Scale Model Fan

Toyota Publica

2012-02-13T19:37:00.002+08:00

A little history

As the Americans had had the Ford Model T, and the Germans had the Volkswagen Beetle, the Japanese, not so long after emerging from a disastrous conflict, decided to create the car that would put their country on wheels. In 1955, the Japanese government published the requirements for such a vehicle, which had to be light and economical, yet demonstrate decent performance and good reliability, and obviously remain affordable. Quite a challenge!

In spite of the difficulties, Toyota’s engineers felt up to the task. Initially, they took their inspiration from another successful popular car of the era, the Citroën 2CV. They built a prototype fitted with a transmission to the front wheels but, without any experience in this field, the car proved a failure and it was decided to revert to a more reasonable rear-wheel-drive. Nevertheless, the car was to have an air-cooled, opposed twin engine, as its model. Displacement was 700 cc for an output of 28 hp, allowing the car to reach 110 kph. But unlike the 2CV, the little Toyota was to be a modern-looking notchback, with two doors and seating for four passengers. Production of this vehicle finally started in June 1961 after it had been christened “Publica”, a name chosen to denote its supposed impact on the Japanese masses. Alas, things went somewhat awry, at least at first.

Toyota had supposed the average Japanese were eagerly awaiting their Publica, but rapidly had to admit that it simply didn’t sell. The blame was put on the lack of equipment – by the early Sixties, in a more prosperous Japan than it used to be a few years before, most customers were looking for a car that was less spartan. They finally found it when Toyota unveiled a superior Deluxe version. The Publica had just met its public, at last.

In 1966, the Publica was thoroughly updated. Most obvious was its new front end, longer and more elegant, but other tiny modifications had been made all around the body. Its engine was enlarged to 800c and 36 hp, or even 45 hp in the new convertible version. Sales continued to be strong, but customers were slowly turning to newer, more sophisticated small cars. When production of the initial Publica was stopped in April 1969, the car that succeeded it bore the same name, but was a totally different automobile, based on the Corolla’s shortened platform.

About the model

Model: Toyota Publica
Year: 1961
Maker: Ebbro
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ebbro “Oldies”
Acquired: brand new, in September 2006, Manila, Philippines

Perhaps not Ebbro’s best model, but still very acceptable. I experienced some trouble with the door handles that were getting loose. My rating is 13/20.

Model: Toyota Publica
Year: 1961
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette Fujingaho as no.28 of its Japanese Car Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in January 2007, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

In addition to the Ebbro mentioned above, I used to have a Norev version of the same car, that I sold since then (sorry, I never thought of taking pictures before!). A simpler model, it nonetheless respected the proportions and dimensions of the Publica. Paint was a surprising, yet original kind of orange.

Citroën Activa

2012-02-06T08:53:00.002+08:00

A little history

By the Eighties, Citroën had felt into some sort of lethargy. Apart for some “real” twin-chevron models, the BX and the ageing 2CV and CX, production now comprised a large share of cars that were either rebadged Peugeots or closely related to vehicles from the Sochaux company. Still, Citroën was bold enough to present two concept cars within two years, and therefore was able to demonstrate that its traditional spirit of innovation was not totally gone.

The first one was the Activa, presented during the 1988 Paris motor show. A striking pilarless four-door saloon (with “suicide” rear doors) penned by Dan Abramson, the Activa prominently featured a complex suspension system. Based on Citroën’s customary hydropneumatic suspension, it was controlled by a “Regamo” electronic system and called “Hydractive”. It succeeded in eliminating the important roll in fast turns that had been demonstrated by all hydropneumatic-equipped Citroëns since the DS and, furthermore, it could adjust the car’s handling by changing ride height and damping depending on the way the Activa was driven. Citroën didn’t only focus on suspension, though: its Activa enjoyed a fighter jet-inspired “head-up” holographic data display, four steerable wheels that allowed for a very tight turning radius and sideway parking, and a full-time four-wheel-drive transmission through a four-speed automatic gearbox. Even the seemingly conventional devices received loads of electronics. Its engine, a 3.0-litre V6 rated at 220 hp, looks rather conventional in comparison. Among all of these new systems, the Hydractive suspension proved the most successful one, as no later than the following year it found its way into the new Citroën XM.

Two years after the first Activa, Citroën unveiled the XM-based Activa 2 coupe, again during the Paris motor show. The Hydractive suspension and 3.0-litre engine (now limited to 200 hp) were carried over from its predecessor, while the centre console received an advanced electronic navigation system that was ahead of its time. Yet, the Activa 2 was a much more reasonable car overall, for Citroën seriously considered its production as an heir to the famed SM. In the end, PSA management deemed its manufacture too risky, Citroën lacking the image necessary to sell a car that would have competed with well-established German brands. For the anecdote, the body of the Activa 2 is often but erroneously thought to be from Bertone: as its creditor, Citroën had indeed the Italian company settling part of its debts by building the car, but its involvement stopped here – the design of the Activa 2 was an in-house job, its lines having been drawn once again by Dan Abramson.

Though the Activas did not beget any production vehicle, the name was later applied to the active suspension system available on a variant of the Citroën Xantia.

About the model

Model: Citroën Activa 2
Year: 1990
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.66 of its Passion Citroën press series
Acquired: new with neither box nor stand (probably a production overrun or quality control reject), in February 2007, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

Universal Hobbies offered a pretty model of the Activa 2 through Atlas’ press series (the Activa 1 was also released, but I don’t have it yet). My rating is 14/20. Note that I hadn’t glue the side mirrors into place when I took these pictures. By the way, I just noticed they’re way too dark! I’ll replace them as soon as I put my hands again on this model.

Renault Dauphine

2012-02-03T17:17:00.003+08:00

A little history

Not a single new car sold during five years of conflict and the possibility for a more prosperous working class of purchasing an automobile for the very first time combined to make the little Renault 4CV, launched in mid-1947, an instant hit. Obviously, its manufacturer started to think about its replacement as soon at it was put on the market but, as it turned out, its success was such that a direct substitute could not be imagined. Therefore, a larger car ended up being sold alongside the 4CV, rather than it replaced it.

The “Project 109” study started in earnest in July 1951. Ultimately, the car would become the Dauphine, placed between the 4CV and the Frégate, and addressing previous owners of 4CV whose improved way of life would allow purchasing a larger automobile, while the 4CV would continue to answer the needs of first-time motorists. Rarely the introduction of a new car had been so carefully prepared, the whole development lasting almost five years and including an in-depth study of the needs of the average French motorist.

The presentation of the Renault Dauphine took place in February 1956 in Corsica, where many journalists had been invited to test the first new Renault in more than five years. The public would have to wait one more month for its introduction in Paris. Finally, the Dauphine was officially unveiled during the Geneva motor show. A box-type automobile of much larger proportions than the 4CV, the Dauphine retained a rear engine, but of larger displacement – 850cc for 27 hp. Handling was extremely sound for a car based on this architecture, the Dauphine only oversteering when pushed hard in tight turns. The front luggage compartment was rather vast for the times. And, to make things even better, the Dauphine, after the initial prototypes had been corrected by Ghia, was a very elegant automobile, offered in a variety of bright colours.

As the 4CV before it, the Dauphine’s success was immediate and, ultimately, more than two millions were built until 1968, production continuing until 1970 in some countries. It, too, would survive its heir apparent, the Renault 8. Among the memorable variants of the original car, let’s name the Gordini from 1958, with its 38 hp engine; the Ondine, a better-appointed version introduced in 1960; and the R1093, a homologated racing development of the Dauphine fitted with a 55 hp engine and a four-speed transmission. Another noticeable equipment was the Ferlec electromagnetic clutch (optional from 1957) that turned the Dauphine’s manual transmission into a semi-automatic one. The excellent Dauphine engine was also fitted under the bonnets of such dissimilar vehicles as the Alpine A108 sports coupe or the Renault Estafette panel van. The outputs of the sporty versions’ perhaps seem ludicrous today, but the Gordini and the R1093 were quite effective machines back then, the Dauphine bagging a victory at the Monte Carlo rally, and two at the Tour de Corse, among countless minor trophies.

More than its success in France, the Dauphine’s achievements around the globe were remarkable in a time when brand new cars seldom crossed borders. Apart from FASA, Renault’s Spanish subsidiary, the Dauphine was produced under licence by Alfa Romeo in Italy (easily forgotten today, but there has been thousands of Alfa Romeo Dauphines built!), by Kaiser in Argentina and Israel, by Willys-Overland in Brazil and by the minor Todd Motors in New Zealand. It also served as the base for the Hino Contessa, after the Japanese company had produced the 4CV in the Fifties. Most notable of all, though it ultimately met with a bitter end, was the Dauphine’s great success on the American market. During the first large wave of imports that took place in the late Fifties, it was second only to the Volkswagen Beetle in terms of sales. Unlike the German car, the Dauphine offered four doors, a pretty silhouette and Parisian chic to American motorists. Alas, the Dauphine proved anything but durable on American highways, and suffered to the extreme from rust. To make things worse, Renault’s budding North American network was well below par to address the complaints of its disenchanted customers… When the “Big Three” unveiled their own compact cars, the Ford Falcon, the Chevrolet Corvair and the Plymouth Valiant, Renault ended up with thousands of Dauphines rusting in the open air in New York docks – most were finally shipped back to France at considerable expense.

About the models

Model: Renault Dauphine Gordini
Year: 1958
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Norev, as part of a “Gordini” box set offered in the “Renault Gamme Sport” series.
Acquired: second-hand as part of the complete set, offered by a friend and fellow collector in December 2006, in Manila, Philippines.

Norev’s rendition of the Dauphine Gordini suffers mostly from the poorly designed door handles, which have the naughty habit of swinging freely around their attachment points. Apart from this detail, this model is rather nice, and deserves a 13/20. This particular one was part of a three-car commemorative “Gordini” set, which also included a Renault 8 Gordini and an already presented Renault 12 Gordini (curiously Norev omitted the Renault 17 Gordini…).

Model: Renault Dauphine
Event: 1958 Monte Carlo rally, driven by Guy Monraisse, navigator Jacques Feret (overall winners)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.62 of its Voitures de Rallye de Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in July 2006, in Souillac, France

We have briefly discussed about the Dauphine’s racing career. Though the car itself wasn’t particularly impressive, its historical victory in the Monte Carlo justified its inclusion in Altaya’s series of rally cars. Unfortunately Ixo's model of the Dauphine is fitted with grossly oversized side windows. Too bad! My rating is 12/20.

Model: Renault Dauphine
Year: 1961
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.31 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in September 2005, in Souillac, France

Remove the previous model’s few items that identify it as a racing car, and you get this plain Dauphine. In addition to the reproach already made above, Ixo painted its model into this bright orange that has never been a factory colour. This forces me to further lower my rating to 11/20.

Model: Renault Dauphine
Year: 1961
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.2 of its Renault Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Souillac, France

Same thing with Norev that provided a plain Dauphine for M6’s press series. It is based on the same mould as the Gordini we have seen above – and suffers from the very same flaw: 13/20.

Chevrolet Corvair

2012-01-31T21:20:00.001+08:00

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.

BMW F650

2012-01-28T18:42:00.003+08:00

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.

Lamborghini Diablo

2012-01-24T12:04:00.006+08:00

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.

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.

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.

A few updates

2012-01-20T10:14:00.004+08:00

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:

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.

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...

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!

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

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.

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.

Suzuki Hayabusa

2012-01-17T12:01:00.004+08:00

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.

SS Cars SS1

2011-12-14T15:26:00.003+08:00

Here is a post Gaucho Man should enjoy. By the way, it will be the last one for the year, as I’ll be away during the Christmas season. See you back half-way through January, and advance greetings to all of you! :)

A little history

I suppose that there is no need to go through the early years of what would become Jaguar once more. How two friends, William Lyons and William Walmsley, set up the successful Swallow company building sidecars for motorcycles, then ventured into coachbuilding by fitting new sporty bodies to the plebeian Austin Seven has been told over and over again. Then, nine years into existence and carried by its initial successes, their company, Swallow, unveiled its very own car during the 1931 London Motor Show: the SS Cars SS1. Actually, Standard was responsible for a large share of the new model’s input, designing its chassis and providing its engines. Displacing 2100 or 2600cc, those couldn’t allow tremendous performance but the SS1 was in line with all previous Swallow products: it was an elegant and affordable sports car. The concept proved a winning one, 4200 copies of the SS1 being built until 1936. Among those, of particular mention is the striking Airline coupe, launched in 1934 and of which 624 were made. Interestingly, though it is the best remembered SS1 today, the Airline had been inspired by Walmsley but was disliked by Lyons. This wasn’t the only point on which the two partners couldn’t agree. Walmsley was satisfied enough with Swallow’s success, while Lyons only had expansion in mind. In the end, Walmsley gave up and sold his shares to Lyons in 1935. Under the latter’s guidance, SS would continuously develop: after a 1935 reorganization that saw the Swallow sidecars activities being separated from the SS automobile ones, then completely sold ten years later, SS changed its name to Jaguar, which would soon unveil the famous XK120 and enter the racing scene with the C- then D-Types. Lyons would remain at the helm of his company until 1972, designing most of its cars in the process, up to the legendary Jaguar XJ6. He would peacefully die in 1985.

About the model

Model: SS Cars SS1 Airline coupe
Year: 1935
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.39 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2007, in Souillac, France

A simple - not many separate parts and, in this Altaya version, wheels that are a little too thick - yet elegant rendition of the famed SS1. My rating is 13/20.

Renault Fuego

2011-12-05T21:34:00.005+08:00

First of all, a warm welcome to C.G. Michaels, our newest follower. Many among our most recent friends come from Argentina though, so today I’d like to discuss a car they know quite well.

A little history

As the Renault 15 and 17 coupes were based on the popular saloon, the Renault 12, the French company logically decided after the replacement of the latter by the Renault 18 to introduce a brand new coupe derived from the newest car. Tastefully penned by Michel Jardin under supervision by Robert Opron, it would receive Fuego as a name.

Production of the Fuego started in October 1979, replacing the R15/17 at Renault’s Maubeuge factory. Introduction would wait until March 1980 and the Geneva motor show. Most of the critics at the time concentrated on the styling. Not that it wasn’t elegant enough – on the contrary – but some judged that the new Renault unfortunately looked too similar to the Porsche 924, noticeably sharing the same concept of a rear opening glass “bubble” hatch. Furthermore, the Fuego, a much more modest car than the German machine, suffered from the comparison. On the road, the Fuego enjoyed a safe and predictable behaviour, a characteristic unsurprisingly shared with the R18. Alas, it also shared its engines, with no performance version initially offered. But in the end, the biggest problem the Fuego had to face was the fact that it simply came too late on the market. The concept of a coupe based on a mid-range saloon, powered by a large selection of engines, had been invented by the Ford Mustang then transposed to Europe by the Ford Capri. The large success that the cars designed for that niche enjoyed throughout the Seventies was quickly vanishing due to the fierce competition offered by the compact GTIs, a concept inaugurated by the Volkswagen Golf.

