into which the Gloria’s 2.0-litre, six-cylinder engine had been dropped (an increase in wheelbase was necessary in order to increase the size of the engine bay). The GTB finished second overall and was victorious in its class, enticing Prince to produce a small series of road-going GTBs.
The Gloria, which adopted a heavy American-influenced style as a mark of refinement, was powered by either the 1.9-litre four of the Skyline, with which the car proved popular as a taxi, or the company’s first six, a 2.0-litre block that was enlarged to 2.5-litre after only a year. Unlike its smaller counterpart, the Gloria was also available as an estate.
Both cars were produced until early 1967, when they were replaced by new Skylines and Glorias which, this time, bore the Nissan name – the large company had taken over Prince the year before. Prince never totally disappeared, nonetheless. The name has occasionally been used on domestically-sold Nissan Glorias, and the division is still in charge of the development of some specific Nissan models.
About the models
Model: Prince Gloria Super 6
Year: 1963
Maker: Ebbro
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ebbro, "Oldies" series ref. 43568 (black) or 43570 (bleu)
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006 (black) and January 2007 (blue), in Hong Kong, S.A.R.
Ebbro chose to reproduce the top-range Gloria Super 6, the finest Japanese car of its time. Large amounts of bright plastic and silver paint render well the sophistication of the original cars. Ebbro didn’t stop on the outside, and perfectly reproduced the passengers’ compartment. I have two of these cars, having bought a black Gloria first, then later found that a blue one was much more glamorous. The black one aged poorly, ugly blisters appearing all over the model’s paint: the first two pictures below have been taken while the model was still brand new, whereas the third one dates back from a few days ago - the difference is noticeable. On the other hand the blue one never encountered such a problem and remained immaculate. I’ll give 14/20 to both.
Model: Prince Skyline GTB
Year: 1964
Event: 1964 Japanese Grand Prix, driven by Yoshikazu Sunako (2nd overall, 1st in class)
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette Fujingaho as subscribers’ gift no.2 of its Japanese Car Collection press series
Acquired: new with neither box nor stand (probably a production overrun or quality control reject), in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.
Norev has produced a wide range of Japanese cars in order to people a press collection sold in Japan. The offensive is clearly aimed at Ebbro as all of the French die-casts maker’s models already exist in Ebbro’s range, at a higher price but with a much higher degree of quality and a better detailing. This racing Skyline is no exception, having been built by Ebbro as its ref. 43395. Not having seen the latter I’m content enough with Norev’s version. Badges have disappeared here and there, the windshield wiper is missing, but overall this model’s correct. Anyway I didn’t want to spend more than I did as I find that the Skyline GTB, with its narrow thread and extended bonnet, have a particularly odd silhouette that can hardly qualify as beautiful. My rating is 12/20.
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