Renault 16

A little history

Saying that the R16 was a milestone for Renault would be an understatement. Left without anything larger and more luxurious than its popular R4 and R8 since the Frégate’s departure, Renault was finally back in the family car’s segment. A state-of-the-art factory was built for the new R16 at Sandouville in Normandy, far away from the Billancourt main plant. Many innovations were incorporated into the R16, Renault claiming thousands of patents having been applied for its newest car. Above all, the R16 is often described as the first hatchback ever built.

Oddly enough this enduring claim is the most dubious. It’s certain that the R16 popularized this type of body, thus being possibly the first hatchback of modern era. It was also the first hatchback in the family car segment. Due to its silhouette, it can also be called the first liftback ever without causing much controversy. Nonetheless the oldest hatchback’s title could be claimed by several other contenders, including the Citroën Traction Avant and the Kaiser Vagabond. No need to mention that Renault itself already had a car in its range that was a hatchback, though often considered an estate: the R4. But anyway, all these considerations perhaps come to naught when it is realized that the very name “hatchback” wasn’t coined yet, and wouldn’t be for several years more.

A few days after New Year, 1965 the motoring press was invited to discover the new Renault. The least you can say is that it looked “different”. Its body featured rectangular headlights, a typical “beak” in the middle of its front grille, six side windows and, obviously, a rear door, adding practicality to the middle-range field, where up to then automobiles had been extremely conservative. The rear seats could be folded in order to create a spacious cargo area. The Renault 16 also distinguished itself by the high level of its equipment, a character it would retain throughout its life, introducing power windows in 1968, followed by an automatic gearbox in 1969 and central locking in 1973, all equipments that were virtually unknown at the time in a car of its price.

Initially offered as a lone 1.5-litre saloon, the Renault 16 sold extremely well, in France above all, but also throughout Europe and even in the United States. I admit that I didn’t fully measure the R16’s success before I arrived in the Philippines in 1995, and found that this was still a rather common sight in Manila’s streets back then. The R16 was also much praised by the press, receiving the coveted European Car of the Year award in 1966. A few new variants appeared over the years though. First of all was the 1.6-litre “TS” at the 1968 Geneva motor show. Despite its modest increase in displacement, the engine’s output jumped from a leisurely 59 hp to a potent 83 hp, allowing a 160 kph top speed. Demonstrating that the R16’s success wasn’t only due to its bold design, Lotus selected the TS engine to power its Europa coupe, and it was also fitted to the Alpine A110. Later in October 1973, Renault introduced the 16 TX, a well-appointed variant. Easily distinguishable by its four square headlights and rectangular rear lights, the TX proposed a 5-speed gearbox, power windows, optional air conditioning, a rear wiper, a rear spoiler, and the elegant “Gordini” wheels from the sportiest R12 and R17. Despite this last element and a new 1647cc, 93 hp engine, the TX was conceived with comfort rather than performances in mind. From 1974, a black plastic grille replaced the original chromed piece throughout the range.

In 1975, Renault introduced the R20/R30 range but, even though they carried over the R16’s concept, they proved unable to renew its success. As a consequence, the R16 was maintained in production while the R20 soon gave up its base 1.6-litre engine in order to limit the competition it gave to its senior. The 1978 R18, though smaller and more conventional, appeared as a worthier replacement to the R16, which finally retired in 1980, after more than 1.8 million had been built.

About the model

Despite the fact that the R16 is an important car, the word “model” remains here without a final “s”, though I also own a R16 TX by Norev, painted in typical “Borneo metallic green”, since childhood. Perhaps it would be good to unearth this model and possibly offer it a restoration one day. I also had a blue R16 in some kind of a hard rubber: I forgot the name of the maker of these then-popular models, which were surprisingly accurate and virtually indestructible – plus, they were in approximate 1/43 scale. That was one of the favourites in my collection until a wave much taller than all others swept it away during a day spent at the beach. I cried a lot for my lost toy… (As you can guess I wasn’t much old at the time…)

Model: Renault 16
Year: 1969
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.2 of its La caravane du Tour de France press series
Acquired: brand new, in February 2004, in Souillac, France

So, my only Renault 16 is this Tour de France press car (Europe 1 was and still is a major radio station in France). It is based on a model produced by Norev during the Nineties and discontinued years before Atlas released this collection. Also available were a “Radio Monte Carlo” car and a G7 taxi. This model is simple and reproduction is nothing more than correct: though the body is rather accurate, the passenger compartment suffers from its plastic-like appearance. My rating is 11/20.

