January 31, 2012

Chevrolet Corvair

A little history

When one thinks about American cars, stereotypes most probably come to his or her mind, as hefty sizes and weights, chromes, V8 engines, and so on. Still, American engineers sometimes proved to be capable of creating something original. In the case of the Corvair, they were poorly rewarded for their efforts.

The Corvair’s concept was due to Edward Nicholas “Ed” Cole, on Chevrolet’s payroll since 1933. During the Fifties, he was named chief engineer, then general manager of General Motors’ biggest seller. He already had an eye on the many rear-engine cars developed in Europe, particular the Volkwagen Beetle, so different from anything Detroit was producing, yet so popular in America. So Cole thought the time was ripe for an American-made rear-engine automobile.

The Corvair, as it was to be called, would be a compact car. Nash and its successor AMC had opened the way with the Rambler, imitated by Studebaker and its Lark. Simultaneously, imports peaked by the end of the decade. The three major corporations had to react and each prepared a compact car of their own. This riposte took the shape of three compacts that all appeared for model year 1960. Ford unveiled the Falcon, a very conventional car and, as it turned out, the most popular of the bunch. Plymouth introduced the Valiant, which unfortunately suffered from a tormented style announcing the odd-looking Chrysler cars of the next few years – until the group’s chief designer Virgil Exner finally got the boot. Concurrently, Chevrolet presented its Corvair, fitted with a rear-mounted, air-cooled flat six. Completely new to GM’s engineers, this original architecture had proved difficult to develop – even after entering production, the Corvair’s engine would leak oil in enormous proportions. Its main problem though would come from its rear suspension. The swing axle should have been complemented by an anti-roll bar. GM’s accountants didn’t follow the engineers’ suggestion: with all its unusual technologies, the Corvair was expensive to build, and some costs had to be cut to make the car competitive on the market. This choice would prove decisive in the catastrophe that loomed ahead.

Still, things were not going so bad yet. Sales were inferior to those of archrival Ford, but good enough. Performance was rather limited, though the 2.3-litre six was working hard to provide at least good acceleration, but the body had been masterfully crafted – ironically, the Corvair’s look would inspire many designers: the NSU Prinz 4, the Simca 1000, the Hino Contessa, or the Fiat 1300/1500 all mimicked the unsuccessful Chevrolet. In addition to this, the range was limited at first, including only only two- and four-door sedans. Developing Chevrolet’s offer could help, so during the next few years many models being added to the catalogue: the short-lived Lakewood station wagon, the Greenbrier minibus and Corvan 95 van and pickup, and a convertible. But it was the Monza Spyder that determined the future of the car. Launched in 1962, it added to the car a turbocharger (a rare equipment in those days), boosting the power to 150 hp and transforming the Corvair, with its peculiar handling, into an affordable sportscar. The whole range benefited from the new image carved by the Monza Spyder, finding a niche that allowed it to remain on Chevrolet’s pricelist despite the introduction of a more conventional compact, the Chevy II.

Sold as a sporty compact, could the Corvair finally be a success? Two elements played against it, once again. The first was the introduction of the Ford Mustang halfway through model year 1964. Compact, nimble, cheap, sporty, somewhat different, the new Ford was all this… as the Corvair had been before it. That is to say, the Mustang could do anything the rear-engine Chevrolet did, only better. In particular, the Corvair had to settle with its turbocharged six as its most potent engine, while the Mustang offered V8s and a whole range of optional heavy-duty parts that could turn it into a genuine performance machine. Inevitably, the Corvair was rapidly expelled from its very last stronghold.

The second event that negatively affected the Corvair’s career was the book from a then-unknown lawyer, Ralph Nader. In Unsafe at any speed, Nader violently denounced the absence of concern the manufacturers demonstrated for safety. All automobile companies were under fire – even Rolls-Royce was cited – but no car received harsher critics from Nader than the Corvair, which handling was supposedly extremely hazardous. In addition, Nader argued that in case of a frontal shock, the driver would be impaled by the steering column. Many claims later proved to be, at least, grossly exaggerated, but the fatal blow had already been given nonetheless.

Nader’s attacks paradoxically came as the Corvair was bettering itself. For 1965, a second generation of the car was unveiled. The swing axle gave way to a much superior independent suspension on all four wheels. One year later, Chevrolet would face Ralph Nader’s critics by fitting a two-piece steering column, then a collapsible one after another year. Best of all perhaps, the new Corvair, inspired in part by the Corvette Stingray, was lower and longer, and definitely very elegant.

Alas, this second Corvair was leading a fight that was already lost. In 1966, Chevrolet decided to stop the development of the car to concentrate on its challenger to the Mustang’s supremacy, the oncoming Camaro. Shortly thereafter, advertisement expenses were drastically reduced. Year after year, demand unsurprisingly dropped. Production figures were six-digits numbers when the car had been initially launched; in 1969, for its very last year, only six thousand left the factory. A sad end for a car that has been extremely ambitious at its outset.