Renault tried to improve the performances of the Fuego by grafting to it more potent engines: a 2.0-litre block came first for model year 1981, but the car had to wait two more years for an able 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, with which it could finally reach 200 kph. That was a pity, as the Fuego had a particularly slick body ideal for high speeds. Several of its equipments were quite advanced for the time, too. Such was the case of the onboard computer, the remote door lock system (a world first, that today probably equips any single new car sold in the world) or the turbo-diesel engine, common nowadays on coupes, but an ultra-rare choice back then.

All these efforts were to no avail to save a car that was born too late. Though the Fuego cannot be called a failure, it was quickly withdrawn from production in Europe, being built until 1985 in France and 1986 in Spain. Due to the totally different specificities of the local market, the Fuego enjoyed a much longer career, and comparatively a much more successful one, in Argentina where the very last car was constructed as late as in 1992.

About the model

Model: Renault Fuego GTL
Year: 1981
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.16 of its Renault Collection press series
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in July 2006, in Brive, France

Norev offers this interesting but rather old reproduction of the Renault Fuego. It is quite correct but is betrayed by its simple and poorly adjusted wheels and simplistic front end. I’d give 11/20 to this model.

Model: Renault Fuego GTX
Year: 1982
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.89 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2007, in Souillac, France

Ixo’s version of the Renault Fuego is greatly helped by the fact that it is much more recent than Norev’s version. Alas, it suffers from poor adjustment of some parts - have a look at these large black lateral pieces to see how they poorly fit. This unfortunately brings my rating down to 12/20 when it could have been much higher.

Ford Crown Victoria

2011-11-20T09:26:00.002+08:00

Quite discreetly, Ford has recently pulled the plug on the very last of the “real” American cars, when the final Ford Crown Victoria left the assembly line. So more than a simple post, here is an homage of sorts to an era now over.

A little history

To say the truth, even when the Ford Crown Victoria and its rival the Chevrolet Caprice appeared twenty years ago, there were doubts about the future of these huge dinosaurs, still built with separate frames and fitted with transmissions to the rear wheels. Somehow, they succeeded in surviving longer than many may have thought, thanks to the faithfulness of many Floridian or Californian seniors, who have never driven anything else than this type of cars for their whole lives, but whose market was getting smaller year after year; and even more significantly due to the high demand from law enforcement agencies and taxicab operators.

In March 1991, both the Ford Crown Victoria, which dropped at this point its traditional “LTD” name, and its fancier counterpart the Mercury Grand Marquis received a brand new body, more rounded and aerodynamic than their dated predecessors, but still based on the “Panther” chassis used for full-size sedans since the late Seventies. This followed a similar move by General Motors, which had just updated its line of full-size models – Chevrolet Caprice, Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser and Buick Roadmaster, and the earlier introduction of Ford’s luxury model, the Lincoln Town Car, also based on the Panther platform. Despite its older underpinnings, the Crown Victoria enjoyed a brand new 4.6-litre “modular” engine, and optional ABS and traction-control systems. Its styling was an apt balance of modern and conservative, and this proved perfect as the bathtub-like body of the Caprice had been poorly received. Within months, the Crown Victoria led the market well ahead of its GMC rival which, after a botched restyling, disappeared following the 1996 model year. From then on, the Crown Vic’ became the only option for a traditional V8 automobile in its price range.

For the 1998 model year, the styling of the Crown Victoria was largely revised, and the car benefited from an improved suspension. While the general public was less and less attracted by the heavy car, it was still hugely popular with policemen – to whom Ford proposed the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor version – and taxi drivers. It also enjoyed a healthy following in the Middle East, which actually had soon become its only export market. At the end of the 2007 model year, the Crown Victoria stopped being available to private buyers in America, those being redirected towards the Mercury Grand Marquis, and remained only available for fleets and export markets.

In 2008, Ford decided to concentrate the production of all its Panther-based cars in its St. Thomas plant. The Canadian unions were rather anxious about the future of the car, or more specifically those of thousands of workers at this Ontario factory. Ford reassured them by announcing that large amounts of money would be invested to update the car. This was nothing but a lie. The last Mercury Grand Marquis was produced in January 2011, the brand being discontinued. It was followed by the last Lincoln Town Car in August, the car not being in conformity with new safety regulations imposed by Washington on all cars built for model year 2012. Though the Ford Crown Victoria was also affected by these new rules, it was maintained in production until September to fulfil foreign orders. On September 15, 2011, the very last Crown Vic’ left the assembly line of a factory due to close.

About the models

Model: Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
Year: c.1997
Maker: Motor Max
Scale: 1/18
Distributed by: Motor Max, ref. 73125
Acquired: brand new, in February 2005, in Manila, Philippines

A nice surprise among Motor Max range of traditionally poorly assembled and painted die-casts. Their Crown Victoria certainly isn’t outstanding, but very few reproaches can be made to it. A rare feature for a model in this price range, it offers four opening doors. My rating is 13/20.

Model: Ford Crown Victoria
Year: 1998
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.52 of its Taxis du Monde press series
Acquired: brand new, in March 2004, in Souillac, France

Altaya could hardly avoid proposing a Crown Victoria in its series about world taxies and cabs, as the large Fords have replaced the traditional Checkers as the iconic transportation of the New Yorkers. Its die-cast has been provided to the Italian distributor by Ixo. Again the rendition of the large car is accurate enough to be worth 13/20.

Model: Ford Crown Victoria
Year: 2002
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.70 of its Taxis du Monde press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2004, in Souillac, France

In its pursuit for more money pocketed from its faithful customers Altaya has extended its taxi series by offering new decorations to models already proposed earlier in different forms. The Crown Victoria was one of those, being sold a second time as a Dubai taxi. Decoration is somewhat simpler than its New York’s counterpart’s, but overall level of quality still deserves a 13/20.

Ferguson TE-20

2011-11-14T12:35:00.006+08:00

A little history

After refining for almost three decades his concept of a tractor’s hydraulic linkage, to which could be firmly fitted a variety of agricultural equipments, British engineer Harry Ferguson was ready to launch full-scale production. Sure enough, he had already seen tractors built under his name by David Brown, but this Ferguson Black had only seen a very limited production run. He had also entered into an agreement with Henry Ford, thanks to which the American company was able to use Ferguson’s patents for its own Fordson tractors. The deal was ended after World War Two by Henry Ford II, grandson to the company’s founder, who nonetheless continued to make use of Harry Ferguson’s inventions – this situation was uneasily settled out of court.

When Harry Ferguson had concluded his 1938 agreement with Henry Ford, he had hoped that Ford’s British subsidiary would have produced his own tractors, but this never materialized. The engineer had to wait a few more years until the end of the conflict brought a solution: many factories which had been in full swing producing armaments were now left without prospects. Ferguson approached Standard and in early fall 1946, the first TE-20 rolled out of the production line at Coventry. Initially powered by a Continental gasoline engine, the standard TE-20 was also produced as the specialized TEB-20 and TEC-20, narrow tractors designed to operate in fields and orchards which configurations would have rendered the TE-20 impractical. Later, the tall TEK-20 would be designed especially for vineyard work. Replacing the American-built Continental, the 1947 TEA-20 would introduce an advanced Standard engine, announcing the blocks used by the postwar automobiles produced by this manufacturer. A diesel engine would also be offered from 1951.

After Harry Ferguson carefully perfected its ideas over the course of many years, the TE-20 was ideally suited for all the tasks intended for it. Better, it is no overstatement to say that it announced all modern tractors. Standard was assembling thousands and thousands of the little grey machines, while a Ferguson factory opened in Detroit as early as in June 1947, and Hotchkiss secured an agreement to produce it in France from 1953. This was that very year when Harry Ferguson sold the whole of his company to the Canadian group Massey-Harris. In the process, the British engineer received shares worth sixteen million dollars from the new Massey-Harris-Ferguson (soon to become the world-famous Massey-Ferguson). He was not a man to retire, though. Through a new company Ferguson Research, he still toyed for a while with the idea of building a tractor but instead went on to design a four-wheel-drive transmission for high-performance automobiles. A Formula One car, the Ferguson P99, was constructed to demonstrate its viability. Despite the fact that this machine had mitigated results on the track, in the end the system equipped the Jensen Interceptor. Harry Ferguson wasn’t around to witness his last success, as he had died at his Gloucestershire home in October 1960. As for the TE-20, its production was stopped in July 1956, after more than half a million were built, many being exported throughout the world. An additional 60,000 had been produced as the Ferguson TO-20 in the United States while 50,000 Ferguson FF-30 were constructed in France by Standard-Hotchkiss until 1957.

About the model

Model: Ferguson TE-20
Year: 1947
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.2 of its Tracteurs et Monde Agricole press series
Acquired: brand new, in June 2006, in Souillac, France

Large amounts of plastic rather than metal have been used to produce this die-cast, which despite this toy-like aspect is a good model: 13/20.

Peugeot 309

2011-11-05T11:23:00.006+08:00

A little history

At first sight, the Peugeot 309 could have appeared as a slightly larger variant of the successful 205. Actually, it wasn’t even intended to be part of the Peugeot range. After the takeover of all of Chrysler’s European operations by the PSA group, and the subsequent renaming of Simca to Talbot, plans were drawn regarding the replacement of the Horizon. The engineers at the Talbot plant in Poissy designed the Arizona for this purpose, basing their car on the Peugeot 205. Its passenger compartment was retained, but its front end was modified, while the all-new rear was lengthened. Indeed, this rear end was designed to cleared identify the car as a Talbot and, once it became a Peugeot, made it look rather odd among the rest of the range. As for its engines, the Arizona would have enjoyed the very same blocks as the 205, that is to say its noisy Simca 1100-inherited gasoline engines and its advanced small Peugeot diesels.

This, as we know, never happened. Talbot’s sales were crumbling, partly due to the reluctance of Peugeot’s salesmen to sell anything else than Peugeots. The PSA group hence decided to scuttle Talbot in 1985, putting an end to the company’s hectic half-century history, during which it had borne four different names.

Nevertheless, a prototype of the Talbot Arizona had already been built. Unwilling to waste the money spent in its development and, a tribute to the work of Poissy’s engineers, acknowledging its qualities, Peugeot chose to start the production of the car under its own name. Here was for the brand’s, but the model’s moniker was a little more arduous to determine. In Peugeot’s range, the ex-Arizona would be squeezed between its cousin the 205 and the older and larger 305. I remember wild speculations about the car’s christening at the time, until Peugeot surprised everyone by calling it the 309. At the time, it was given as a rather deceptive explanation that the company’s notchbacks would from then on receive a “-09” name.

Based on the excellent 205, the 309 could hardly be a bad car and, from its introduction in October 1985, enjoyed a well-deserved success. Comfortable, aerodynamic, economical when fitted with a diesel engine, enduring with a gasoline one, reasonably elegant for the time, the 309 was offered in a wide variety of models that included an automatic transmission variant and a GTi fitted with the same potent engines as the famous 205 GTi. Production lasted until 1993, when it was replaced by the 306. The 205 survived it and carried on for six more years. But was the 309 really gone? Not completely. A few more cars were unexpectedly assembled in India around 2000, following an agreement with the local manufacturer Premier, but this venture came to naught.

About the models

Model: Peugeot 309 GTi
Year: 1987
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.58 of its Collection Peugeot press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2008, in Souillac, France

An extremely poorly assembled model, as only Norev knows to make when catering for press series. The fitting of the rear “bubble” window is particularly disastrous. The paint is no better. Norev earns a 7/20 here for thinking its customers are just a bunch of idiots who don’t deserve better than this in return for their money.

Model: Peugeot 309 SR
Year: 1988
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.99 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in January 2008, in Souillac, France

Very correct rendition of the 309 by Altaya/Ixo, well worth 13/20.

Maserati A6 road cars

2011-10-29T19:42:00.008+08:00

Welcome to juanh, for whom I had in mind to make a Formula One post today... but I completely forgot about my initial plan, so here is something quite different.

A little history

Though its road cars are probably more renown today than its racing cars are, Maserati basically remained focused on competition for the first four decades of its history. Even if this dramatically changed after the introduction of the 3500GT in 1957, some road cars, closely related to the machines raced by the little factory, had already been produced in very small numbers since the end World War Two. This all started with the A6/1500, a small 1.5-litre car usually bodied by Pinin Farina. Though its six-cylinder engine was based on the machinery of the pre-war Maserati single-seaters, its power was down to a modest 65 hp, mostly due to the mandatory low-grade gasoline that was available – hardly easily, still – in the country at that time. Following its introduction at the 1947 Geneva motor show, the A6/1500 was produced in sixty-one copies until 1950, when the company seemed to distance itself from road-going automobiles to concentrate again on racing cars. This situation didn’t last and, at the Turin motor show in 1951, Maserati presented the A6G, based on the A6’s chassis, but fitted with a 100-hp 2-liter engine again based on a racing block. Unfortunately, the A6G’s design was too much dated and its engine still too modest despite its larger displacement to compete with Ferrari’s models, resulting in abysmal sales – no more than sixteen A6G were produced until 1954. For the anecdote, a Maserati light truck, the 550 cc or electrically-powered TM15, was also introduced at Turin in 1951 and didn’t really fare better, with only fifty-one being built until 1956 when the utility market was abandoned without regrets.

With its placid engine but excellent tubular chassis, the A6 soldiered on for a few more years. The A6G was succeeded at the 1954 Paris motor show by the more potent 150-hp A6G/2000. Just before this, five copies of the A6GCS/53 sportscar had been converted to a 170-hp Gran Turismo coupe fitted with a muscular Pinin Farina body, but these were the result of a private initiative rather than a venture from the factory. The A6G/2000 gave way to the much more ambitious Maserati 3500 GT in 1957, by which time its production number had reached the staggering figure of sixty...

About the model

Model: Maserati A6GCS/53 Berlinetta
Year: 1954
Maker: Ricko Ricko
Scale: 1/18
Distributed by: Ricko Ricko ref. 32151
Acquired: brand new, in March 2006, in Manila, Philippines

Ricko has tastefully reproduced one of the four coupes Pinin Farina built out of the A6GCS for Maserati’s dealer in Rome and occasional racing driver, Guglielmo Dei. My point of view is certainly debatable, but I’d like to think this is one of the most striking car ever penned by the famous Italian coachbuilder, allying in equal proportion feline beauty and brutal strength. The die-cast model is well worthy of the original, and deserves a good 14/20 rating.