Lincoln Town Car

Welcome to Tom, our newest follower. Hot Wheels and Tomica lovers can rejoice by having a look at his blog. I hope Tom, who is from Vietnam, will answer the questions recently asked here and let us know about how hard/easy it is to be a die-cast collector in his own country.

By the way, talking about uncommon locations reminds me that, within a few days, the counter down this page recorded its first three visitors from Libya. Long time ago, when studying in Canada I had many very good friends from your country, though years passing by unfortunately set us apart... So, salaam `alaykum to you!

Well, now that I’m done with the greetings, let’s go to today’s story.

A little history

The name “Town Car” supplanted the traditional “Continental” for designating the standard Lincoln in the course of two years. By model year 1982, all the cars that were previously called Continentals were then Town Cars, while the older name was being used for a new, smaller model. So the very first Town Car was this downsized, squarish thing that tried to mimic the 1979 Continental, the last real “full-size” automobile ever built in the United States. The aggressive grille and front wings were still here, and a luxury version initially added such typical equipments as the quad headlights hidden behind retractable panels and the spare tyre-shaped boot. Wheelbase had considerably shrunk though, and base engine was down to the modest “Windsor” 302, a 4.9-litre V8. As the American automotive industry as a whole, Lincoln didn’t exactly know where to stand in the Eighties but, at a time when competition from Europe and Japan was only building up in the luxury car field, the Town Car still enjoyed strong sales until it retired in 1989.

The new Town Car, introduced for model year 1990, broke away from the traditional Lincoln patterns by proposing a fresh new style that was both up-to-date and formal. Though its chassis was shared with the more plebeian full-size models from Ford and Mercury, the Lincoln Town Car appeared as a much larger and luxurious car than its counterparts. It retained a rear-wheel-drive configuration while its smaller sibling the Continental now enjoyed FWD, but added such novelties as air suspension at the rear, air bags and ABS brakes. Success was instant, an achievement that was increasingly becoming rarer for an American car at the time, and suddenly Lincoln was faring better than arch-rival Cadillac.

The third generation of Town Cars was introduced for model year 1998, and is still produced today after a welcomed 2003 facelift. Despite a more rounded look, its approach is similar to its predecessor’s. With its traditional layout and its hefty weight, it appears antiquated to some, but retains a large pool of loyal customers.

About the model

Model: Lincoln Town Car Limousine
Year: 2000
Maker: Sun Star
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Sun Star
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

Sun Star made itself a specialty of offering, sometimes in 1/43 but more generally in 1/18, exaggeratedly extended limousines. Among those is this model, which unfortunately relies more on its unusual proportions than its quality of reproduction to convince potential buyers. My rating is 6/20.

Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6

A little history

We recently saw how deep Peugeot’s roots extend. Those of de Dietrich go even further back in time, as its industrial activities started as early as… 1684!

By the late 19th century, de Dietrich operated two plants in Alsace and Lorraine, the two regions annexed by Germany from France after the 1870-71 war. It was then known as a locomotive manufacturer, but gave a try at automobile construction under the guidance of one of its directors, the young and enthusiastic Adrien de Turckheim. Though known characters worked for de Dietrich, as Amédée Bollée who designed the company’s first vehicle, or a young Italian named Ettore Bugatti, its models were usually far from conventional, always being extremely modern, even ahead of their time from a technical point of view. Among the features introduced on the company’s cars, we find a windshield on their very first car (1896), front independent suspension (1899), a six-wheel limousine (1905 – okay, so this one didn’t caught on, except in the Thunderbirds TV series), V12 engines (1919) and power-assisted brakes on all four wheels (1924).

De Dietrich was one of the most active companies in motor sports at the glorious times of the city-to-city races, with de Turckheim himself often seen behind the wheel. This provided good publicity for the company and boosted its sales, a welcomed thing as its cars were rather expensive. Actually, de Dietrich, which started fitting a large Lorraine cross onto its cars’ radiators in 1905 and soon afterwards changed its name to Lorraine-Dietrich, tried to position itself among the elite of automobile manufacturers – in this respect, its takeover of Isotta-Fraschini in 1907, though brief, remains significant.

