Jaguar S-Type

A little history

While for many years the XJ was the only saloon available from Jaguar, it has not always been so. During the Sixties, the posh and fast 420 was supplemented by a smaller model, the iconic Mark II. Between the two even stood an S-Type, which borrowed from both models and seems now the least remembered model of this period. The XJ put an end to this confusion by replacing all these cars in 1968.

By the Nineties, Jaguar’s salon had grown larger, so arose the need for a smaller alternative. Though the name S-Type was resurrected, the new car owed much to the Mark II, borrowing from its glorious ancestor many design cues inside and out, most notably the typical front grille and the overall rounded body. As Jaguar was then owned by Ford, the S-Type’s platform was shared with some of Fomoco’s American products. On standard S-Types, a 3.0-litre V6 engine drove the rear wheels. After the car’s introduction during the 1998 Birmingham motor show, new engines were added, including a smaller 2.5-litre V6 and a 2.7-litre diesel. An “R” variant was added in 2002; with a supercharged 4.2-litre V8 good for 400 hp, it allowed thrilling performances – not bad for the car’s image as the mainstream V6-powered S-Types suffered from lacklustre performances, a shameful trait for a Jaguar.

With the presentation of the new XF at the 2007 Frankfurt motor show, the days were numbered for the S-Type. Indeed, the car was gradually replaced after the XF went on sale during the spring of 2008 and, for model year 2009, was gone for good.

About the models

Model: Jaguar S-Type
Year: c.1998
Maker: Maisto
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Maisto, “Classic Collection” series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2004, in Manila, Philippines

A nice model considering the price. The passenger compartment in particular has been carefully reproduced, including a lovely steering wheel. My rating is 13/20.









Model: Jaguar S-Type
Year: c.1998
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: brand new, in January 2005, in Manila, Philippines

The same S-Type is also proposed by Hongwell/Cararama as an even cheaper alternative. In all respects though the Maisto, though far from perfect, is superior to this model, to which I cannot give more than 8/20.









Model: Jaguar S-Type
Year: c.1998
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/72
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: brand new, in November 2003, in Manila, Philippines

Hongwell also reproduced the S-Type in 1/72 scale. The result is good enough this time to be given a 12/20.

Peugeot 302

A warm welcome to our newest followers Custom Cars Paints by Martin Aybar and Rizal Sarluf. Enjoy your stay here guys!

A little history

Suddenly, the rest of Peugeot’s range (the “-01” models) looked comparatively old-fashioned when its modern 402 was introduced in 1935. The public and the press having well received this bold design, the French manufacturer decided to progressively apply the same typical “Fuseau Sochaux” style to all its new models. Thus, as early as in 1936, the 302 entered the scene.

Peugeot’s intention was to challenge Citroën’s new Traction Avant with its 302, which replaced the 301 as the company’s middle range offer. It led a gallant fight but ultimately lost: despite its audacious look, the 302 was a rather conventional car while its rival, though more restrained on the outside, was an advanced front-wheel-drive automobile promising perfect handling and superior comfort. As a consequence, the 302 retired after only two years. It was replaced by the 402 Légère, a crossbreed mixing the 402’s engine and front end with the 302’s chassis and passenger compartment, while simultaneously the smaller 202 was introduced as a popular car. With an output up from 43 to 60 bhp for a relatively unchanged weight, the 402 Légère was the GTI of its time. Indeed, the 302 also served Peugeot’s publicity needs by entering major sportscar events, as a roadster prepared by Darl’Mat – but we already discussed about this one.

War brought the progressive halt of all Peugeot’s passenger cars production. Heavily bombed by Allied air raids, the Sochaux factory had to be rebuilt and reequipped in 1945. Unsurprisingly, the company management preferred to concentrate on commercial vehicles and popular cars, which were then much more in demand, and dropped both the 302 and 402 from its post-war range.

About the model

Model: Peugeot 302
Year: 1937
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.46 of its Collection Peugeot press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2007, in Souillac, France

The 302 is my favourite among Peugeot’s “-02” models, as in my opinion it is the one enjoying the better balanced design. Happily Norev did a good job in reproducing this model, though its rendition of the front grille (crucial in order to let the enclosed headlights appear) could have been better. My rating is 13/20.