Auburn Speedster

2011-10-20T20:52:00.006+08:00

So I’ve been silent during the last eight weeks, except when answering the numerous – yet always clever – messages of our new follower Gaucho Man. Persistent problems with my computer(s) got the upper hand on my good habit of writing a new post every Saturday. Laziness soon settled in afterwards. In addition to this, my trusted old camera asked for a well-deserved retirement. As of now I still don’t know if it can be repaired, but fortunately I have pictures left for a few more posts.

Now for the good news: unlike previously announced, ALL of your comments that had disappeared are now back. Where were they then? Well, er… they were here all the time, actually. When Blogspot added its new “spam” feature, about one-third of all the comments, though already approved, were randomly removed from this blog and placed without any warning into the spam folder… which I never had a look at.

So, to end a long period of silence, I chose an exceptional automobile today. But before we start, as per tradition, welcome Gaucho Man (I can only advise you all to visit his own, very nice blog!) and Tunning66 (interesting blog too).

A little history

Auburn was just one among the dozens of minor automobile manufacturers that had spread across America and were lucky enough to somehow remain in business for some reasonable amount of time. From its founding in 1909 in the small Indiana town after which it was named, the existence of the little company was essentially a tale of survival. Fifteen years later, amid a dire recession that struck hard at the American car industry, Auburn seemed to have met the end of the road.

That was at this exact time that a saviour entered the scene, in the improbable guise of a twenty-nine-year-old man. His name was Errett Lobban Cord. The young folk boasted that he had already twice made a fortune worth a million dollars – and lost it in both occasions. Now he had the opportunity to succeed a third time, and have his name written in all automobile history books in the process.

When Cord was offered to manage the company by its Chicagoan owners, Auburn’s coffers were as empty as its factory was full of unsold cars. The daring young man struck a deal which would actually give him control of the company if he could save it – it took only four years until, by 1928, Auburn became his. How did he succeed? By considering styling an important factor in the power of attraction a car can have towards its potential customers. Though it seems commonplace today, styling was virtually non-existent back then. Cord’s genius resided in a very simple idea: to repaint all the unsold cars with a striking two-tone paint job – all soon found owners. Thanks to this fresh input of cash, Auburn was ready to introduce new models and, once again, styling would be seriously considered. Though a complete range was made available, it was the Boattail Speedster, also launched in 1928, that caught most of the attention – so much that this particular model seems to typify Auburn as a whole. Production increased dramatically, allowing E.L. Cord to form a new Cord Corporation in 1929 in order to manage the many companies he now controlled. For Auburn was just one among one hundred and fifty concerns he owned by then! Checker, the well-known taxi builder, was another one. And so was Duesenberg, which would acquire immense prestige as a luxury brand under the Cord Corporation’s guidance. And obviously, technologically advanced automobiles would also be built under Cord’s name. Most engines were provided by Lycoming, another member of the group. Indeed, its activities extended well beyond automobile to cover all forms of transportation, including a shipyard and several aviation-related concerns (among the latter was the future American Airlines). Alas, though many they were, most of these companies were of too limited a size to survive in a highly competitive environment. And a few months after the Cord Corporation had been formed, the Wall Street crash announced renewed hardship.

Auburn was the “volume” car manufacturer among the company – that is to say that all the automobiles Cord produced were rather exclusive. Sales were plummeting, though E.L. Cord and his team made them more attractive than ever. Tastefully penned, well appointed, fitted with powerful eight or even twelve-cylinder engines (the company advertised its models as the only V12s below $1000) the Auburns of this era are the best remembered nowadays – but still, they didn’t sell well in these difficult times. The most extraordinary of all would appear shortly before the final collapse of the group: it was the 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster, soon followed by the identical 852, boosted by a supercharger and graced by Gordon Buehrig’s elegant styling. The number of replicas mimicking this extraordinary car says it all about its place in automobile history.

Nineteen thirty-seven marked the last year for all of Cord’s automobiles – except, ironically, for the less flamboyant, the Checker, which regained its independence and survived for almost half a century. Gone were the Auburns, the Cords and the Duesenbergs. The aviation companies were in much better shape, allowing E.L. Cord to sell his corporation for a hefty sum that he soon had fructified by investing, wisely enough, in Californian real estate and the nascent television network.

A personal note

Driving once through Indiana I decided to stop in Auburn to see the famous Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg museum, installed in what were Auburn’s headquarters. Unfortunately by the time I arrived there it was evening, so I would have to wait until the morning for the opening. After checking two of them, I found that motels in Auburn were terribly expensive for my limited budget, so in the end I got back to the highway and continued towards Detroit. I ended up sleeping in my car - yep, obviously it was winter. Anyway, drooling at three of the company’s models through the building’s window was well worth stopping by. But I still hope that one day I’ll finally have the opportunity to visit this museum!

About the models

Model: Auburn 12-161 Speedster
Year: 1933
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.20 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in June 2006, in Souillac, France

Though the 852 is probably the most famous Auburn, Ixo chose this slightly older Speedster for Altaya’s series about classic prewar cars. I have to praise the Chinese company for its original choice, and for the good quality of its model. Despite this, I saw a little paint defect when I took these pictures, but to be frank it’s hardly noticeable. My rating is 14/20.

Model: Auburn 851 Supercharged Speedster
Year: 1935
Maker: Ertl
Scale: 1/18
Distributed by: Ertl
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, from the estate of a late fellow collector, in December 2006, in Manila, Philippines

Who could guess that actually the beautiful 851 Speedster was nothing else than a stopgap, masterfully designed by Buehrig by combining the front end of the year’s Auburns with the Boattail bodies that remained unsold from the previous year? Far from its usual muscle cars, Ertl has made a very elegant rendition of this car, well worthy of the original. My rating is 15/20.

ACL-Teilhol Rodeo

2011-08-27T10:19:00.005+08:00

First of all, welcome to our newest follower David Sery!

A little history

The success enjoyed by the Méhari soon enticed Citroën’s archrival Renault to produce a competitor to this little off-road vehicle. In fact, Renault already had something in its range that was close enough, the Plein-Air. It had been actually developed by the Sinpar company, but less as a true off-road as the Méhari was than as a fun beach car in the spirit of the Ghia-designed Fiat 600 Jolly.

During the spring of 1970, Renault unveiled the Méhari’s true rival, the Rodeo 4. Once again, this wasn’t a genuine Renault design, its development having been outsourced to a little company from central France, Ateliers de Construction du Livradois or A.C.L. It was originally sold under the ACL name through Renault’s network.

The Rodeo 4 was again based on the Renault 4, more precisely its tougher van version, but received a totally original plastic body. Its engine was the R4’s traditional water-cooled 845cc, 34 hp four. Though more powerful than the Méhari’s, it had to propel a substantially heavier vehicle than its rival did, even if at 640 kilos, it could hardly be called overweighed. In October 1972, a new model was added to the Rodeo 4. Designed with a lucrative army market for a light off-road vehicle in mind, the Rodeo 6 was based on the Renault 6’s chassis and powered by its stronger 1.1-litre engine, and later by the 1.3-litre of the largest R5s.

Despite being a success in its own right, the Rodeo series always suffered from being an imitator of the Méhari, which it was never able to dethrone. Sold from model year 1977 under the Renault logo, the Rodeo was produced two years later by a renamed Teilhol company (from the name of ACL’s director, and though the Teilhol name was unofficially but commonly used from the very beginning of the car).

In September 1981, the Rodeo 4 and 6 were replaced by a single car simply called the Rodeo, even if a Rodeo 5 moniker was sometimes used to avoid any confusion. More compact and fitted with a modern body, the new offer failed to seduce its potential buyers and was withdrawn in May 1986, when it disappeared without any successor.

About the model

Model: ACL Rodeo 4 Coursière
Year: 1971
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.4 of its Mythique R4 press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2007, in Souillac, France

The Coursière was one of many models offered by Teilhol in the Rodeo range, and Universal Hobbies has proposed a very accurate and tasteful die-cast of this car. My rating is 15/20.

McLaren M19 - Ford

2011-08-20T16:27:00.002+08:00

A little history

Nineteen seventy was a terrible year for McLaren. True, the team renewed its traditional success in the CanAm championship, but not only it ended the F1 season without a single win, which had never happened since the team’s burgeoning, it above all lost its founder Bruce McLaren, killed in a practice crash in June. Thereafter Teddy Mayer led the team, while the faithful Denny Hulme remained as number one driver.

The first task for 1971 was to replace the disappointing M14 by a brand new design. McLaren’s chief designer Gordon Coppuck electing to concentrate on Indycars, the work entirely rested upon his assistant Ralph Bellamy, who produced the M19A, a rather conventional single-seater powered by the ubiquitous Ford-Cosworth V8 engine. Its only original trait resided in its advanced suspension system. Structure was monocoque, built in aluminium, and hidden under a fibreglass body. Fully stressed, the exposed engine was an integral part of this structure.

The 1971 season seemed to start well for the M19A. At Kyalami for the South African opener, the car was indeed fast. With four laps to go, Denny Hulme was ahead of the field – then disaster struck as his exhausted machine refused to do more than coast to the finishing line. Though this could have looked promising, the car had already shown its limits as the behaviour of its “revolutionary” suspension had proved rather unpredictable during the whole event. The entire season would reflect this dual character: the M19A was swift, but fragile. Continuously tuning the suspension or adding a new nose or airbox didn’t help. Much blame was put on the team’s number two driver, Peter Gethin, who got the boot after the German Grand Prix. Two races later, the Brit won an epic Italian Grand Prix at the wheel of a second fiddle, the BRM – the first McLaren was seventh during the very same event, a clear demonstration that, after all, the M19A alone was the cause of McLaren’s misfortunes… Best result of the season finally came from a privately-entered M19A, when Mark Donohue placed third at the Canadian GP with a Roger Penske / Kirk F. White car. No more than ten points were earned during the year, the worst result since the team participated to the full F1 season.

In 1972, the M19A rapidly gave way to the M19C. The troublesome suspension arrangement was a thing of the past, and the car was now conventional all-around, but what had been lost in originality was largely compensated by increased reliability. Gone too were the last remnants of the southern hemisphere origins of the team, as the traditional orange livery and team logo were replaced by the colours of its new sponsor, Yardley. Now seconded by Peter Revson, Denny Hulme took a great start, finishing second in the new Argentinean GP, then taking his revenge in South Africa, the team’s first victory since 1969. This remained a lone success, but McLaren was regularly on the podium that year. Finally, the M19C opened the 1973 season before retiring in favour of the new M23, which was to become one of the most important Formula One cars McLaren ever built. Refitted with a Chevrolet V8, the M19 ended its career as a F5000 racer.

About the model

Model: McLaren M19A - Ford Cosworth
Event: 1971 Canadian Grand Prix, driven by Mark Donohue (finished 3rd overall)
Maker: Minichamps, “McLaren Collection” ref. 48
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Minichamps, limited edition
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Manila, Philippines

A nice Minichamps model. The works cars look nice, but I instead settled for the great Sunoco livery of Donohue’s M19. My rating is 15/20.

Tatra T77

2011-08-13T07:30:00.001+08:00

A little history

When I was a child, most would have smiled at the evocation of the Czechoslovakian automobiles. The name that sprung to mind was Škoda, and though this company was probably building some of the finest automobiles beyond the Iron Curtain, they were the butt of many jokes in Occident. Fortunately this has changed since then, and today Škoda’s name honours the long history of its country’s motor industry. Until WW2, it was a very busy one, but none among the Czechoslovakian manufacturers could challenge Tatra’s position at the frontline of technical innovation.

Tatra already had a long history as an automobile manufacturer, having set a foot into motor industry as early as 1897, when it was still called Nesselsdorf and belonged to the Austro-Hungarian empire. The dismantlement of the country, following the end of WW1, also brought a new name, taken from the nearby Tatra mountain range. In 1921, Hans Ledwinka, an engineer with a head full of original ideas, took over the company’s design department, and Tatra set on an innovation spree. Soon, all Tatra models used air-cooled rear engines, which were not a common feature at the time. Perhaps even more striking were the independent suspension on all four wheels, while most other cars still had two rigid axles, mounted on a backbone chassis. Using this common architecture for all of its models, Tatra developed a range extending from popular models to luxury automobiles.

In 1934, Tatra succeeded in outdoing itself with the striking T77, introduced at the Prague motor show in May. Many were still toying with streamlined prototypes, some being produced in tiny series such as the Pierce Silver Arrow, when Tatra proposed the very first production streamlined automobile. And unlike the aforementioned American car, the T77 would have road characteristics and mechanical features to match its arresting appearance.

By then a specialist of rear-engine vehicles, Tatra was well positioned to create an aerodynamic car, as the absence of a transmission tunnel allowed a much lower automobile. As seen from the side, the T77 looked more as an airplane’s wing than any of the box-like cars of the Thirties. The T77’s overall shape was due to famed aerodynamic specialist Paul Jaray, a former Zeppelin engineer, and reached an astonishing coefficient of drag of only 0.212. Hans Ledwinka took care of the mechanical part. Positioned to the extreme rear of the car, the large 3.0-litre V8 avoided creating too much of an unbalance that would have been damageable to the car’s handling by being largely built in light alloy, as was the gearbox. With no more than 60 hp, the T77 could reach a 145 kph top speed, a rare performance back then, in perfect comfort.

The T77 received rave reviews from the press, and enthralled its rich and often famous owners. As early as 1935, the original T77 evolved into the T77A, with an enlarged 3.4-litre engine. With now 75 hp at his or her disposal, a T77 driver could now reach 150 kph. The T77A’s style also evolved, the headlights being repositioned on the front wings in order to increase the impression of extreme width of the car. A third headlight, sometimes steerable in turns, was also added up front.

The Tatra T77 certainly remained one of the most advanced automobiles in the world until 1938, when its production was interrupted and the T87 took its place. This remarkable automobile had inaugurated a line of highly aerodynamic, rear-engine Tatra saloons that would last for four decades.

About the model

Model: Tatra T77
Year: 1934
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.37 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France

Excellent model by Ixo in this noteworthy Altaya series: 14/20. Note the rear fin needed to stabilize the car at high speeds.

Volkswagen Typ 4 (411 and 412)

2011-08-06T10:18:00.006+08:00

A little history

After the Typ 3, Volkswagen continued to expand its range upward by offering in 1968 what was then its largest car ever – the Typ 4, known from the public as the 411 model.