After World War Two, Alsace and Lorraine were returned to France. Technical leadership at Lorraine-Dietrich was taken over by Marius Barbarou, which had already made himself quite a reputation while working as an engineer at Delaunay-Belleville. Soon Barbarou designed a new range of cars, including a 1922 B3-6 model powered by an advanced 3.5-litre hemi six, fitted with aluminium pistons and overhead valves. So, forty years before Mopar, Delaunay-Belleville had its own brilliant hemi engine.

Such a nicely-powered vehicle as the B3-6 couldn’t miss the very first Le Mans 24 hours, organised in 1923. Three cars were entered, one of them finishing a promising 8th. This was enough to justify the creation of a dedicated racing version of the B3-6, the 15 Sport. In 1924, three cars were again entered at Le Mans, finishing this time as high as 2-3 behind the winning Bentley. Success would finally come in 1925 (1-3), immediately followed by triumph (1-2-3 in 1926). Having nothing more to prove, Lorraine-Dietrich retired from Le Mans, though a few privately-entered B3-6s returned to the Sarthe a few years later, one of them finishing a good 4th in 1931 (helped by high attrition rate, to be frank), and the very last one racing there as late as 1935, no less than thirteen years after the introduction of the model! By this time, Lorraine-Dietrich itself was gone as an automobile manufacturer: as tens of other companies in the luxury field, it was hit hard by the aftermath of the world crisis and gave up automobile production in 1934. With a war looming, building aircraft engines and armoured vehicles seemed a more profitable business. Interestingly, the company is still active today: after reverting to the railway equipment business and changing back its name to de Dietrich, it has now entered its fourth century in the industry!

About the model

Model: Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6 (15 Sport)
Year: 1926
Event: 1926 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Robert Bloch and André Rossignol (overall winner)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.70 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2006, in Souillac, France

Ixo proposes a nice reproduction of the 1926 Le Mans winner – though not the only one on the market, it is affordable, unlike its competitors. The Altaya version didn’t suffer too much from the necessary cuts in production costs, even its wire wheels remaining quite acceptable. I’d give a 13/20 rating to this model.

Jaguar XJR6 to XJR14

A little history

After a few seasons spent across the Atlantic in IMSA racing, Jaguar decided to return to the international sportscars championship, three decades after the C-Type dominated the racing scene. Long gone were the Ferraris, Maseratis and Mercedes-Benzes it used to challenge in those days as in 1985, when its XJR6 made its debut, Porsche was all-conquering with its extraordinary 956 and its new 962. Facing such a formidable opposition wasn’t an easy task, so Jaguar secured the help of designer Tony Southgate, along with that of Tom Walkinshaw Racing’s, which would build and develop the car. Though TWR had previously been very successful in racing the XJS coupe in touring cars events, it initially fared much worse with the XJR6. Despite its huge but naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12, the XJR6 couldn’t compete with the Porsches, not even with the fast but fragile Lancia LC2s. Further developed for 1986 and helped by Lancia’s withdrawal, the XJR6 proved much more competitive, the team scoring a promising victory with F1 regulars Cheever and Warwick at the Silverstone 1000 kms.

For 1987, Tony Southgate refined its original design into the new XJR8, powered by a V12 enlarged to a whopping 7.0-litre displacement. Dominated during the early season, Porsche’s works team would withdraw, a move that paved Jaguar’s path to success. The British team won 8 of the 10 world championship’s events, clinching both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ crowns, the latter being worn by Brazilian Raul Boesel. Triumph wasn’t complete though, as Jaguar failed to win to most prestigious event of the season, the Le Mans 24 hours.

With Porsche’s ageing 962, now in the hands of private teams, facing a brand-new XJR9, 1988 should have been an easy year for Jaguar. This would have happened without the new Sauber C9, fitted with its tremendous turbocharged 5.0-litre Mercedes-Benz engine. Out of 11 events, 6 went to Jaguar and 5 to Sauber, which was enough for the British team to retain its title. Furthermore, it won Le Mans, for the first time in thirty-one years. For this particular event, nothing had been let to chance, TWR even developing a special “LM” low-drag version.