Honda Integra

A little history

With the Integra freshly removed from Honda’s range, it is time to wonder what will be remembered of this car. For most, the Integra was a sporty coupe but, squeezed between the Civic and the Accord, it actually enjoyed a full line-up for most of its existence, which spanned three decades.

True enough, the well-known three-door hatchback was the first to be introduced in February 1985, and also the very last to disappear, but from October 1985 it also existed as a five-door hatchback and, starting in October 1986, as a plain four-door saloon. The existence of this latter model was justified by the simultaneous introduction of the Integra, rebadged as an Acura, on the North American market. On the technical side, the Integra was a standard mid-range car of the era, powered by a 1.6-litre four driving the front wheels. The car’s boldest feature was its pop-up headlights, which were for a short while a trademark of all Honda vehicles.

The first-generation Integra sold well enough, particularly in America, to substantiate the continuation of the nameplate when, in April 1989, its replacement was introduced. Once again, the three-door hatchback appeared first, closely followed by the four-door saloon in May. The five-door was discontinued at this point. With the disappearance of the pop-up lights, the new Integra looked rather plain, but developed a sporty image thanks to its potent engines – a 160 hp now topped Honda’s offer.

Following a now well-known scenario, the third-generation Integra coupe was introduced in May 1993, while the four-door saloon had to wait until July. Japanese buyers were somewhat disturbed by the car’s look, and most particularly by its four small, round headlights. A rapid facelift (September 1995) solved the problem by giving the Integra a very classical front end, while on export markets, the car remained unchanged as its design hadn’t brought the same controversy as on its home market. Yet more performance was offered by the third-generation, which proposed several engines up to a 180hp, 1.8-litre four when introduced, and a real-time four-wheel-drive transmission. The model that would put the Integra name on the automotive map finally appeared in August 1995: this was the Type R, usually sold as a coupe, though a saloon was also available, powered by a specially-tuned fuel-injected 1.6-litre engine. Equipments such as stiffer suspensions, more efficient brakes, a close-ratio five-speed gearbox and Recaro seats of the Type R unmistakeably gave a very different character to the Integra.

The muscular image thus gained by the Integra after the Type R was released probably played a lot when the fourth-generation of the car was introduced in July 2001: in the midst of a range rationalization, Honda dropped the saloon and concentrated on the sole coupe, which was also an indirect replacement for the departed Prelude. By replacing two coupes by a single model, Honda had also taken notes of the progressive decline of the coupe market, a trend which in turn played against the Integra. Despite its new 6-speed manual gearbox and a standard 160 hp, 2.0-litre four which was boosted to 220 hp in Type R guise, the Integra didn’t generate sales high enough to justify its continuation and, in mid-2006, the last Integras retired, their place in Honda’s range being taken by the more-modest-yet-cheaper performance versions of the Civic.

About the model

Model: Honda Integra Type R
Year: 1998
Maker: Ebbro
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ebbro “Trendies”
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

Ebbro obviously chose a Type R to represent an Integra. Its model its made in the usual quality the Japanese die-cast maker is known for, and deserve a 14/20.

Isuzu VehiCross

A little history

For a long time, four-wheel-drive cars were regarded as utilitarian and rather clumsy vehicles. One of the first manufacturers to break away from the yoke of habit was Isuzu. With its VehiCross prototype, first revealed in 1993 during the Tokyo motor show, the Japanese company allowed a glance to the forward-looking sport utility vehicle of the future. Better yet, it entered production four years later as a relatively similar two-door car, graced by an unusual-yet-pleasing styling. With its short wheelbase and large wheels, the VehiCross looked compact, but aggressive. Designed as a showcase of Isuzu’s technology, the VehiCross had as much to be proud of on the inside than on the outside, most notably its advanced transmission system.