Despite its higher ambitions, the 411 remained unmistakably linked to the original Beetle. From the outside, it basically looked as an overgrown Typ 3, retaining the traditional air-cooled, rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive arrangement. Some discrete but significant innovations were introduced though, most notably unibody construction and an efficient suspension through MacPherson struts. More apparent to the public, the 411 would also be Volkswagen’s first four-door vehicle.

The 411 was introduced during the Paris motor show of October 1968. Even though the car was rather elegant with its Pininfarina-inspired body, well equipped for its time and fitted with a brilliant 1.7-litre boxer engine – that would later be installed in the VW-Porsche 914 –, it certainly came too late, with the popularity of rear-engine automobiles rapidly vanishing. Cars, particularly in the 411’s class, now were to be water-cooled, front-engined, and preferably driven through the front wheels – it seemed Volkswagen had it all wrong.

Volkswagen’s reaction was to offer a more conventional alternative to its 411. It appeared in 1970 as the K70, designed by NSU and hastily rebadged after the little company’s takeover. In turn, the K70 itself was a relative failure, and both cars cohabited while Volkswagen’s engineers were working on a common successor. In the meantime, the 411 gave way to a modernized 412, which was tastefully modified by American stylist Brooks Stevens and was introduced for model year 1973. One year later, the engine was enlarged to 1.8 litre, though it lost its Bosch fuel injection system in the process. Simultaneously its replacement saw light: it was the modern Passat. The 412 was removed from the company’s 1975 range, while the K70 followed the same way a few months later.

Despite their dated concept and a disastrous tendency to rust, the 411 / 412s proved to be excellent vehicles, but also marked the end of an era, being the very last cars introduced by Volkswagen that used the traditional Beetle-like arrangement. The Wolfsburg factory saw almost 370,000 of them being built through their short six-year career, many of them exported to the North American market.

About the model

Model: Volkswagen 411 LE Variant
Year: 1969
Maker: Minichamps
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Minichamps
Acquired: brand new, in February 2006, in Manila, Philippines

For the die-cast of a Sixties German car, there is perhaps no better choice than Minichamps. The famed manufacturer offers, among others, this fine reproduction of the two-door estate version of the 411 (there were no four-door estate). My rating is 14/20.

Porsche 928

2011-07-30T22:26:00.005+08:00

A little history

Introduced at the 1977 Geneva motor show, the 928 model was the second step of a plan to transmute Porsche from the traditional maker of rear-engine GTs to a producer of a range of more luxurious front-engine cars. It followed the 924 by two years and, at term, was to replace the 911, then perceived as reaching the limits of its potential. In the end, it would be the venerable model to survive all of its younger siblings.

When the 911 had replaced the 356 almost a decade and a half earlier, Porsche had had concerns about the whopping price of the newcomer, so much actually that it felt obliged to offer a cheaper alternative, the four-cylinder 912. The 928 again showed a steep increase in price over the 911, but this time, no other choice would be given to Porsche’s customers, apart from the traditional 911 itself. Right after the introduction of the front-engined, Audi-powered 924, the most faithful among Porsche’s fans were more than ever reluctant to accept a front-engine car as the company’s flagship. The choice of a water-cooled V8 didn’t help, either, nor did the hefty weight. The modern design was indeed elegant, but the choice of such odd pop-up headlights was debated by some. Overall, the large and luxurious car, which enjoyed a much forgiving handling than the tricky 911, seemed to aim at the North American market more than any other. The 928 started to sell rather poorly, at least by comparison with its maker’s expectations; this would never improve over time.

Soon enough it had to be admitted that the 928 would never be able to replace the 911. As a luxury coupe crowning Porsche’s range, it was a worthy automobile though, and enjoyed a long career. More and more equipment and constantly enlarged engines brought ever-increasing prices. If the sales of the original 4.5-litre, 240 hp cars were limited, those of the last 928 GTS, with their huge 5.4-litre, 350 hp V8 were almost anecdotic. The car was retired in 1995, and Porsche would not renew the experience of proposing a front-engine V8 car until the Cayenne, introduced seven years later.

About the model

Model: Porsche 928 S4
Year: 1986
Maker: High Speed
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: High Speed
Acquired: brand new, in May 2005, in Manila, Philippines

Crude when it comes to details, but well-proportioned interpretation of the slightly face-lifted 1987 model year 928: 10/20.

Links corrections

2011-07-30T11:57:00.005+08:00

As previously mentioned, this blog suffered a mishap some months ago. As promised I tried to restore it as much as possible to its previous state. It seems that I'm finished.

- Links set in the text have all been corrected. If ever I missed something and you encounter a link that is still broken, please let me know.

- I tried first to reinstall the LinkWithin gadget but it had still the old pages indexed. After an e-mail to the LinkWithin staff, everything seem to work correctly so this gadget (rather fun and well designed in my opinion) is finally back.

- Unfortunately, unlike what I previously - and quite optimistically - announced, a close inspection revealed that at least 30 percent of all answers posted have disappeared, unfortunately for good. This makes trying to read the discussions at the bottom of some older posts rather strange.

Panhard Dyna Z and PL17

2011-07-22T21:09:00.004+08:00

Greetings to Demo, who just joined us.

A little history

We have already seen how, with its Dyna X, Panhard turned away from the luxury market after World War Two in order to concentrate on popular cars. By 1950, the original Dyna was already losing momentum against cheaper alternatives such as the Citroën 2CV or the Renault 4CV. Therefore, the company management decided to replace its car by a more ambitious automobile, which design proved to be a challenge, for the company wanted a car that would be large enough to accommodate six persons, offer good performance and economy, and yet run on nothing more than the tiny 850cc flat-two of the Dyna X. An impossible task for Panhard’s engineers, would you say... And yet, they succeeded in designing a car that would exactly fulfil these requirements.

This new model was logically called the Dyna Z, and was first introduced before the press at the Parisian Les Ambassadeurs restaurant, in June 1953. The car was immediately acclaimed as one of the most innovative automobiles of the time. As requested, economy (6 litres of gasoline per 100 kilometres, or about 40 mpg) and performance (top speed of 130 kph) were both achieved, thanks to an extremely aerodynamic body penned by Louis Bionier (Cx of 0.26, still an excellent figure nowadays) and a very light construction in duralinox, a light alloy. While most of its rivals weighed about a ton, a Dyna Z was less than 700 kilos. It also enjoyed then-advanced characteristics as a four-speed gearbox with overdrive, or practical features as its rearward-opening bonnet that encompassed the front wings, in order to give complete access to the engine. This latter detail should have seduced amateur mechanics, but unfortunately the very peculiar drivetrain wasn’t easy to service outside of Panhard’s dealerships – this still hampers the popularity of these cars as collection pieces today.

Despite some early quality problems, the Dyna Z was well received. Too well perhaps: despite the fact that its whole design had been thought to fit the company’s Porte d’Ivry factory, a cramped plant split between several levels in downtown Paris, and though Chausson had been contracted to produce the bodies, building the car in large volumes was virtually impossible. This, along with a major blunder from Panhard’s accountants in their computation of the production cost of the car, made for a relatively expensive automobile. In order to reduce its expenditures, Panhard progressively dropped the duralinox, originally retaining it for the body panels only, then later building its Dyna Z entirely from steel. In the process, the Dyna fattened up by almost two hundred kilos during its career, losing most of its advantage on the performance field.

In June 1959, Panhard introduced the Dyna Z’s replacement – actually nothing more than an updated car. This new PL17 saw both its front and rear panels slightly modified in order to fit the changing tastes of the public but, despite this, the car remained characteristically bulbous. The dubious “suicide doors” fitted at the front gave way the conventional doors. Furthermore an optional “Tigre” engine was available: the uprated 850cc engine could now propel the PL17 to a good 145 kph and give back to it the zing of the initial Dyna Z. Indeed, it proved a brilliant competitor in rally racing.

Though the PL17 was quite a nice car, it could no longer dissimulate that the old company was out of pace by the early Sixties. Cash-trapped, Panhard was doomed even more by the negative impact of the gradual takeover by Citroën. Initiated in 1955, it was completed ten years later. In January of the same year 1965, the PL17 retired without a successor – the new and striking model 24 coupe, to which it had been originally planned to add a four-door version, remained the lone Panhard offer until Citroën sadly pulled the plug in 1967. Nowadays, the name survived only on military vehicles.

About the models

Model: Panhard Dyna Z
Year: 1953
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.43 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2005, in Souillac, France

This is a simple yet pretty reproduction of an early Dyna Z by Ixo for Altaya. My rating is 14/20.

Model: Panhard PL17
Year: 1960
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.25 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in February 2005, in Souillac, France

Ixo demonstrated comparable quality when it came to reproduce a PL17 for the very same Altaya series. Same rating: 14/20.

Model: Panhard PL17
Year: 1961
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/18
Distributed by: possibly as no.27 of the Voitures de prestige au 1/18 press series
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in April 2007, in Brive, France

Not the most detailed 1/18 die-cast around, but still a pretty good one. Plus, a PL17 at this scale is a nice departure from the all-too-common GTs or muscle cars. My rating is 13/20 here.

Model: Panhard PL17
Event: 1961 Monte Carlo Rally, driven by Maurice Martin, navigator Roger Bateau (overall winners)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.64 of its Voitures de Rallye de Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2006, in Souillac, France

The very limited racing preparation of early rally cars made an easy job for Ixo to reproduce the winner of the 1961 Monte Carlo – on that year, the light and nimble PL17 shared the three steps on the podium with no one. My rating is 14/20.

Citroën Méhari

2011-07-20T18:46:00.013+08:00

A new post is by now so rare on this blog that I can hardly believe it myself. By the way, regards to our newest follower, Pabuelin.

A little history

Peugeot decided to postpone the launch of its 504 model, scheduled for the spring of 1968, for France was by then in turmoil due to social unrest and students’ demonstrations. A certain idea of freedom was carried by the wind which was then blowing upon the country – and Citroën timely unveiled its Méhari.

Students had been throwing cobblestones all night long at the police forces. Hundreds were injured. Five hundreds youngsters were arrested after dawn. And yet, this was the day – May 11, 1968 – the Méhari was introduced, a carefree, fun, practical little off-road vehicle designed by Citroën. Ironically, nobody can resist to relate the two events nowadays, but by then, the troubled times prevented the Méhari to have much of a media exposure.

The concept was not new: as early as in 1963, two businessmen from Ivory Coast had begun producing a simple off-road vehicle based on the 2CV, which they named the Baby-Brousse. With Citroën’s support, the car ended up being produced on all continents, apart from Australia.

Citroën’s Méhari would indeed use most 2CV’s mechanical components, but instead of the squarish metal-sheets body of the Baby-Brousse, which simplicity was ideal for the limited industrial means of Third World countries, it would adopt a body moulded in ABS, a thermoplastic. Unlike most other “plastic” cars, the Méhari was not painted, the ABS being tinted. This eliminated the risk of scratching the paint in off-road use, but brought as a drawback a limited choice of colours and a tendency for them to fade over time.

The off-road capacities of the Méhari, with its little 600cc engine and only two-wheel-drive, were obviously limited, though the very light weight – just a little above 500 kilos – helped in many situations. Despite these limitations it was adopted by the French military as a light liaison vehicle, though for tougher work they still relied on Jeeps and, later, on Peugeot P4s and Auverlands. Many civilians users were enthralled by the Méhari, a durable and cheap mean of transportation that was ideally suited for the countryside.

In 1979, Citroën finally unveiled a 4WD variant of the Méhari. Despite a heavier transmission and a larger engine, the car remained relatively lightweight. With the help of a 7-speed gearbox, this allowed the Méhari 4x4, as it was simply called, to climb slopes of up to 60%. Unfortunately, the price of the 4x4 had ballooned to levels that insured its output to remain extremely limited. It was discreetly retired after only four years in production.

The plain two-wheel-drive Méhari survived its overambitious sister for another four years. After almost nineteen years in Citroën’s range, it finally disappeared in 1987, with no successor. A faraway heir could nonetheless be perceived in the C3 Pluriel. More complex and pricier, the latter never equated its predecessor’s success.

About the models

Model: Citroën Méhari
Year: 1970
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.12 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in July 2004, in Souillac, France

Ixo made a nice model of the Méhari – the folds of the canopy look particularly realistic. Unfortunately the Chinese manufacturer once again neglected data-gathering and ended up choosing a colour that wasn’t even available before several years later. This isn’t enough to spoil my pleasure of owning this model. My rating is 14/20.

Model: Citroën Méhari
Year: 1972
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.11 of its La caravane du Tour de France press series
Acquired: brand new, in June 2004, in Souillac, France

An older die-cast with many fine details, but also a somewhat strange overall shape – not so noticeable though. It is here fitted with the decoration of a Tour de France advertisement vehicle, a Norev specialty. Here, I’ll give 13/20.

Model: Citroën Méhari 4x4
Year: c.1979
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette in its Sapeurs Pompiers de France press series
Acquired: second hand in original blister pack, in November 2007, in Montpellier, France

Simple but accurate, as many older Solido models were. Furthermore it represents the rare 4x4 version. Verdict: 12/20.

A little question?

2011-03-26T09:39:00.007+08:00

Before the question itself, welcome to Mike Walker, our newest follower. I just followed a few links among your favourite blogs Mike, and I like a lot what you listen to!!! ;)

Now, time to write down some question marks.

I was answering to a few comments posted on this blog when I saw again this picture I've recently shown:

So here are all four GT40s to have won Le Mans between 1966 and 1969. So my question to you Le Mans buffs is the following:

Unlike the scale models, why a picture featuring the real cars would be impossible to take?

I'll let you think about this for awhile, then I'll come back with the answer and the name of the first among you to have provided to correct answer.

Have a good week-end! :)

Ford GT40

2011-02-25T12:20:00.005+08:00

Hard to keep it concise, but here is…

A little history

As the story goes, what would become the most successful American racing sportscar in history was born out of Ford’s resentment to having been turned down by Enzo Ferrari while attempting to purchase the old man’s famous company. Revenge would be sweet if the Dearborn giant could beat the Commendatore’s small outfit on its own grounds. Enzo Ferrari cherished endurance races above anything else, well above Formula One actually – this would be right where Ford would defy him. The clearly stated objective was to win the Le Mans 24 hours, in which Ferrari was triumphant since 1960.

Though Ford has huge resources at its disposal, it had absolutely no experience in sportscar racing. The American company therefore shopped for the most valuable partners available, recruting John Wyer, the team manager who had led the Aston Martin team to a brilliant victory at Le Mans in 1959 ahead of the Scuderia cars, and acquiring the services of Eric Broadley, Lola’s founder.