After two great years, things would turn sour in 1989. Sauber’s C9 was now fully developed, while the 962 recovered some of its competitiveness. It was the XJR9’s turn to play the ageing contender from which the title would be disputed. As things weren’t better in IMSA championship, Jaguar introduced a new XJR11 in the midst of this disastrous season, abandoning its naturally-aspirated engines for a brand-new twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 block (based on the engine of the MG Metro’s rally version), but the British efforts were to no avail. The car returned in 1990, followed by an updated XJR12 which marked a return to un-supercharged engines. Not a dent could be made into Sauber’s supremacy. The only satisfaction for Jaguar was a new victory at Le Mans, albeit without much competition, as the race had been excluded from the world championship.

Juggling with the ever-changing regulations of the time – Max and Bernie had launched their onslaught on sportscars racing – Jaguar introduced a new XJR14 for 1991. Tony Southgate’s failures brought his replacement by Ross Brawn. No more effort was made to develop an in-house engine, and power now came from a normally-aspirated 3.5-litre Cosworth engine. Sauber was still there, but a new challenger had seen light: Peugeot. The latter took a thundering start by winning at Suzuka, but its fragile 905 still needed development. The title was closely contested, but Jaguar prevailed. At Le Mans, on a track that now included the infamous chicanes on the Mulsanne straight, courtesy of the aforesaid evil pair, Jaguar entered the XJR12 with its reliable 7.4-litre V12, but victory went to Mazda.

Irritated by the continuously changing rules in FIA world championship, Jaguar decided to retire after 1991. While the XJR14 ran one last year in IMSA without achieving much success, the FIA finally reached its goal of killing the sportscars championship for 1993.

About the models

Model: Jaguar XJR9
Year: 1988
Event: 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Jan Lammers, Andy Wallace and Johnny Dumfries (finished 1st overall)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.48 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in September 2005, in Souillac, France

A correct model which suffers from the lack of tobacco sponsorship. My rating is 11/20.









Model: Jaguar XJR12 Advanced
Year: 1990
Event: 1990 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by John Nielsen, Price Cobb and Martin Brundle (finished 1st overall)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.28 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, around December 2004, in Souillac, France

Basically the same model as the above, but with a different rear wing... and, curiously enough, tobacco sponsorship: 12/20.







Model: Jaguar XJR12 Advanced
Year: 1991
Event: 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Davy Jones, Raul Boesel and Michel Ferté (finished 2nd overall)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.10 of its Les monstres sacrés de l'endurance press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France

This later series from Altaya supposedly proposed models with a higher level of quality than its predecessor, but difference is not obvious when examining this particular die-cast, hence a 11/20 rating.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W108 and W109)

A little history

Though the “Heckflosse” was maintained as Mercedes-Benz’ base model beyond 1965, its largest derivatives were replaced by a new 6-cylinder W108/109 range, better known as the S-Class. The new cars appeared in August 1965. Their main feature was their clean, elegant style signed by 31-year old designer Paul Bracq, who finally got rid off the embarrassing fins of their predecessors.

The W108 was, by far, the most popular model. In its original form (250 S), it was powered by a version of the trusted straight six, enlarged to 2.5 litres and good for 130 hp. Fitted with fuel injection (250 SE), the car was rated at 150 hp. Top-of-the-range model was a long wheelbase version, the W109, fitted with the old 3.0-litre six. Named the 300 SEL, this car suffered from only marginally better performances than the 250 SE while its fuel consumption was totally unacceptable, even by the time’s standards: around 18 litres per 100 kilometres on average. This problem was fortunately solved in 1967 when a brand-new 2.8-litre engine was introduced. Simultaneously, Mercedes-Benz added to its range a new car designed as an image-builder, the 300 SEL 6.3. Its name says it all: the German company dropped the 6.3-litre V8 of its 600 model, an engine which production facilities were largely underused, into the W109’s engine compartment. Though at first sight the abilities of the 300 SEL 6.3 don’t seem so extraordinary nowadays, it was then no less than the fastest production saloon in the world (220 kph), able to match most GTs on the drag strip (0-100 in 6.5 seconds). As a comparison, the large Mercedes-Benz, in which five passengers could enjoy such luxuries as leather seats, power windows and air suspension, could actually beat any road-going Porsche of the time in all respects.