Exclusive and perhaps a little too daring for the times, the VehiCross sold on its home market and in the U.S. in quantities that from the very start had been intended to be limited – the car was, above all, an image-builder. Though many Californians seemed to appreciate the fun offered by such a concept, this wasn’t enough to justify maintaining the car in production for long, all the more as Isuzu was facing increasing difficulties. Even if a four-door variant and a ragtop were once contemplated, the VehiCross was pulled out of the assembly line as early as in 2001. By that time, less than six thousands had been constructed, guaranteeing its status as a future collectible.

About the models

Model: Isuzu VehiCross
Year: c.1997
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: brand new, in November 2004, in Manila, Philippines

Far from perfect, but cost-effective! As you probably noticed by now my preference goes to vintage cars so that’s a nice way to save a little budget for more desirable items. My main concern goes to the opening doors that don’t fit particularly well but, hey, that’s a toy! My rating is 9/20.











Model: Isuzu VehiCross
Year: c.1997
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/72
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: brand new, in November 2003, in Manila, Philippines

Cararama succeeded in retaining most of the details of its 1/43 scale model for its smaller 1/72 variant. The opening doors are unsurprisingly gone though – good riddance! Worth a good 13/20 in my opinion, considering the size.





Model: Isuzu VehiCross
Year: c.1999
Maker: Hot Wheels
Scale: 1/64
Distributed by: Hot Wheels
Acquired: second hand without packaging, possibly in 2005, in Manila, Philippines

Hot Wheels proposes its own interpretation of the VehiCross. All of what is to be expected from HW models is here: eyes-hurting decoration, (slightly) oversized wheels and gross simplification. Overall shapes are rather well respected though, so it’s 12/20.

Fiat Croma

A little history

You can’t help it: in the mind of most people, Fiat is exclusively constructing popular cars. Though the main Italian automobile company also built luxury cars both before World War Two (we have already seen the 2800, for example) and, to some extent, after (my favourite would be the coupe version of the 130, but there was also the Dino and the 8V), this is cars as the Topolino, 500, 600, 850, 127, 128 or Punto that most people remember. As a matter of fact, during the difficult Seventies, Fiat preferred concentrating on its lower range, preparing the modern Ritmo, than finding a successor to its larger saloons, the 132 and 130. Despite having been introduced in 1972, the 132 was nothing more than updated in 1981, becoming the Argenta. Finally, a brand-new car topped Fiat’s range in 1985: the Croma.

Actually, the Fiat Croma wasn’t exactly new when launched. Since the previous year, Lancia was proposing the Thema as a replacement for its Gamma, and gave its chassis, suspension and central structure to the Croma. Though the Pininfarina-styled Thema was offered as either a strict saloon or an estate, the more plebeian Croma was exclusively built as a practical 5-door liftback penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Some engines were also shared by both cars. Two years later, Alfa Romeo launched its elegant 164, also based on the Croma/Thema platform, but enjoying a totally different body. This cooperation didn’t stop at the Italian borders, as a fourth derivative was introduced as the Saab 9000, a Croma slightly adapted by Giugiaro for the Swedish company.

Designed as a family car, the front-wheel-drive Croma relied on plain 1.6- and 2.0-litre gasoline fours, along with a 2.5-litre diesel, that could be turbocharged or not. Those who wanted more performances could also find the car of their dreams among the Croma’s range, as a 16-valve injected 2.0-litre engine was also listed, as well as a turbocharged version rated at 150 hp.

After a 1991 facelift, the Croma was produced until 1996. Despite being successful both within Italy and, to some extent, without it, Fiat’s largest car left without a successor. Finally, the manufacturer was conforming to its image by sacrificing its upper range and concentrating on more saleable popular cars.

Croma could have been a forgotten nameplate today if, by 2005, it didn’t make a surprising comeback. Fiat re-entered the large family car market with a new Croma, available only as an estate but often classified as an MPV in order to avoid any comparison with its competitors’ saloons, better established in this segment. Fiat’s short-lived partnership with General Motors brought it to base its Nuova Croma on a platform already used by the Opel Vectra and – a case of history repeating itself – the Saab 9-3. Interestingly, this also linked the new car from Fiat, the paragon of cheap transportation, to the BLS, the smaller model proposed by… Cadillac! Today, the Croma still pursues its career – a rather discreet one.