A few months before, Broadley had unveiled the Lola GT, a fibreglass coupe powered by a centrally-mounted engine – a V8 borrowed from the Ford Fairlane… Great promises were perceived in this sleek little car. Though Broadley refused to see Lola directly involved in Ford’s racing program, he accepted to personally cooperate on a short-term basis. Progressing at a high pace, the “Ford GT” project was already quite advanced when the Lola GT was entered at the 1963 Le Mans race, and though it ended up in smoke (literally), it was able to put up a potent demonstration beforehand, comforting Ford in its technical choices.

By the end of 1963, Broadley ended his direct involvement and the project was moved from Lola’s factory to a plant set up in Slough near London by a specially-created division of Fomoco, named Ford Advanced Vehicles. By the spring of 1964, the GT40 was ready to race.

Despite all of Ford’s efforts and investments, the beginnings of its touted sportscar were difficult. The GT40 was fast indeed, but all too often unable to reach the finishing line. After a dismal 1964 season, Ford installed Carroll Shelby, of A.C.-Cobra fame, at the helm. Things slightly improved, a GT40 winning at Daytona early in the season, but failing again in most other major events. Ferrari remained victorious, and the American effort started to raise some smiles in the Old World.

For 1966, a new GT40 Mk.II was unveiled. Thanks to this improved version, benefiting from a huge 7-litre engine, fortune started to smile at Ford. The Mk.II dominated the season, most notably taking a historical win at Le Mans. For this latter race, a specially designed J-Car, with refined aerodynamics and all-new chassis, had even been designed, but not raced after the tragic death of its test pilot Ken Miles occurred during its development. Some characteristics of the J-Car were used to design the Mk.IV for the 1967 season. It ended with another Ford triumph. Having nothing more to prove and being one of the major teams targeted by the new rules in effect in 1968, Fomoco decided to pull out of endurance racing.

Some were still seeing some potential in the GT40. Though its most recent versions were now outlawed, the older Mk.I respected the requirements of the new 5000cc Sport class. Many privateers continued to race GT40s with various degrees of success, but none as brilliantly as the stubborn John Wyer himself. With Gulf’s support, Wyer allowed the ageing car to remain one of the major contenders in endurance for two more seasons, and also scored two more wins at Le Mans for Ford. In 1969, the manufacturer’s fourth straight success was a narrow one, Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver beating the Porsche 908 of Gérard Larrousse and Hans Herrmann by a tiny margin in the race’s very last lap. Though insufficiently prepared yet, the new Porsche 917s had dominated the beginning of the race. It was clear that the GT40 wouldn’t be able to follow the pace in 1970. Wyer and Gulf carried on with their successful partnership but switched to the 917, while only a few private teams entered GT40s until the end of 1971, when FIA’s rules definitely excluded all prototypes with engines displacing more than 3000cc.

This could have been all, if not for the wave of nostalgia which engulfed the automotive industry from the Nineties on. During the 2005 Detroit motor show, Ford presented a modern GT40, which closely mimicked the style of the original but was larger overall. Finally named “GT” due to trademark ownership problems, this exclusive gran turismo coupe was designed as a limited-production image-builder, officially selling for a whopping $140000. In reality, Ford never even built as many GTs as it planned, and the very last one was sold in 2007. Interestingly, a few GTs returned to the racetrack, more than forty years after the legendary machine which they took their inspiration from.

About the models

Model: Ford GT40 Mk.II
Event: 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon (overall winner)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.33 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in February 2005, in Souillac, France

Rather detailed compared to other models within this Altaya series. Nice wheels, too. My rating is 14/20.

Model: Ford GT40 Mk.II
Event: 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon (overall winner)
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.

This is exactly the same car as the previous one, but this time as seen by Del Prado. Unsurprisingly, overall quality is inferior to the Altaya/Ixo, but it remains quite good compared to other models distributed by the Italian company. My rating is 12/20.

Model: Ford GT40 Mk.II
Event: 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Dan Gurney and Jerry Grant (retired)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.5 of its Les monstres sacrés de l'endurance press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France

Here is a second works Ford from 1966. Though they set the fastest time in practice, Gurney-Grant's radiator forced them to retire. Altaya released this model in a later, more detailed series, so #3 ended up being even better than #2: I'd give 15/20 to it.

Model: Ford Mk.IV
Event: 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt (overall winner)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.23 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2004, in Souillac, France

A nice model of the 1967 Le Mans winner: 13/20.

Model: Ford GT40
Event: 1968 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Pedro Rodriguez and Lucien Bianchi (overall winner)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.42 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in September 2005, in Souillac, France

Ford's third victory at Le Mans was not the most joyful, as winner Lucien Bianchi learnt on the finishing line that his brother Mauro had been severely injured in the accident and subsequent fire of his Alpine. Another good die-cast by Ixo for Altaya, deserving a 13/20.

Model: Ford GT40
Event: 1969 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver (overall winner)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.18 of its Les monstres sacrés de l'endurance press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2007, in Souillac, France

One of the most extraordinary race in the Sarthe: after Ickx started last in protest against the safety flaws induced by the typical Le Mans start, he and Oliver won the race after a final sprint run to the finishing line. This time, the switch to the slightly more refined Monstres sacrés series didn't bring much improvement over the previous car, hence an identical 13/20 rating.

Model: Ford GT
Year: c.2005
Maker: Yat Ming
Scale: 1/72
Distributed by: Road Signature, "Petite" series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2006, in Manila, Philippines

Very correct rendition, despite the small size. My rating is 14/20.

No, this blog is not inactive...

2011-02-23T14:41:00.004+08:00

...though I can actually look as it is. Last year, during the same season, I had a few months-long lapse, but this year has nothing to do with it.

First of all, while checking one by one all of the previous posts in order to correct the links within the text due to the problems I already mentioned, I noticed that, unlike what I stated earlier, probably 30 to 35% of the answers you had posted on this blog are gone forever. Obviously, this is just a rough estimate, and the exact figure could even be higher. The disappointment this caused me made me stay away from writing anything for the whole of December, but I had plans to resume in January. Alas, during the Christmas season my internet connection just let me down. After shopping for a new company, and waiting long enough to see its employees finally coming home to set my new line, here I am, back on the net since yesterday. My priority now is to answer piles of e-mails which have accumulated in my mailbox over close to two months, and to calm down flocks of friends and relatives who didn't receive their traditional greetings this year but, once this is done, I promise that I'll return with more models and their history, and perhaps even a few surprises.

Before closing this post, allow me to renew with an old tradition by welcoming our two latest followers, ACARtier and Enzo. Enjoy your stay here! ;)

Citroën 8 to 15CV “Rosalie”

2010-12-05T08:25:00.004+08:00

Welcome to our new followers: Resti, Resti (apparently his twin brother :lol:), Pablo, Rikardo Matos (I like your Michel Vaillant avatar very much), and Conry43 (who makes no mystery of his/her favourite scale). Enjoy your stay here, and don’t hesitate to post comments!

A little history

Citroën replaced its C4/C6 range with a brand new car in 1932. Though officially named – rather plainly – 8, 10 or 15CV, denoting the fiscal ratings of its three variants, the new model was christened “Rosalie” by the public, after a successful Citroën record car of the time. The name is still attached to the range.

Once again Citroën came up with a relatively conventional automobile, but highly rationalized mass-production allowed the company to offer as standard equipment refinements that were unavailable from its main rivals. The Rosalie’s main novelty over its predecessor was its synchromesh gearbox on the two upper gears.

The C4/C6’s engines (1.8-litre four and 2.7-litre six, respectively) were carried over to power the 10 and 15CV, receiving only minor improvements in order to boost outputs through slight RPM increases. On the other hand, the 8CV enjoyed a completely new design, a 1.5-litre four that proposed poor performances, but extremely good reliability, an attractive combination for the cheapest model in the range. After being introduced during the C4/C6’s existence, “floating power”, a Chrysler patent, was also back. This technology allowed to limit the vibrations transmitted to the car’s structure by the engine, by installing the latter on rubber mounts rather than directly bolting it onto the chassis, as the practice had been since the birth of automobiles. Another element favouring superior comfort were the new Pullman seats, offered on all Rosalies.

The car appeared in a wide variety of models and bodies in 1932, but was already modernized by 1934, becoming the NH (for Nouvel Habillage, literally “new dressing”). The most obvious improvement of the NH was its slight streamlining, more fashionable than really efficient. Citroën’s new designer, Flaminio Bertoni, gave a modest slant to the Rosalie’s front grille and windshield. Actually, the biggest improvement was invisible: a brand new independent front suspension through torsion bars.

This new suspension arrangement, though it did a lot to perfect the car’s handling, was paradoxically announcing the coming end of its career, as the system was actually tested for Citroën’s revolutionary automobile, the Traction Avant. Its introduction a few months later should have tolled the knell of the suddenly-wrinkled Rosalie. As it turned out, it didn’t.

Despite being Europe’s largest automobile manufacturer and an apparent success, Citroën was near-bankrupt, ruined by its incessant innovations and the extremely high costs of retooling for each new model – ironically, Citroën’s rivals using much more traditional building techniques than the company’s Ford-inspired methods didn’t have to shoulder such a burden. André Citroën lost control of the factory he had created to Michelin, the tyre manufacturer. Citroën’s new owners were not willing to gamble the company’s future on a single model. Rushed into production, early Traction Avants indeed proved insufficiently developed and troublesome for their not-so-happy owners. Therefore, a reassuring line of Rosalies was kept in Citroën’s range. Though reduced in size, this more traditional offer continued to enjoy a large success until 1938. By then, the Traction Avant had been perfected and its sales were peaking out, so the continuation of its predecessor had become pointless.

About the models

Model: Citroën 8CV “Rosalie”
Year: 1933
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.7 of its Passion Citroën press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2004, in Souillac, France

Universal Hobbies once again designed a fine model for Atlas’ dedicated series of Citroëns, but unfortunately workmanship is not worthy of this effort. My rating is 10/20.

Model: Citroën C4-8 “Rosalie” 500 kg
Year: 1934
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.36 of its Véhicules postaux d'hier et d'aujourd'hui press series
Acquired: brand new, in July 2006, in Souillac, France

The Rosalie range also included trucks, but they retained the C4 name. Note that a diesel engine was even experimented at the time, though it wasn’t put on sale.

This postal Rosalie is from a different press release, but has to be credited to the same manufacturer and the same distributor as the previous model. Overall quality is better here, so let’s give a 13/20 to this die-cast.

Jaguar E-Type

2010-11-06T10:59:00.005+08:00

That’s now something as four weeks that I didn’t write anything on this blog. To tell the truth, a post about the E-Type should have followed the last one within the usual three-day delay, but I simply lacked any inspiration for writing it...

A little history

...for what is still to be written about such a mythical car? It probably is the ultimate sports car of the Sixties, a sleek, powerful, glamorous yet relatively affordable roadster. By affordable, I obviously mean that it enjoyed a rather low factory price in its time, keeping in touch with the Jaguar tradition, as it saw since then its value skyrocketing at auctions. And what is marvellous with this car is the fact that, more than any other Jaguar, with its muscular, tastefully curved body, it fully incarnates the animal the Coventry factory took its name from.

Jaguar had to replace its long-running XK series. All what its engineers learned during the Fifties with the C- and D-Type racing cars was put to good use when designing the road-going E-Type. The most noticeable similarity between the Le Mans-winning D-Type and its heir was the rounded bodysides/small track combination, a typical characteristic that was supposed to favour high speeds on long straights. Another heritage was the four-wheel disk brakes system. It had been pioneered in motor racing by Jaguar with its C-Type, and was now made part of its road-going cars’ equipment. Power came from the trusted 3.8-litre DOHC straight six used by the XK150. Available as two equally rakish roadster or fastback coupe, the E-Type was introduced in March 1961.

The car’s career would last for fourteen years, during which it didn’t change much overall, or rather, evolved by constant yet tiny steps. Jaguar tried to improve two aspects of its E-Type: its comfort, which, as with most other British roadsters of the time, wasn’t its main quality; and its performances, in order to stay competitive as younger rivals were seeing light.

More than anywhere else, comfort was crucial on the American market, where the car was widely sold as the XKE. New seats and a fully-synchromesh gearbox solved a few of the limitations of the initial car. Jaguar couldn’t avoid offering an automatic transmission, which was done by 1966. Simultaneously, a 2+2 coupe was added to the strict two-seater offered at first.

Regarding performances, the early E-Type’s 3.8-litre block was replaced by a larger 4.2-litre six as early as 1964. The new engine also addressed a common problem of the first production cars: overheating. Finally, Jaguar was able to squeeze its 5.3-litre V12 under the E-Type’s bonnet in 1971.

More than 38,000 E-Type left the Jaguar factory before the model was discontinued in 1975, in favour of the larger, heavier and somewhat blander XJS. Commercial success was its first goal, and was fully attained. As an iconic automobile, the role played by the E-Type to further enhance Jaguar’s image cannot be measured. On the other hand, the racing career of the E-Type was, unlike that of the XK series, virtually non-existent, except during its very first years when a special “lightweight” version was developed.

About the models

I often said that I prefer to spend my money on scale models of vintage cars rather than modern ones. I should add that among my priorities, I buy die-casts of plain cars rather than classics. For this reason, all of my E-Types are very simple and cheap models – one day perhaps I’ll finally buy a decent model of this great car.

Model: Jaguar E-Type
Year: 1961
Maker: High Speed
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: High Speed, "Model Collection" series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2005, in Manila, Philippines

High Speed over-simplified its E-Type. The front end suffered most. The rear window has odd proportions in my opinion, while the wire wheels... oh no, better not to even mention them. My rating is 6/20.

Model: Jaguar E-Type
Year: 1961
Maker: High Speed
Scale: 1/87
Distributed by: High Speed, "Model Collection" series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2005, in Manila, Philippines

Obviously, High Speed's approach is less damageable in the smaller HO scale, though the wheels remain unacceptable. I'll increase my rating to 10/20 for this model.

Model: Jaguar E-Type
Year: 1961
Maker: New Ray
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: New Ray, "Auto Model Kit" series
Acquired: brand new, in September 2003, in Manila, Philippines

To make it short: it's a New Ray, period. My rating is 2/20. "No more?", some of you could ask. Oh no, believe me.