About the model

Model: Chevrolet Corvair Monza
Year: 1969
Maker: Yat Ming
Scale: 1/18
Distributed by: Road Signature
Acquired: brand new, in November 2004, in Manila, Philippines

Excellent model by Yat Ming. With the exception of its engine, too much plastic-like to my taste, all details of this die-cast have been carefully crafted. My rating is 14/20.

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January 28, 2012

BMW F650

A little history

A rather elitist brand on four as well as on two wheels, BMW decided during the early Nineties to address a slightly less affluent and much younger clientele. In 1993, this willingness translated into the F650. Available in two versions, the Funduro and the ST, the F650 was powered by a single-cylinder 650cc Rotax rated at 50 hp. Both models were built until the end of 1999, when they were replaced by a single model, the F650GS. Fitted with an injection engine and a catalytic converter, the GS stood higher, yet had a lower centre of gravity thanks to a modified fuel tank.

At the end of 2007, BMW deeply updated its F650GS for the Milan motorcycle show. Since then, it has appeared as a simplified version of the new F800GS. A little odd perhaps, the F650GS actually shares its larger sister’s smoother 800cc engine. Once more provided by Rotax, it is an inline twin delivering 85 hp in F800 guise, but limited to 71 hp when fitted to the F650. Again designed for a public of bikers with limited experience, both GS models can also be restricted to a friendlier output of only 34 hp. They are still proposed by BMW today.

About the model

Model: BMW F650GS
Year: 2007
Maker: Maisto
Scale: 1/18
Distributed by: Maisto
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in December 2011, in Brive, France

A rendition of the F650GS that is well in line with what Maisto usually produces: nicely done overall but the high content of plastic parts sadly makes it look a little toy-like. My rating is 12/20.

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January 24, 2012

Lamborghini Diablo

A little history

In 1985, Lamborghini decided to replace its most iconic automobile, the Countach. Temporarily dubbed Project 132, the new car was to reach 315 kph, establishing itself as one of the fastest cars in the world. On the outside, penning its body was entrusted once again to famed designer Marcello Gandini, to whom had been credited most Lamborghini designs up to then. Alas, development was slowed down by Lamborghini’s serious lack of funds. Having narrowly escaped a bankruptcy, the Sant’Agata company was still in poor shape by the Eighties. Then, Chrysler entered the stage. The American giant too had closely avoided its ruin, turning the tides around 1980 with successful vehicles such as the L-platform cars (Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Omni) then the K-Cars (Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries). Though it had just sold its many branches overseas, it was willing to add a little prestige to its name by investing the cash it had lacked for so many years into the purchase of a reputed European auto maker.

Lamborghini’s takeover took place in 1987, and though the Italian company lost its independence in the process, it insured that it would have sufficient budget to complete its Project 132. This was achieved, but not without having Chrysler’s management interfere with the car’s development. Marcello Gandini’s radically angular body displeased the American executives, so Chrysler’s designers drew a heavily modified body for the car, which ended up being much more curved and rounded than intended. Dismayed, Gandini left with his drawings and put them to good use to create the Cizeta-Moroder V16T.

The new Lamborghini finally appeared in January 1990 at the Detroit motor show, under the name Diablo. Though its engine was the well-known 5.7-litre V12, this time rated at 492 hp, the car exceeded its initial goal and could reach an impressive 325+ kph. Compared to the departing Countach, the Diablo was also designed to be a much more comfortable GT and not solely a performance-oriented machine, so it came with a long list of optional equipments, though the base model remained relatively spartan.

The early Nineties were a time of severe competition in the supercars field, with many projects from both established companies and newcomers. Lamborghini could not afford to wait too long to update its Diablo, which was done in 1993 with the introduction of the VT. The new variant enjoyed an all-wheel-drive transmission which was based on the experience gleaned from the LM002 off-road vehicle, a new suspension, improved brakes, a new dashboard and a wide array of minor modifications. The car came standard with air-conditioning but, surprisingly, still had to wait for an ABS system.

The Lamborghini Diablo’s range was widely augmented during 1995. The year saw the introduction of a long-awaited VT Roadster, and a new version fitted with a conventional rear-wheel-drive transmission, the SV. Finally, after Chrysler sold Lamborghini to the VAG group, the Diablo was facelifted, receiving a front end treatment that was somewhat reminiscent of the Bugatti EB110, ironically another Marcello Gandini creation. It also gained a V12 engine enlarged to 6.0-litre and good for 550 hp, and a modified all-wheel-drive transmission… which wasn’t necessarily an improvement over the previous version. Under this latest guise, the Diablo was produced until 2001, when it was succeeded by the Lamborghini Murciélago.

About the model

Model: Lamborghini Diablo
Year: 1990
Maker: Maisto
Scale: 1/18
Distributed by: Maisto
Acquired: second hand with neither box nor stand, in April 2007, in Brive, France

This is a correct yet inexpensive model of the Diablo. Nothing extraordinary about it, and furthermore the thick plastic-made harnesses fitted to the seats somewhat spoil the passenger compartment, but still worth a 13/20 rating.