About the models

Model: Fiat Croma
Year: c.1985
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.14 of its Fiat Story press series
Acquired: new with neither box nor stand (probably a production overrun or quality control reject), in January 2007, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

Though quality is unremarkable, this is nonetheless an accurate model of the Croma. My rating is 12/20.





Model: Fiat (Nuova) Croma
Year: c.2005
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.25 of its Fiat Story press series
Acquired: new with neither box nor stand (probably a production overrun or quality control reject), in February 2007, in Shenzhen, China.

The same remarks apply to this model, pulled out of the same Italian series. Same rating too: 12/20.

Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow

A little history

Despite its already long and prestigious history, Pierce-Arrow was in trouble by the early Thirties. In 1928, Studebaker had taken a controlling interest of the firm – it had then seemed a clever move, Pierce-Arrow receiving the financial support of a large and ambitious corporation, while retaining most of its autonomy. Shortly thereafter Wall Street crashed, and automobile companies, all the more those producing luxury cars, suddenly faced a bleak future. Studebaker’s sales plummeted and its finances faltered as, despite a dwindling income, its management proved unable to reduce costs, even continuing to pay generous dividends to its stockholders.

That’s in these dire circumstances that Pierce-Arrow welcomed a new sales manager, Roy Faulkner. With solid credentials earned at Auburn, Faulkner was the man for the job. One of his first decisions was to restore Pierce-Arrow’s image by presenting the car everyone would talk about: the Silver Arrow. Designing this ground-breaking automobile didn’t take more than three months to the team led by James Hughes and Phil Wright, the latter penning the extraordinary body. Though not yet of “pontoon” type, it swallowed the wings almost completely. Running boards were absent, while the rear took the shape of a radical “beaver tail” as it was sometimes called back then, or rather fastback as we would say nowadays. Wind tunnels were used to perfect the sleekness of this very aerodynamic car. Engine was a specially-developed V12, which cylinders opened at a wide angle, in order to reduce the block’s height and, consequently, lower the bonnet. With 175 bhp, the Silver Arrow was advertised for 185 kph, which was perhaps no more than wishful thinking considering the hefty weight of the car, but performances were excellent nonetheless.

The Silver Arrow was ready on time for the New York Auto Show, in January 1933. Later, it was sent to the Chicago Fair, a well-publicized international event which roaring slogan “a century of progress” sharply contrasted with the hardship most people encountered at the time. Dozens of world records set by specialist Ab Jenkins at Bonneville also helped turning the spotlights onto the Silver Arrow.

The Silver Arrow certainly looked like nothing else on the road in 1933, but the motoring landscape wasn’t transformed much by its introduction, though. With a price tag of $10,000, production had to be limited – five copies were ultimately built. Indeed, was it intended for anything else than publicity, as a glance of the future made readily available to a fortunate few?

Nineteen thirty-three was a rather good year for Pierce-Arrow. Helped by the exposure brought by the Silver Arrow, but even more by a modest recovery of the economy, sales went up again. Almost 2,300 Pierce-Arrows of all models were sold during the year, a result that could have been even better without the disruptions brought by damaging strikes at some of its subcontractors’ plants. The situation wasn’t as rosy at Studebaker: by February, the company declared bankruptcy and, less than five months later, the company’s president A.R. Erskine, whose management was under fire, cocked the gun with which he was about to take his own life.

Placed into receivership, Studebaker was forced to sell Pierce-Arrow to a group of Buffalo financiers. Not only all of the company’s debts were cancelled, but fresh cash was injected into its coffers. Its new owners had great plans for their acquisition. Unfortunately result wasn’t up to their expectations, Pierce-Arrow failing to develop the smaller car that would have guaranteed it larger production volumes, as Packard did with its 120 model. Consequently, the company closed for good in 1938, its last assets being sold at auctions.

About the model

Model: Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow
Year: 1933
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.31 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France

An extremely good reproduction of the Silver Arrow was made in 1/43 by Ixo. My rating would go as high as 15/20.