Model: Jaguar E-Type
Year: 1961
Maker: Del Prado, or whoever builds models for Del Prado
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Del Prado through an unknown Japanese press series
Acquired: second hand without box but with stand, in April 2006, in Manila, Philippines

...and the winner is...
Only marginally better than the previous models, this Del Prado features more details, and is proportioned correctly enough. Headlights don't receive any cover, though, which was only a trait of the last E-Types built. Wire wheels aren't good (Del Prado definitely has no idea about how to make them, whatever the model) but are still better than the ones of its rivals. Let's give it a 9/20.

Mercedes-Benz C111

2010-10-10T20:37:00.002+08:00

A little history

If you’re from the same generation as I am, and were already fascinated by cars when you were a kid, then you do remember this impressive orange coupe sporting the famous three-pointed star that appeared in all magazines throughout the Seventies. That’s indeed what it was designed for: to be a showcase of Mercedes-Benz’ know-how. It fulfilled this role splendidly, along with that of test-bed for what were then high technologies.

The C111 was actually the name of more than a single car, but rather of a series of experimental vehicles. The very first model appeared in Frankfurt in September 1969, though it had been submitted to comprehensive tests since April. Its main goal was to experiment a Wankel rotor engine. A three-rotor type rated at 280 hp, this block was unable to demonstrate sufficient capacities, so a C111/II fitted with a centrally-mounted, 370 hp four-rotor engine followed during the spring of 1970, in Geneva. Performances were now astounding, as the car even recorded a reported 290 kph top speed, an impressive figure at the time. Could the car be produced? It was already fitted with such niceties as air conditioning and plush leather seats, while its gullwing doors were a hint at its prestigious ancestor, the 300 SL, so it is possible that Mercedes-Benz considered the possibilities, though it denied it. At any rate, world politics decided otherwise.

Many an automobile maker was then toying with the idea of fitting Wankel engines to their production cars. They were light, compact, simple thus reliable, and could develop high outputs. Their only problem was their huge appetite for gasoline, a flaw that was inherent to their design and thus that no tweaking of any kind could ever solve. But who cared when oil was so cheap and plentiful? The 1973 crisis suddenly broke out to prove otherwise. Oops. Wankel engines were promptly put away in the kind of storage reserved for “brilliant” ideas that had proved not so good after all, being promised to re-enter the limelight at a time that, in all likelihood, would never come. To be frank, we escaped the worse as Wankel engines were also polluting in proportions that today would make any conventionally-powered gas-guzzler of that carefree era appear eco-friendly. Only three manufacturers, then more advanced in their experiments, put Wankel-powered cars in production: NSU, Mazda and Citroën. This generally ended up with more tears than mirth.

The experimental fibreglass coupe from Mercedes-Benz didn’t disappear, though a completely different approach was needed. After a short eclipse, its Wankel engine was discarded, and replaced by the 3.0-litre five-cylinder diesel block that was in use in several production models, first of all the 240 D 3.0. Economy was the new talk of the town, but Mercedes-Benz wanted to demonstrate that it wasn’t incompatible with performance. Thanks to a turbocharger and an intercooler, the C111/IID could reach a remarkable 190-hp output. In June 1976, the car resurfaced in its newest form on the Nardo track, where it broke sixteen world records over two days and a half. During these tests, the C111/IID also lapped the circuit at 252 kph.

The C111/IID’s successes pushed Mercedes-Benz to develop yet another prototype, the C111/III. Gone were the production-like coupe approach of the previous models, the new car was designed from the ground up for records. In April 1978, the very sleek car was again sent to Nardo, where nine records were broken – no longer records for diesel-powered cars, but absolute ones. Average speeds of more than 300 kph were maintained, though fuel consumption didn’t exceed 16 litres per 100 kilometres. The only problem encountered was the explosion of a tyre at high speed, which damaged the car beyond repair – but fortunately a spare car had been brought, so the run was simply started anew.

A last record tempted Mercedes-Benz. It was unofficial, but highly prestigious. In 1975, a Can-Am car had set the fastest average speed on one circuit lap, at 355.854 kph. A new C111/IV was especially prepared to tackle this last challenge. The Mercedes-Benz team returned to Nardo in 1979. On May 5, project manager Dr. Hans Liebold lapped the track at an astounding 403.978 kph. Besides, the car broke a few more records. Then, time had come for all the C111 to head for the museum.

About the model

Model: Mercedes-Benz C111/II
Year: 1970
Maker: Minichamps
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Minichamps ref. 430-030060, limited edition - 1,440 pieces
Acquired: second hand with box, as a gift from a friend and fellow collector, in August 2010, in Manila, Philippines

That’s a splendid scale model of arguably the most famous of all C111s that Minichamps produces. Though I’m not fond of opening parts for 1/43 models, the German company perfectly adjusted the rear hatch, which discloses the unconventional Wankel engine. All details near perfection, while the model is finished in a superb orange paint, close to the weissherbst of the original. My rating is 17/20.

Porsche 911 (997)

2010-10-07T05:19:00.003+08:00

Just after adding this post I noted that we have a new follower, so welcome aboard lalax8!

A little history

The coming of each new generation of the famed 911 renews for Porsche the challenge of being up to the legend this car has become over the years. Its previous incarnation, also known as the 996, was only seven years old when the German manufacturer introduced its replacement, the 997, in 2005.

The new car wasn’t exempted from receiving critics. Sure, Porsche worked a lot to further improve its car’s performance and handling. Nonetheless it’s an automobile’s style one would notice first. And here, it seems that Porsche’s designers made a total waste of the allotted budget by conceiving a totally new car… that looked exactly like the old one, except for its round headlights – which I personally utterly dislike… Actually, the original 997 didn’t last until July 2008 before being slightly facelifted.

Most versions of the 996 were carried over in the new car’s range. Traditional badges as Carrera, Targa, Turbo, GT2 and GT3 were all worn by the 997. Base engine is a 3.6-litre flat six, rated at a respectable 325 hp. Those fearing that the car would be short on power had to wait until November 2007, when the new GT2 was made available. One could think that with 530 hp, the twin-turbo version of the flat six was well enough for any would-be Schumacher… However, we live in times when the very meaning of the word “enough” has been forgotten, so a limited-edition GT2 RS was introduced in May 2010. The newest car in the 911’s range offers 620 hp packed in a lightweight body. Acceleration is instant, top speed tremendous. Unfortunately, an anti-G suit is not provided as standard equipment.

About the model

Model: Porsche 911 Carrera S
Year: c.2005
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: brand new, in July 2009, in Manila, Philippines

Once again I preferred to reserve my budget for classic cars rather than modern ones, so I turned to this new Cararama release. My verdict: today’s kids are so lucky to have such brilliant toys! Considering the rock-bottom price, the Chinese company did a superb job in reproducing this slightly beefed up Carrera S. My rating is 12/20.

Renault 12

2010-10-04T14:23:00.008+08:00

A little history

During the early Fifties, Renault produced no other passenger vehicle than the tiny 4CV and the large Frégate, with nothing in between. This didn’t matter much at the time, but a dozen years later, automobile manufacturers were trying to build more comprehensive ranges. By this time, Renault was offering the R4, a popular hatchback; the R8, a rear-engined saloon which succeeded the Dauphine, nonetheless kept in production; and the R16, a family saloon. We should also add to this list the Rambler-Renault, which was nothing more than a rebadged AMC built under licence in Renault’s Belgian production unit in Vilvoorde.

The R16 was too large to cater for more than the upper middle-class customers, leaving a gap in Renault’s range which the manufacturer was trying to fill up. The new R10, which was actually a dressed up R8, was only a stopgap. Renault was well aware of this and in 1965, started to work on the project that would lead to the R12.

The R4 and R16 had been relatively advanced automobiles at the time of their launches. This would contrast with the R12, which was intentionally designed as a very orthodox saloon. For example, though it adopted a front engine, front-wheel-drive layout as all new Renaults, it did away with an all-independent suspension and reverted to a solid rear axle. Style was pleasant, but once again extremely conventional: while Renault was appearing as building up a reputation as a hatchback manufacturer, the R12 was a standard 4-door saloon. Its engine was a 1.3-litre four developed from the tested block used by the R8. All in all, the R12 had been conceived as a sturdy, no-frill family car that would be spacious yet economical. The new Renault hit the market in September 1969 and, interestingly, was simultaneously introduced beyond the Iron Curtain as the Romanian-built Dacia 1300.

We have already seen how automobiles too much ahead of their times don’t sell. To all innovators’ dismay, in contrast the very plain R12 encountered a large success. After Renault presented an estate variant in October 1970, then added well-needed glamour to the range during the following year with the fast Gordini, the R12 grasped the country’s first rank in sales volumes in 1973.

The R12’s success extended well beyond the French borders. It became a popular car in most of Europe, and was widely produced abroad. Apart from its Romanian cousin, the Renault 12 was actually assembled on every continent, from Canada to Madagascar, from Argentina to Turkey, from Australia to Morocco, etc. In fact, some of these foreign plants produced the car well after it had retired in France, the very last of them being Dacia, which produced until 2006 a pickup version it had locally developed with either rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive transmissions.

For model year 1976, Renault gave its R12 a new lease of life thanks to a facelift. This allowed the car to pursue its career beyond the introduction of its replacement, the R18 presented during the summer of 1978, as a simplified R12 range carried on until the end of model year 1980. Despite its complete absence of boldness, two millions had been built.

Before closing this story, two other cars based on the Renault 12 have to be mentioned: the Renault 15/17 coupes, and the Brazilian-built Ford Corcel, which had a totally different body but was based on the R12’s underpinnings.

About the models

Model: Renault 12
Year: 1970
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.36 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Souillac, France

Plain was the Renault 12, plain is its rendition by Ixo. Nothing’s really bad about this die-cast, yet nothing’s extraordinary either, just another standard model distributed in large volumes by Altaya. Separate parts are few, and rear lights are made in solid red plastic. Ixo decided to paint its model in blue, probably a wrong choice as it was predictable that, one day or another, Altaya would request a Gordini version of the car in the same colour. My rating is 11/20.

Model: Renault 12
Year: 1971
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.12 of its Véhicules postaux d'hier et d'aujourd'hui 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.

In all respects, Norev crafted this R12 from the French postal services much more carefully than Ixo did with the previous model. Details are pleasant and rather accurate. A good surprise considering it’s coming from yet another press series, and well worth 14/20.

Model: Renault 12 Gordini
Year: 1971
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Norev, as part of a “Gordini” box set offered in the “Renault Gamme Sport” series.
Acquired: second-hand as part of the complete set, offered by a friend and fellow collector in December 2006, in Manila, Philippines.

A well-made model that is unfortunately betrayed by some of the most oddly-fitting wheels I’ve ever seen on a die-cast. Too bad: only 11/20.

As mentioned above, this model is part of a commemorative “Gordini” set presented in a specific box. Two other die-casts are included, a Dauphine and an R8. Note that these three cars do not represent the totality of the Gordini-badged cars that Renault ever produced, as an R17 Gordini has also been offered.

Model: Renault 12 Gordini
Year: 1972
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.66 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Souillac, France

Bingo! Two extra lights, an air scoop on the bonnet, specific wheels (couldn’t appear more plastic-like) and the traditional blue paintjob, and Altaya had an R12 Gordini for its long-running collection about classic French cars. To be frank, all these little details succeed in adding some zing to the model presented above, so I’ll push my rating to 12/20 here.

A few difficulties...

2010-10-02T01:24:00.000+08:00

The correlation between a wrong page shown by Blogger and a little moment of distraction on my part was the cause of the unsavoury disappearance of more than 80 percents of all comments posted on this blog. Though the event is quite annoying, I was actually very lucky: after weeks (months?) of postponing a backup of this blog, I had finally performed one just 10 to 15 minutes before this happened... All was fine, except that I had no experience in uploading this saved copy. Not willing to take any chance, I therefore registered a new blog and uploaded it there first. I repeated the operation several times and made a few experiments in order to know what was the best way to proceed, which thanks to an abysmal internet connection took me most of the day. All should be fine by now, except for a few details that I'll address in the course of the next days:

- Some links within the posts could lead to a "Page not found" error.
- As of now, the "LinkWithin" gadget is virtually useless.
- A lone comment in the "Volkswagen Typ 3" post could not be preserved; I therefore wrote it back under my own name. All my apologies to his author.

The first two problems are due to the fact that all replacement posts have been attributed new page addresses by Blogger, despite the fact that I erased beforehand all the posts that needed such a replacement. Apparently the only way to preserve the original addresses is to import the backup file to a brand new blog, but this would have caused even more trouble. I'll correct all links, and try to solve the LinkWithin problem by removing it for a while, then re-installing it, hoping that the pages will be indexed anew.

At least, the good side of this bad experience is that I'll think of backing up my blog more often, as I doubt being as lucky next time. And for those of you also writing your own blog, my advice is to do the same regularly. If you never had a try at it and have no idea how to proceed, from your dashboard go to "Settings", then choose "Basic" and click on "Export blog" and follow the instructions in order to download an .xml file containing the whole of your blog onto your hard disk. The whole operation only takes a few seconds.

At any rate, all my apologies for any (hopefully temporary) inconvenience this may cause.

Mercedes-Benz 500 to 580K (W29)

2010-10-01T11:05:00.002+08:00

A little history

After the legendary Mercedes-Benz SSK and SSKL had retired in 1932, only the SS remained as the famous company’s sports car offer. Two years later, the SS was finally withdrawn when a new 500K topped the range.

The 500K represented a sharp turn for Mercedes-Benz. It indeed inherited powerful engines fitted with superchargers, optional short wheelbase variants and immeasurable reputation from its predecessors, but the new cars were more urbane, with luxury set as their ultimate goal rather than strict performance.

Though most 500Ks produced in Mercedes-Benz’ Sindelfingen’s plant were heavy saloons built on the longer chassis, that were the shorter, sportier versions which focussed the bulk of the attention. With the Reich superhighway system filling out into a dense network, the very design of automobiles was evolving in a particular way in Germany. Most manufacturers were offering streamlined cars able to sustain high cruising speeds. For such a high-performance vehicle as its own, Mercedes-Benz couldn’t discard such a version, which came in the form of an impressive “Autobahnkurier” special coupe that was a sign of things to come.

All 500Ks were powered by a 5.0-litre inline eight. This new engine was rated at a rather leisurely 100 bhp but, in line with the company’s tradition, was equipped with a supercharger offering extra power at the driver’s request, by a simple touch of a button on the car’s dashboard or with the gas pedal through a kick-down system. When in use, the supercharger would push the output up to 160 bhp, which actually was still short of the SS series, of which many versions had been rated at more or less 200 bhp. Other technical details of the car deserve to be mentioned, as they were extremely advanced for the times: the 500K received an all-independent suspension, hydraulic power-assisted brakes on all four wheels, and a five-speed synchromesh gearbox was available.