The W108/W109 range was built until the end of 1972, when replaced by the new W116.

About the model

Model: Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3
Year: 1968
Maker: Minichamps
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Minichamps, limited edition - 1,536 pieces
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Manila, Philippines

Minichamps proposes a very interesting scale model of the famed 300 SEL 6.3. Details are excellent for a die-cast in this price range. Minichamps fits a Monaco plate to its model, aptly enough for such an expensive car. My rating is 16/20.

Cocorico!

Today I exceptionally break with the routine of the traditional “one-post-every-three-days” pace. There are two reasons for this: first, it’s the French national holiday today; second, it’s time to honour France’s superb performance in the recent FIFA’s World Cup. Er… as for the second point, I mean the team’s highly humorous act rather than its great display on a field…

“Fine” would you tell me, but what’s this “cocorico” about? A look at the Harrap’s Shorter French-English dictionary will provide this answer:

cocorico [kokorico] 1 int (a) three cheers for France!; (b) (du coq) cock-a-doodle-doo! 2 nm (a) (cri) = French victory cheer; (victoire) = French victory; (b) (coq) cock-a-doodle-doo.

All this obsession about roosters is obviously due to the fact that it is France’s national emblem.

Almost a quarter of a century ago, “Cocorico” was indeed the name aptly chosen by Citroën to release a special edition of its 2CV, purposely celebrating the French team that had just clinched the third spot during the Mexican “Mundial”. As it happened so often during World Cups, France had beaten Brazil in quarter finals – okay, I’m just teasing our Brazilian readers here ;) – before losing to Germany in semi-finals. The year was 1986 and we all knew then that it was almost the end of the road for the great team of Platini, Tigana or Battiston, among others, so there was really something to celebrate. Nowadays, a special-edition wheelbarrow should be well enough for our “heroes”.

I mentioned a car, so you guess this is the true raison d’être for this post. The Citroën 2CV Cocorico was based on the standard Special, its only difference being its blue-white-red side decoration. Production was limited to one thousand copies, and the car went on sale in October 1986. More will come when I write a “2CV” post.

Honda Mobilio

A little history

Long gone is the time an automobile should make dream its potential buyers above anything else. Today, a car has to be economical, ecological and practical, and so small boxes on wheels seem to flourish everywhere. Note that the concept on fitting as many passengers as possible in a very limited volume is nothing new – the first successful of all certainly was the original Fiat Multipla – but Japanese car makers brought it to new heights.

In December 2001, after receiving a fresh welcome and suffering from poor sales, the Honda Capa enjoyed an early retirement, giving way to a new Mobilio, more modern, more fun than its predecessor. With a relatively long wheelbase, sliding doors and a low floor, the Mobilio was a 4-metre-long-yet-roomy MPV able to seat seven. Extremely large windows were characteristic of the Mobilio, their design purportedly answering the need of putting the glazed areas low enough for young children to enjoy the scenery. As the Capa, the Mobilio could be ordered in 2- or 4-wheel-drive versions, but all through a lone “Multimatic S” continuously variable transmission.

Ten months after its release, the initial Mobilio was joined by the Mobilio Spike. Two seats were sacrificed in order to add cargo room and increase versatility. Apart from this, the Spike enjoyed a slightly different body.

Receiving only minor modification throughout their lifetime, both the Mobilio and Mobilio Spike were withdrawn in June 2008 after the announcement of the Freed, which is unfortunately larger and received a much more tortuous body. Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

About the model

Model: Honda Mobilio Spike
Year: 2002
Maker: Ebbro
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ebbro
Acquired: brand new, in January 2007, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

An excellent model – but is that surprising from Ebbro? Good paint and parts perfectly adjusted: it’s 15/20 for me.

Maserati Mistral

A little history

From its recent intrusion into the world of GT constructors to the early Sixties, Maserati mostly produced 2+2 coupes, but was willing to add a strict two-seater to its range. Such a car was introduced during the 1963 Turin motor show. Until it was officially put on sale in early 1964, this “Tipo 109” was simply called Due Posti, then renamed Mistral, inaugurating the House of the Trident’s habit of christening its cars after famous winds.