Nissan Silvia (S10 to S15)

Here’s for Danny: the end of the Nissan Silvia’s story.

A little history

The souvenir of the prestigious Silvia hadn’t faded away when, during the mid-Seventies, Nissan was about to launch a new sporty coupe derived from its compact saloons. Consequently the Japanese make decided to resurrect the Silvia name. The new car received the mission of tackling a growing market dominated by the Toyota Celica. Nissan couldn’t know, however, that in the process it was about to create a long-running nameplate that would span over six generations.

The first of the new Silvias (S10) was introduced in October 1975. Powered by a 1.8-litre four, it appeared in the form of an elegant fastback coupe, which style typically mixed Japanese and American influences. For this, and despite the fact that it was relatively unsuccessful, it is my favourite Silvia.

The second Silvia (S110) appeared in March 1979. Base engine remained the 1.8-litre four, but a 2.0-litre, until now reserved for cars exported to the U.S. market, became available. Turbocharged engines and a 2.4-litre four were added later. The S110 introduced a five-speed gearbox and an early form of in-board computer. The fastback style being now out of fashion, the Silvia was a strict coupe, but a hatchback version, named the Gazelle, was also offered. Though still elegant, the style was much more conventional and probably suffered from the very peculiar treatment of the side windows. Nissan also envisioned making the Silvia a contender in rally racing – though it never rivalled cars as the Lancia 037 or the Audi Quattro for the world championship, its exceptional toughness made it a winner in African rallies. A last remark by the way: if the car wasn’t called the S11 as it would have been logical, that’s due to the fact that the name had been already taken by an abandoned prototype of what could have been a Silvia with a rotary engine.

That’s in August 1983 that the third Silvia (S12) came to light. Once again, a Gazelle was offered, but it was now nothing more than a rebadged Silvia sold through a different network of dealerships. Base engine was now the 2.0-litre four, but those who wanted better performances could chose between a 3.0-litre V6 or a turbocharged 1.8-litre four. Many did, as the heavy base car was under-powered and fitted with inadequate brakes.

Nissan took a big leap forward with its new Silvia, released in May 1988 as an early 1989 model. Reasonably futuristic, this S13 enjoyed an instant success that went well beyond that of any other Silvia. Its only (minor) failure was in the release of a convertible variant which, priced much too high, sold poorly and was rapidly discarded.

In October 1993, the S13 was replaced by the Silvia S14. The new car’s style appeared much milder that that of the S13, a default that was partially corrected by a June 1996 facelift. That the S14 didn’t look aggressive enough is ironical, as this generation also saw the disappearance of the hatchback – the new Silvia wasn’t meant to bring a family to its nearest supermarket.

The production of the S14 was stopped late in 1998, in order to convert Nissan’s facilities to the new S15, launched in January 1999. The S15’s task was difficult: the Silvia’s sales had unsurprisingly plummeted after Nissan cancelled the simplest versions – by the time of the S14, the Silvia was a performance-oriented machine fitted with either 2.4-litre or turbocharged 2.0-litre engines. The S15 tried to correct this image by offering only 2.0-litre fours, either naturally aspirated or turbocharged. A Spec-S package, along with a more extreme Spec-R (fitted with a 6-speed gearbox), were proposed. A new convertible was also introduced, this time as a retractable metal-top version developed in cooperation with Autech. All this didn’t help much and the Silvia’s sales, as those of Nissan as a whole, remained sluggish. The Japanese company reacted by rationalizing its range, and the Silvia unfortunately stood among the models that it decided to discontinue. After almost twenty-seven years in production, the last Silvia left the factory in October 2002.

About the model

Model: Nissan Silvia HB Turbo RS-X (S12)
Year: c.1983
Maker: Tomy
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Tomica S-Series, ref.0004.
Acquired: brand new, in February 2005, in Manila, Philippines

Though a few gimmicks, and most notably a lot of opening parts, make this model look more like a toy, this is actually a rather detailed and accurate die-cast of the Silvia. I’d give 13/20 to this good model.