It was in October 1936 that Mercedes-Benz broke with its habit and chose Paris instead of Berlin to introduce the W29’s next version, the 540K. The new name reflected the engine’s growth to 5.4-litre, with outputs now at 115 / 180 bhp, without or with supercharger in use. Using knowledge acquired through their all-conquering Grand Prix racing team, the 540K was totally reworked and its weight greatly reduced. As the 500K before it, the 540K too had its halo model, the outstanding Spezial Roadster, which has since then become one of the few classics among all classics. Actually this version, penned by Hermann Ahrens, had been introduced with the latest 500Ks, but became Mercedes-Benz’ most effective image-builder following the 540K’s introduction. Nonetheless, once again most of the production concentrated on less striking saloons and limousines.

In 1939, Mercedes-Benz started to work on the 540K’s replacement, internally known as W129 but supposed to be introduced as the 580K. Engine was again enlarged to 5.8-litre, with outputs up to 130 / 200 bhp, without or with its supercharger on. Several prototypes were built and clothed in the exclusive Spezial Roadster body, or as equally extraordinary coupes. They were tested until 1940, when the necessities of the war brought the program to a halt. Interestingly, the very last units ever built in this series were armoured cars built on the 540K chassis on special request from the Third Reich authorities, the last vehicles being delivered in 1944.

About the models

Model: Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster
Year: 1936
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.3 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2005, in Souillac, France

A nice Ixo-built model of the famed Spezial Roadster has been proposed by Altaya. It is aptly painted in the traditional red paint these cars often sported, and is nicely fitted with many separate parts. The only drawback is the size of the headlights, which are much too large in diameter. My rating is 13/20.

Model: Mercedes-Benz 540K
Year: 1936
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Solido, “Sixties” series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2003, in Brive, France

Solido offers this older model, curiously enough in its “Sixties” rather than “Âge d’Or” series. Despite its age this is still a pleasant die-cast in any collection, helped by the fact that rather than the omnipresent Spezial Roadster, Solido chose a plainer yet more original four-seat convertible. Just for the anecdote, a curious problem occurred with this model, as one day I found one of its headlights resting on the shelf next to the car, broken. The model never having been bumped beforehand this was rather odd, but fortunately was fixed without any problem. My rating is 12/20.

Volkswagen Typ 3 (1500 and 1600)

2010-09-28T14:06:00.007+08:00

As per tradition, I’ll start with a warm welcome to our newest follower, Burnmay. Enjoy your stay here! :)

A little history

Fifteen years after the Beetle’s introduction, Volkswagen’s little car has never been so popular. After its native Germany, it had penetrated most European markets, then become the first widely successful import on American soil. Its replacement wasn’t seriously considered yet, but Volkswagen was already willing to diversify its range.

Using a large amount of parts taken from the Beetle and retaining its general layout, Volkswagen had actually created two models other than its original Typ 1. First of all was the Typ 2, also known as the “Kombi”, a cabover van available both as a utility or passenger vehicle, which had invented a whole new concept with a bright future awaiting it. Last to join Volkswagen’s range had been the Typ 14, better known as the elegant Karmann Ghia coupes and convertibles. As you would have noticed though, none of these additional vehicles were of the mainstream “family car” type.

Therefore, the Typ 3 was introduced as a “super-Beetle” of sorts in August 1961 during the Frankfurt motor show. The larger car (though its wheelbase was actually unchanged) gave up the antiquated round style of its smaller sibling and came as a pontoon-bodied, three-box car that nonetheless retained the rear air-cooled flat-four engine, though slightly enlarged to a 1.5-litre capacity. This engine also powered a brand-new Karmann Ghia Typ 34, a larger and more expensive coupe than the older Typ 14 which it didn’t replace, but simply backed up.

Though initially available as the sole “1500” two-door saloon, the Typ 3 was soon supplemented by new models. A “Variant” two-door estate was put on sale as early as 1962, while a fastback “TL” coupe followed in 1965. The initial engine being rated at a modest 45 bhp, a 1500 S variant with two carbs and 54 bhp was added in 1963 before a 1.6-litre engine, which induced a name change to “1600”, was introduced in 1965. A 1968 technical refinement was an electronic fuel injection system developed by Bosch, a novelty at the time for a popular car.

If you read carefully you noticed that I mentioned an estate version. Quite unusual for a rear-engined car, isn’t it? Volkswagen engineers made a wonderful job with the Typ 3, the boxer architecture of the engine and a revised air-cooling system allowing the very slim block to fit under the rear cargo compartment of all models, saloons and coupes included. This guaranteed an unusually large volume available for luggage and cargo, even if Volkswagen felt necessary to increase it further thanks to a 1970 facelift that saw the car’s nose greatly extended.

The Typ 3 proved successful, though without any possible comparison with the Beetle. The car was everywhere on German roads and was quite appreciated in America but, to be frank, I almost never saw any of them in France. Nevertheless, this was enough to justify a similar approach for Volkswagen’s next model, the slightly larger Typ 4, known as the “411”. Also available as a four-door, unlike the 1500/1600, the 411 was introduced in 1968, but the older Typ 3 remained in production. Both cars were finally withdrawn between 1973 and 1974, when they were replaced by the brand new Passat and, to some extent, the upper models of the Golf. These two new cars were water-cooled front-engine, front-wheel-drive saloons, the traditional Volkswagen architecture seeming more and more dated at the time. Despite this, models technically related to the Typ 3 and the Typ 4 continued to be produced by Volkswagen Brazilian’s subsidiary until 1980.

About the models

Model: Volkswagen 1600 TL
Year: 1966
Maker: Minichamps
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Minichamps
Acquired: brand new, in February 2008, in Manila, Philippines

A nice and accurate model. As usual, and as often mentioned here, the plastic wipers look too thick but the wheels fitted with hubcaps seem great to me. My rating is 13/20.

Model: Volkswagen 1600 Variant
Year: 1966
Maker: Minichamps
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Minichamps
Acquired: brand new, in February 2008, in Manila, Philippines

Equally good as the previous die-cast, though my copy seems very sensitive to corrosion (actually my fastback model has the same problem, which is unfortunately common with Minichamps models). I’ll give a 12/20 rating to this model.

Sky King Velocipede

2010-09-25T11:47:00.005+08:00

A little history

We often discussed the topic: aerodynamics, or rather streamlining as it was then called, affected aircraft, then automobiles, then locomotives… What else was next? Why not a kid’s bicycle, so the tiny tots could pedal with a lesser effort?

It’s finally as early as 1935 that Sky King provided American kids what would make them think “Suddenly it’s 1940!” Well, okay, this didn’t really caught on, but at least for a while the young riders of the Velocipede could tour their neighbourhood with something that would make all of their little friends jealous.

I didn’t find anything on the Sky King Velocipede on the net. Fortunately a little card was included inside the model’s box, with some description that I’ll share with you now:

1935 Sky King Velocipede
This fully streamlined Sky King Velocipede is styled to fly down the sidewalk. Handlebars, with reflective headlight and cruising lights, are curved in the shape of gull wings. The smart frame, built-in step plates, sleek wheel hoods, and even the pedals are aerodynamically designed for the path of least resistance!
The original Sky King Velocipede had the following specifications:
Body – Sized to fit children with an 18” to 21 ½” inseam.
Finish – Red gloss with white trim and white spoked wheels.
Equipment – Headlight and cruising lights; built-in step plates.
Gear – Rubber hand grips; adjustable saddle with cushioned top.
12” front and 9” rear wheels with white, 1” rubber tires.

I said that I didn’t find anything about the Sky King Velocipede, which is quite true as far as the original thing is concerned. I nonetheless discovered that a modern-day Velocipede can still be purchased today as the rather unconventional Airflow Sky King, painted in traditional red, but also sold in pink as the Princess variant. Recommended age is up to five years, the machine being actually rather tiny in size. From the pictures I saw, that seems to be an exact replica of the Velocipede that Airflow now produces.

About the model

Model: Sky King Velocipede
Year: 1935
Maker: unknown; the only mention is “Made in China”, which is quite vague nowadays...
Scale: 1/7 (no mention either, but an exact computation can be made from the figures given above)
Distributed by: Hallmark, “Kiddie Car Classics - Sidewalk Cruisers Collection” ref. QHG6311
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

If you think that it’s not exactly in line with what I usually collect, I should clarify that it’s actually my wife who liked it so much when she first saw it at the shop that she made me buy it for her. I don’t regret it however, for it’s extremely well made and highly original. Plus, I got it for a song while original retail price was $45, and leftovers that I saw on the net still cost about the same today. Equally original was its brand, as after greeting cards then a TV channel Hallmark seemed to be willing to sell diecasts for a while – their Sky King Velocipede was produced from 1995 to 1999, and I ignore what they did next in this field, if ever. My rating is 15/20.

Honda Accord (from 2002 on)

2010-09-22T09:13:00.007+08:00

A little history

One of the most iconic cars to ever bear the Honda name, the Accord has been part of the Japanese constructor’s range since 1976. By the early Nineties, global success brought a determining split between the European and American Accords. Honda started production in Swindon, United Kingdom of an Accord that was definitely dissimilar from its counterpart sold in Japan and North America. To make thinks even more complicated, another split saw the next generation of the car being different on the American and Japanese markets… This confused situation lasted until September 2002, when the seventh-generation Accord was launched. The Swindon factory halted production of the model, and all Accords sold in Europe were made in Japan. On the other hand, the American model produced in Ohio continued to be distinct, and grew slightly bigger.

The Japanese Accord (also called Accord Euro) was available as a four-door saloon and a striking estate. Base engine was a 2.0-litre four, from which a potent 220 hp version was developed as the Euro-R, a variant that was carried over from the previous model. V6 engines remained unavailable in a car that was designed with the middle class in mind.

The American Accord didn’t see a station wagon version, but a two-door coupe, based on the shorter chassis, supplemented the four-door sedan. Standard engine was the very same 2.4-litre four that topped the Japanese and European engine ranges, while American buyers had the possibility of fitting a V6 displacing three litres under their bonnets.

In short, both Accords were willing to answer the requirements of the same markets, that of middle-class families looking for an upper mid-range saloon, though this identical need requested a larger car in America than in the rest of the world.

So I said that the introduction of the new Accord in 2002 simplified things... Well, not fully, as both cars were sold on the main market of their counterparts. That is, the Accord Euro became available on the American soil in 2004, but rebadged as the Acura TSX. The other way around, the American Accord was sold as the plush, V6-powered Honda Inspire in Japan from June 2003.

A new Accord, the eighth generation, was put on sale in December 2007, Honda retaining the U.S./Japan differentiation. Though its design is roughly similar, it is more radically edged and, consequently, more aggressive. The American version grew larger than ever, gaining a whopping ten centimetres in length and receiving a larger 3.5-litre V6 as its optional block. Though a station wagon Accord is still not available in North America, a crossover known as the Crosstour has been added at the end of 2009.

About the models

Model: Honda Accord Tourer
Year: 2003
Maker: Ebbro
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ebbro, “Hot!” series ref. 433
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

A superb model by Ebbro. I promise that I tried hard, but failed to find anything to reproach to this die-cast. It’s a well-deserved 16/20.

Model: Honda Inspire V6
Year: 2003
Maker: Ebbro
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ebbro, “Hot!” series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

Ebbro proposes an Inspire that is almost equally seductive: 15/20.

Citroën C4 and C6

2010-09-19T00:11:00.004+08:00

A little history

Its initial Type A model quickly made Citroën the largest of all French automobile constructors. Coming out of nowhere, the Javel company beat rivals such as Renault, Peugeot or Mathis thanks to methods learnt across the Atlantic, at Budd’s for the body construction, and at Ford’s for the cars as a whole.

The Type A was succeeded by the Type B in May 1921. The original B2 mutated in steps into the B14, which enjoyed brakes on all four wheels and – a rare luxury at the time, all the more on a popular car – they even were power-assisted on the very last B14s. By October 1928, when the B14’s successor was unveiled during the Paris motor show, Citroën was still much ahead of the competition.

In fact, two models were introduced by Citroën, the C4 and the C6.

The C4 was the direct replacement for the B14. It took over its 1.6-litre four engine, albeit in upgraded form. Many other mechanical parts were improved. On the outside, the C4 was six centimetres lower than its predecessor, while its bonnet was higher – though this forced to adopt smaller windows, the visual effect was that the C4 looked much lower than it actually was. The steel disk wheels of the B14, obsolete by that time, were replaced by new all-metal ones of a modern design. Overall, the C4 looked pretty much as its style had been penned in Detroit but, actually, an increasing number of European cars then took their inspiration from American products.

The C6 was an upmarket version of the C4, with which emboldened Citroën expected to fight yet more closely the slightly more middle-class Renaults. In pure Javel style the C6’s design had been highly rationalized: it was basically a C4 with a longer bonnet in order to accommodate a larger 2.4-litre inline six, that was in fact nothing more than the C4’s block with two cylinders added. Most of the difference was made in small cosmetic details: a fancy two-tone paint, a chromed grille, chromed hubcaps, and most optional equipments of the C4 made standard. Starting in 1931, “Floating Power” engines, using rubber mounts to minimize vibrations and built under a Chrysler licence, greatly improved the comfort of the C6.

Another Citroën trait was the constant improvements from which its production benefited. In four years of production, the C4 and C6 went through four different production models, no less. This was certainly efficient to maintain the technical edge the company enjoyed over its rivals, but probably hazardous from an economic point of view. Anyway, this strategy’s most immediate effect was that both cars enjoyed strong sales, being produced in more than 180,000 copies until 1932. Nevertheless, the C6’s sales were below expectations, though it was involved in various publicity stunts that were highly advertised. Again more inspired by the American example than a genuine visionary, André Citroën missed no opportunity to make his company the talk of the moment. That was the time his name illuminated Paris every night, after he had rented the Eiffel Tower and used tens of thousands of electric bulbs to write a huge “CITROËN” sign over the soaring monument. Regarding the C6, he had one offered to the pope, fitted with a coupe de ville body and a rather baroque seat in the rear compartment; another one, nicknamed “Rosalie”, engaged in successful record-breaking runs at Montlhéry; and finally a new scientific mission, following the 1924-25 “Croisière Noire”, was organized with half-tracked C4s and C6s between Lebanon and China as the “Croisière Jaune”.

The C4 and C6 were replaced by the 8CV to 15CV models, designated as a whole as the “Rosalie”, a name paying homage to the successful record car.