The Mistral was initially available as a coupe, but a convertible immediately followed at the Geneva motor show, in the spring of 1964. Both versions shared the same elegant style by Pietro Frua, even if the car was constructed at Maggiora’s. Suspension was independent at the front, though a rigid axle was still fitted at the rear; transmission was through a 5-speed manual gearbox provided by ZF; and brakes were Girling power-assisted disks on all four wheels. While the convertible inherited the larger Sebring’s 3.5-litre, 235 bhp straight six, the coupe received a slightly larger block (3.7-litre, 245 bhp).

A beautiful car, still acknowledged today as one of the most gorgeous Maserati ever, the Mistral had performances to match (a 230 kph top speed and 0-100 in about 7 seconds). Perhaps the only complaint from users came from the tricky Lucas fuel injection system, which was difficult to adjust properly. Nonetheless the car sold well. In 1966, its engine was enlarged to a 4.0-litre displacement and 255 bhp output. Under this guise, the car was produced until 1969, a few of the 830 coupes and 125 convertibles ever assembled being sold until 1970. No direct successor followed, though it can be assumed that the Ghibli, introduced a few years before and to which a convertible had just been added, can be considered its heir.

About the model

Model: Maserati Mistral Spyder
Year: 1964
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ixo, “Maserati” series ref. CLC077
Acquired: brand new, in February 2007, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

Ixo produces an excellent Mistral, which in particular enjoys superb wire wheels. The coupe, with its typical fastback silhouette and large, rounded rear window, is also available as ref. CLC076. The year given by Ixo (1963) is rather peculiar as production didn’t start until the following year and, at any rate, the convertible wasn’t introduced before 1964. My rating is 15/20.

Saab 96

JDMike, as I know you’re around this morning, here is something for you! ;)

A little history

Following the success of its first two cars, the 92 and 93 models (from 1949 and 1955, respectively), Saab had no intention of changing the concept of its popular car. Therefore the new 96, unveiled in 1960, as its two predecessors was a compact fastback coupe powered by an unusual two-stroke inline three. Though this little 750cc was rated at only 38 hp, performances were excellent due to the very light weight of the car and its near perfect aerodynamics – thanks to its long experience as an aircraft manufacturer, Saab developed a car as sleek as most modern vehicles. As most Swedish cars the 96 had a justified reputation for being dependable and tough, nothing less than what it takes to tackle the harsh Scandinavian winter’s conditions. To make things even better, handling was excellent. All this combined made the 96, and its two-door estate variant the 95, tremendous offers on both domestic and export markets. Regarding the latter, though the Saab 96 (and, as a matter of fact, the other Swedish car of the time the Volvo 544) was still regarded as “exotic”, its enviable records in rally racing greatly helped boosting its sales.

By the mid-Sixties, two-stroke engines were rapidly losing popularity, bringing Saab to reconsider its car’s powerplant. For model year 1965, the front of the car was redesigned. Not only Saab’s designers gave it a squarer, more modern look, they also extended it in anticipation for the new engine. It finally appeared in 1967 as a four-stroke, 1.5-litre V4 engine provided by Ford’s Taunus. Power was still a modest 55 hp but, once again, the 96’s light weight allowed performances well above its class.

At age ten the Saab 96 was among these few cars (Volkswagen Beetle or Citroën 2CV for example) that, though designed long before, have so well succeeded in creating a style of their own that they don’t even look old anymore. In 1968, a Saab 99, up-to-date but unmistakeably Saab in appearance, had been introduced, but it was a larger vehicle aiming higher in the market. Consequently, the 96 carried on for a second decade, receiving only minor modifications along the way. The very last car was produced shortly after New Year 1980, and left without a direct successor.

About the model

Model: Saab 96 V4
Year: 1972
Event: 1972 Swedish Rally, driven by Stig Blomqvist, navigator Arne Hertz (overall winners)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.46 of its Voitures de Rallye de Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in November 2005, in Souillac, France

A very correct model by Ixo, though the front turn signals are rather symbolic. My rating is 12/20.

