A little history
During the mid-Sixties, Japanese automobile makers were rapidly breaking away from their isolation. One way to do so was to release vehicles created mostly as image-builders and technology showcases. In Nissan’s case, such a car was called the Silvia.
First seen during the 1964 Tokyo motor show, but officially released in April 1965, the Silvia was a very attractive coupe penned by Albrecht Goertz, a German designer already known for the BMW 503 and 507 models. Based on the Fairlady (SP310)’s platform, the car received the same 1.6-litre four, fed by two carbs, and the first all-synchronized four-speed gearbox in Japan. Unlike the Fairlady though, the Silvia was completely hand-built – even the body panels were shaped by hand. Obviously this made for an expensive and exclusive vehicle with a very limited production. A few hundreds were made during 1965, until an even more extraordinary vehicle, the 2000 GT coupe, was introduced. Though the Silvia was maintained in production, its output became even more limited afterwards and, when it finally left the scene in June 1968, only 554 had been built, despite the help of several Japanese police departments ordering a few of these fast cars as interceptors. Several years later, Nissan unearthed the glorious name for a new production car.
About the model
Model: Nissan Silvia 1600
Year: 1965
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette Fujingaho as no.21 of its Japanese Car Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.
Though most of Norev’s Japanese models have been designed as cheaper versions of Ebbro’s in order to fulfil a contract for a Japanese press series, the scale version of the Silvia by the French model maker is rather well done - windows in particular deserve a special mention. My rating is 14/20.
During the mid-Sixties, Japanese automobile makers were rapidly breaking away from their isolation. One way to do so was to release vehicles created mostly as image-builders and technology showcases. In Nissan’s case, such a car was called the Silvia.
First seen during the 1964 Tokyo motor show, but officially released in April 1965, the Silvia was a very attractive coupe penned by Albrecht Goertz, a German designer already known for the BMW 503 and 507 models. Based on the Fairlady (SP310)’s platform, the car received the same 1.6-litre four, fed by two carbs, and the first all-synchronized four-speed gearbox in Japan. Unlike the Fairlady though, the Silvia was completely hand-built – even the body panels were shaped by hand. Obviously this made for an expensive and exclusive vehicle with a very limited production. A few hundreds were made during 1965, until an even more extraordinary vehicle, the 2000 GT coupe, was introduced. Though the Silvia was maintained in production, its output became even more limited afterwards and, when it finally left the scene in June 1968, only 554 had been built, despite the help of several Japanese police departments ordering a few of these fast cars as interceptors. Several years later, Nissan unearthed the glorious name for a new production car.
About the model
Model: Nissan Silvia 1600
Year: 1965
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette Fujingaho as no.21 of its Japanese Car Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.
Though most of Norev’s Japanese models have been designed as cheaper versions of Ebbro’s in order to fulfil a contract for a Japanese press series, the scale version of the Silvia by the French model maker is rather well done - windows in particular deserve a special mention. My rating is 14/20.
No comments:
Post a Comment