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Model: Lamborghini Diablo
Year: 1990
Maker: Bburago
Scale: 1/24
Distributed by: Bburago
Acquired: second hand with neither box nor stand, in April 2007, in Brive, France

This die-cast is simple, even toy-ish perhaps, but correct enough and extremely cheap. Bburago has always had a problem with the width of its tyres, which the Italian brand represents much too wide, but it’s obviously not really an issue with this particular model. My rating is 10/20.

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Model: Lamborghini Diablo VT
Year: 1993
Maker: Del Prado, or whoever builds models for Del Prado
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Del Prado through an unknown Japanese press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

Del Prado has offered a surprisingly agreeable model of the Diablo – this cannot be said of all die-casts proposed by the Italian distributor. This effort is certainly worth 12/20.

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January 20, 2012

A few updates

During my trip back to France I photographed a few die-casts that I haven’t still brought to Manila to join the rest of the collection. Some reproduce car models that I already mentioned here, as this Alpine A108 for example. Here is a sample, but you can click on the link just above to see all the new pictures:

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My second update regards once again an Alpine, but the much more recent A310 this time. When this particular version was built in 1981, it had already gained a V6 engine and was then trying its luck – rather unsuccessfully – on the GT market.

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The third instalment of my updates goes to Chaparral. Though I had with me in France all I needed to take proper pictures, I didn’t bring along the necessary tools to deal with the devilish screws designed by Ixo, so many models have remained boxed in the meantime...

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Among the models taken on camera was this Citroën CX, an early toy of mine that had never imagined, after so many years, ending up in a collection!

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Though not exactly a new model, I also took better pictures of the eye-catching Indian Chief to add to those already presented earlier.

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I was quite surprised to learn that I already did a post about the Schlesser Buggy – here is a much larger 1/24 model to add.

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In addition to this, I made corrections to the recent post about the SS Jaguar SS1. I have always been confused about the adoption of the Jaguar name for the SS Cars’ models, that is, until a few weeks ago – and just after writing this post, obviously – when reading an article in an old issue of Collectible Automobiles taught me that Swallow’s management decided to use this name in 1935, a decision that was effective the following year. Therefore, the SS1 has never been called a Jaguar during its production run. Consequently the post is now more accurately named SS Cars SS1, though I retained the convenient “Jaguar” label for it.

January 17, 2012

Suzuki Hayabusa

Belated Happy New Year to you all, and welcome back!

A little history

There has been a time when a 750cc bike could be considered large and powerful. But as the Nineties dawned, announcing a struggle of huge proportions for the title of the fastest production motorcycle in the world, the big bikes of yesterday would soon be dwarfed by the modern giants.

By the late decade, the record stood in the hands of Honda, which CBR1100XX Super Blackbird could reach an astonishing 290 kph. “It’s not your father’s Honda”, to paraphrase a famous automotive slogan. That was at this moment that Suzuki entered the fray.

Admittedly, its GSX1300R wasn’t, in the early stages of its development, intended to set a world record. But from the moment it was decided to adopt a 1300cc inline-four engine, the largest block ever fitted to a sport motorcycle, the company’s engineers felt the title could be at hand. The new bike was introduced in 1999 under the name Hayabusa (“peregrine falcon”) – incidentally, this has already been the name of Japan’s most successful fighter aircraft of World War Two, the Nakajima Ki-43. With as much as 173 bhp, a rather light weight and a very sleek design, the Suzuki Hayabusa broke the symbolic 300 kph barrier and, setting a 312 kph mark, crushed its competitors.

In spite of being a remarkable machine, the Hayabusa caused controversy. First of all, the public was split over its peculiar look. Keyword during its development had been efficiency, not beauty. As it turned out, the Hayabusa announced the way most subsequent motorcycles would look like. More serious was the stir created by the escalating race between manufacturers to produce the fastest production motorcycle. Could it be really wise to let such machines roaming on open roads? Anticipating a negative reaction from the authorities of several countries, and possibly even a ban on such “hyper-sport” motorcycles, the various companies involved decided to declare a ceasefire and limit the top speed of their machines to “only” 300 kph. The Hayabusa respected the terms of this agreement from model year 2001, and was produced as such until the end of 2007, without much modification.

For model year 2008, Suzuki launched a new Hayabusa, which is actually more of an evolution of its predecessor. The controversial appearance of the first generation was by then much better accepted, so the second GSX1300R kept a similar look, though being entirely redesigned on the outside. On the mechanical side, the same engine was retained, albeit in a heavily reworked form displacing 1340cc and capable of a claimed 197 bhp. This obviously had no impact on top speed, but improved acceleration and other performances. The new Hayabusa was complemented by a new “naked bike” built around the 1340cc engine, the B-King. Production of these two models continues at time of writing.

About the model

Model: Suzuki GSX1300R-X Hayabusa
Year: 1999
Maker: Maisto
Scale: 1/18
Distributed by: Maisto
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in December 2011, in Brive, France

Excellent model among a very wide range of 1:18 motorcycles offered at quite a low cost by Maisto. This GSX1300R sports an elegant copper-silver paint scheme flanked by the traditional “Hayabusa” ideogram. My rating is 14/20.

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