Blogger's bugs

Yes, I don't know about you, but Blogger gives me a hard time once again since two days. José António's answered to the "Morris 1100" post, I validated his message, but it didn't appear. A few hours later the same message was on my "Moderate" page, I validated it, but it still didn't appear. Then a few hours later it was back again on the "Moderate" page, I didn't validate it, and it disappeared all by itself. The funny thing is that my "Edit posts" page indicates that the "Morris 1100" post has 3 answers by now. Even stranger is the fact that though a "0 messages" (sic) stubbornly appear down this page, if I click on "Post a comment" I sometimes can read both José António's message and my own answer to him... Nonetheless if everything seems to work for you, please let me know as the problem could then come from my browser.

I hope this is just a temporary problem, as it's really getting harder to post here... :(

Edit: Problem is now solved, as mysteriously as I appeared though. As soon as I added this post, everything returned to normal and all missing messages reappeared on the Morris 1100 page. Blogger really has strange ways...

Morris 1100 (ADO 16)

A little history

Though success was somewhat long to come for the Mini, its designer Alec Issigonis knew that he was on the right path and decided to follow the same lines for his next project, the compact ADO 16 saloon.

The car appeared in August 1962 as the Morris 1100. Its engine was placed at the front in a transversal position, and drove the front wheels. Coupled with a very short boot, this made for a compact yet extremely spacious car. Its most original technical feature was its Hydrolastic suspension, an advanced interconnected fluid system that reconciled comfort and handling. Disk brakes were fitted at the front, still a rare equipment on a popular car. For the ADO 16’s four-door body, BMC renewed its confidence to Pininfarina.

The Morris 1100 combined many qualities in a single package, and was rightly awarded a Car of Year prize in 1964. In the meantime, the original car had been rebadged to be included in the ranges of two more BMC manufacturers: Austin (again called the 1100), MG (a refined variant) and Vanden Plas (as the luxurious Princess). Choice later expanded even further with the versions proposed by Wolseley and Riley, and the addition of two-door saloons and estates. During spring of 1967, BLMC proposed the larger 1.3-litre engine, a detuned version of the Mini Cooper’s block, for its ADO 16. More surprising, an automatic transmission was a rare proposition. At the 1969 London Motor Show, Austin and Morris enjoyed new 1300 GT versions of their cars, as an answer to new sporty compact cars introduced by rivals Ford and GM in their Escort and Viva ranges, respectively.

After a long and successful career, the ADO 16 was succeeded by the Austin Allegro which, from the beginning, didn’t seem able to renew its predecessor’s achievements. Therefore the ADO 16’s production was continued for some times after the introduction of its successor, to finally end in June 1974.

About the model

Model: Morris 1100 Mark II
Year: 1967
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.86 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2007, in Souillac, France

A very poor model by Ixo: no more than 8/20.

Ferrari F2002

Welcome to our newest follower, Danny.

A little history

The brand-new F2002 received the difficult task of extending Ferrari’s long domination upon Formula One – the Maranello company then held the Constructors’ championship since 1999, and the Pilots’ championship since 2000. Though Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello started the 2002 season with the previous year’s F2001, the first F2002 appeared for the Brazilian GP, the third round of the season. Despite being similar to its predecessor overall – strict rules and computer-assisted design don’t allow much originality anyway – the F2002 was a totally new car. Its new V10 “051” engine wasn’t the most powerful that year, but this handicap was easily compensated by excellent aerodynamics and a low centre of gravity which gave the car superior handling. As a result, Michael Schumacher once again crushed all opposition on its way to his fourth crown in top-class open-wheel racing. Better than this, he perhaps signed his best season ever in Formula One, finishing every race out of seventeen on the podium, and being crowned as early as July. Beaten by McLaren in Monaco, the F2002 would win every other race it entered during the season.

Before the arrival of the new F2003, the F2002 (slightly updated as the “B” version) defended Ferrari’s colours during the first four races of 2003. Though less commanding than during the previous season, the F2002B succeeded in clinching one last victory in San Marino before retiring for good, and its successor the F2003, despite a stronger challenge from both Williams and McLaren, renewed both Schumacher’s and Ferrari’s titles at the end of the year.

About the model

Model: Ferrari F2002
Year: 2002
Event: 2002 Formula One Championship, driven by Michael Schumacher (championship’s winner)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Fabbri as no.3 of its Ferrari Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in February 2005, in Souillac, France

Competition is hard for modern Formula One die-casts, all the more for Ferraris. Ixo didn’t fare poorly though, and deserves a 13/20 for its efforts.