About the models

Model: Citroën C4
Year: 1929
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.19 of its Passion Citroën press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Souillac, France

UH’s Citroën C4 is nicely done and benefits from many separate parts, but unfortunately has been fitted with wheels that are much too small in diameter, compromising the overall silhouette of the car. Also note the mistake made regarding the date on the plate number (the model’s stand correctly mentions 1929). My rating is 10/20.

Model: Citroën C4 F
Year: 1930
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Solido, “Âge d'Or” series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2003, in Brive, France

Solido’s C4 is much better proportioned, and though a little more detailing would have helped, this “Fauchon” van is quite pleasant. The rear door can be opened, though it’s unfortunately made of black plastic. On my model, the golden decals have poorly resisted to the damages of passing time. My verdict: that’s a well deserved 12/20. By the way, Fauchon is a famous gourmet grocery and fine caterer from Paris.

Model: Citroën C4 F
Year: 1930
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.6 of its Sapeurs Pompiers de France press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2008, in Brive, France

Here is now for JDMike’s son Ken. Using the same base as the previous model, Solido also proposes this C4-based fire truck. Many parts look too much as plastic to my taste, while the windshield is made of a single piece of clear material, without any paint to represent its frame. I’ll limit my rating to 10/20 this time.

BMW C1

2010-09-16T22:26:00.002+08:00

A little history

With increasing traffic congestion downtown many of the world cities and growing environmental concerns, many automobile drivers started turning to scooters and even bicycles as their daily commuting vehicles during the Nineties. Experience on two wheels being rather limited for these newly converted users, fears about safety quickly arose.

One of the three constructors to be equally present on two- and four-wheel markets, BMW decided to bridge the gap between the two concepts with a revolutionary vehicle, no less. Unfortunately, it failed – most probably sometime in the future it will be seen as too much ahead of its times.

Actually, BMW was even ahead of the demand for a two-wheel city vehicle when it unveiled its C1 prototype in Cologne as early as in 1992. The C1 was, basically, a scooter, but one with… a roof.

In fact, the C1 had received more than a simple roof. Its driver would seat in a reinforced cage made of aluminium, and behind a crumple zone. He would also be protected by bars set at shoulder height, and fastened to his seat by aviation-type harnesses. The first goal of the C1 was to demonstrate superior safety standards, and it passed crash tests with flying colours, proving to be as safe as a city car. Based on these results, BMW claimed the C1 could be driven without a helmet. Another potential burden for defectors from the automobile side being operating a motorcycle transmission, BMW fitted its C1 with a CVT system which allowed for extreme ease. Furthermore, the roof offered some degree of protection against the rain.

By the late Nineties, the production C1 was finally ready and the time seemed ideal for its launch. The new scooter was powered by a 125cc mono-cylinder good for 15 hp; top speed, if this ever matters for a city vehicle, was advertised at 106 kph. Rather than producing an in-house engine, BMW purchased its blocks from Rotax, an Austrian company notably involved in ultralight aircraft. Subcontracting didn’t stop there, as actually the C1 production as a whole was entrusted to Bertone in Italy. The C1 was introduced in late 1999, and sales began early in 2000 in most European markets.

Apart from its bold design, two factors played against the C1’s commercial success. One was its price, much higher than any other rival scooter in the 125cc class. The other one was the reticence from several countries’ authorities to alter the regulations regarding the use of helmets. In the United Kingdom in particular, rigid laws virtually excluded the C1 from the country.

Despite the 2001 launch of a slightly more muscular version, named “200” but actually powered by a 17.5 hp, 175cc engine, sales were sluggish. BMW threw the towel during 2003. Did the Bavarian give up all hopes on its C1? Apparently not, as a lightened version powered by an electric motor, the C1-E, as been presented as a concept in 2009. Though the company providing its power, Vectrix, has since then filled for bankruptcy, it isn’t impossible that this pioneering BMW be resurrected one day.

About the model

Model: BMW C1
Year: 2000
Maker: Maisto
Scale: 1/18
Distributed by: Maisto, ref. 39350
Acquired: brand new, in February 2005, in Manila, Philippines

Accurate enough, though as it is common with Maisto the “chromed” parts look way too much like plastic rather than metal. My rating is 11/20.

Ferrari 500

2010-09-13T07:18:00.005+08:00

Blast! Once again interdomin and I have prepared posts on the very same car at the same time!

A little history

The World Championship for Drivers was not yet two years old when it faced its first crisis: with the pending withdrawal of the all-conquering Alfa Romeo team for 1952, starting grids would be rather slim. As an answer, the FIA therefore took the decision of running the third Formula One championship season under F2 regulations. This solved the problem, and even allowed for some of the largest fields ever seen in the sports. In turn, this induced a new predicament: most Formula Two cars of the time were built by artisans, most of them from England and, to some extent, from Germany. This situation paved the way to triumph for the only serious entrant, Ferrari.

The Maranello constructor easily understood the edge on the competition that it enjoyed. The car Aurelio Lampredi designed, the Tipo 500, was extremely conventional; its faultless preparation was to be the key of success over its amateurish rivals.

Made of welded tubes, the chassis was of ladder-frame type, a choice that was as predictable as the double-wishbone / de Dion axle front and rear suspension arrangement. Engine was a compact inline four displacing two litres; this light block was rated at a good 185 bhp. Better yet, it was small enough to be placed well behind the front axle, allowing for an excellent weight balance. The car was ready on time to make its debut at the very end of the 1951 Formula Two season, guaranteeing it to be fully developed when the next Formula One season would start.

A great car would be nothing without great pilots, and here again the Scuderia, which fielded some of the sport’s fastest and most experienced drivers, seemed to enjoy an advantage. Giuseppe Farina had just arrived from the departing Alfa team, joining forces with Alberto Ascari, Luigi Villoresi and the “Silver Fox”, Piero Taruffi.

The two-litre transitional formula remained in effect for two years until the scheduled 2.5-litre Formula One rules came into force in 1954. During these two seasons, Ferrari enjoyed a complete walk over. Out of fifteen Grand Prix, all but the very last one were won by the Scuderia’s cars. Of these, eleven went to the amazing Alberto Ascari, who clinched both championships and set a still-standing record of nine straight successes.

The Tipo 500’s career didn’t end with the introduction of the new Formula One rules. Formula Two cars being only at a small disadvantage in terms of performances, they were regular entrants for years to come in F1 events. In this particular case, Ferrari 500s continued to race until 1957, when the very last of them was entered by the Scuderia Centro-Sud – Mimmo Dei’s team would make itself a specialty over the years to enter racers in their faded glory.

About the model

Model: Ferrari 500
Year: 1952
Event: 1952 German Grand Prix, driven by Giuseppe Farina (finished 2nd)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ixo (see below)
Acquired: brand new, in June 2008, in Manila, Philippines

No, Ascari wasn’t the only Ferrari pilot in 1952-53. Sure, he took another victory at the Ring (see his winning #101 Tipo 500 on interdomin’s excellent blog), but his teammate Nino Farina, the first F1 world champion in history, clinched the second spot with its sister car – actually, all four first finishers were Tipo 500s. Ixo reproduced this car with taste. Its die-cast isn’t exactly teeming with details, but is well assembled and – an Ixo tradition – seats on beautiful photo-etched wheels. My rating: 14/20.

That would usually be all, but there’s more to say about this model. It came to me in an Ixo “Ferrari Collection” box, but without any marking nor reference. Why? I think the answer can be found by comparing the models pictured, for example, on this page with the one on Ixo’s official site. Do you see the difference? Both models are sold in the “La Storia” collection under reference SF11/52, but sport different numbers. Nonetheless, in both cases they are clumsily advertised as #102... My bet is that Ixo started producing Ascari’s car for their La Storia collection with the erroneous number 102 (as far as I know Ixo’s catalog never included Farina’s car), until someone noticed – whoops! – that the Chinese company could have done well spending a little more time doing basic researches. The mistake was corrected (but not the written presentation on their site) and wrong models (which by chance tally another existing Ferrari entrant) were sold in plain “Ferrari” boxes, fooling buyers in the process as everyone involved in their distribution let prospective buyers believe they buy Ascari’s car.

“From enthusiasts to enthousiast”, reads their Ixo’s homepage. Mmm... it leaves me wondering. Perhaps “From your bank account to our bank account” would be more appropriate...

Model: Ferrari 500
Year: 1952
Event: 1953 British Grand Prix, driven by Alberto Ascari (finished 1st)
Maker: Brumm
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Brumm
Acquired: brand new, in March 2008, in Montpellier, France

Despite being rivalled by the Maseratis of both Fangio and Gonzalez, Ascari took another win with his Tipo 500 at Silverstone in 1953. The corresponding model is overly simplified, even to Brumm already simple standards. My rating is 8/20.

MG-Lola EX257

2010-09-10T08:28:00.004+08:00

A little history

After two tumultuous decades, MG seemed on the right track by 2000. The sporty MG F sold in volumes unthinkable just a few years before, while a full range of cars was about to be added. All what was missing to restore the old constructor’s glory was a successful racing program.

MG having no recent experience on the track, it turned to the world’s specialist of the turnkey racing car: Lola. The constructor’s ambition was to enter sportscar racing, but in the smaller, more accessible LMP675 class. Lola had just built two models of a spyder designed for LMP900, and incorporated as many elements as it could into its new racer, internally known as the B01/60, but christened EX257 by MG. The engine was equally called MG, though once again the constructor’s input was limited. Dedicated company A.E.R. was chosen to provide the EX257’s block, a turbocharged 2.0-litre inline four able to provide outputs in the vicinity of 500 hp.

The MG EX257 made its debut at the 2001 Le Mans 24 hours, which wasn’t an easy task. The two cars entered made a strong demonstration, proving themselves to be faster than any other car in their class. Unfortunately the insufficiently tried machines both retired in an event that, actually, put great strain on all LMP675 entrants.

In 2002, the car competed in the American Le Mans series through private entrants, and immediately proved highly competitive. Good results were consistent throughout the season, and MG clinched the ALM’s LMP675 crown. This transatlantic success was well enough to raise the MG team’s expectations in the year’s European events. It indeed raised them… a little too high perhaps, as the EX257 suffered once more during long-distance races, a problem that owed more to unpractical rules than to the car’s lack of preparation.

By the end of the 2002 season, MG had only met success in America, where market for its road cars was actually quite narrow. Brought down by the collapse of the Rover group, the company simply couldn’t afford to maintain a racing program that gleaned so meagre laurels. From then on, the EX257’s fate rested entirely upon the shoulders of private teams. Despite isolated attempt to keep the car competitive, most notably by replacing the original MG engine by a Judd block, success was still scarce. In contrast with its dismal European results, the car occasionally encountered success in America, which explains its longer career in the New World: the very last EX257 to retire was raced until 2007.

About the models

Model: MG-Lola EX257
Year: 2001
Event: 2002 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Mark Blundell, Julian Bailey and Kevin McGarrity (retired)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.13 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in March 2004, in Souillac, France

Quite correct, the die-cast benefits from good enough assembly and decals affixed to the car without any mistake. My rating is 12/20.

Model: MG-Lola EX257
Year: 2001
Event: 2004 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Thomas Erdos, Mike Newton and Nathan Kinch (retired)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.57 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Souillac, France

Redecorating the previous model allowed to represent the private car entered by the Ray Mallock team two years later during the same Le Mans 24 hours race… and in the process, garner a little more money for Altaya by extending its long-run series. Again, 12/20.

Lamborghini Urraco

2010-09-07T06:57:00.002+08:00

A little history

Willing to fight Ferrari head-on as we have already seen, Ferruccio Lamborghini decided that his own company should build a challenger to the smaller and more affordable Dino. His decision was made all the more clever by the fact that his other rival Maserati was simultaneously studying its own “bargain” sports car, the Merak, a 2+2 coupe which was to share many parts with the Citroën SM. Suddenly, the lower end of the GT market was to become rather crowded.

Lamborghini readied its Urraco for the 1970 Turin motor show – that is, readied the car for being unveiled, as this first Urraco was found wanting in development and, ultimately, production didn’t start before 1973, after the Merak had hit the market and, unknown from Lamborghini at the time, only weeks away from the oil crisis that would affect all automobile companies, but none more than the likes of the Sant’Agata manufacturer. It should be noted that despite this protracted preparation, the first tens of cars delivered didn’t totally adopt the final production specs…

Smaller than the rest of its siblings, the Urraco was new from the ground up. Engine was a 2.5-litre V8, all made in alloy and good for 220 hp. It was mounted transversally amidships, right behind the two small rear seats. This placing allowed to maintain a small space for luggage at the extreme rear. A sign that the car was meant more for comfortable high-speed highway travels than genuine performance was probably its standard air-conditioning system. On the outside, the Urraco came as a splendid fastback coupe that had been unsurprisingly penned by Bertone’s star designer Marcello Gandini.

Despite all of the Urraco’s qualities, sales were disappointing due to the aforementioned reasons. During the 1974 Turin motor show, Lamborghini reacted by adding two new variants to its original model (named P250 with regards to its engine’s size): the P200, a smaller 2.0-litre, 182 hp car aimed at the Italian market where heavy taxes hit vehicles displacing more than 2000cc; and the P300, which enjoyed a reworked 3.0-litre V8 good for 250 hp.

During the same 1974 Turin venue, Bertone had presented a striking Bravo prototype based on a shortened Urraco platform. The car was strictly a concept car but, one year and a half later during the 1976 Geneva motor show, Bertone unveiled a much more realistic Silhouette, basically a two-seat targa version of the Urraco. Adopted by Sant’Agata as its first production open car, the Silhouette was powered by the larger 3.0-litre engine, and its ambitions were made clear by a much more aggressive body that hinted at the new Countach.

Nevertheless, by the late Seventies Lamborghini was in turmoil. All the financial resources of the company had been wasted in the difficult development of a large four-wheel-drive vehicle, the Cheetah that was supposed to seduce both the military and the Middle East princes. No one bought it, bringing Lamborghini to the brink of bankruptcy, and it’s a meagre relief for the small manufacturer to think its original concept was finally made a success by others than itself as the Hummer. In these difficult times, some models had to go and, as the sales of the Urraco and Silhouette had always been below expectations, they unsurprisingly departed Lamborghini’s range in 1979.

The company seemingly headed for a slow agony when new investors, reckoning its potential, saved it by injecting generous amounts of cash into its coffers. With this the Silhouette was unexpectedly revived as the Jalpa. Launched in 1981 as a cheaper alternative to the Countach, the “new” car had lost its predecessor’s targa top, but won a larger 3.5-litre, 255 hp V8, thanks to which a 234 kph top speed could be promised. Though the car was based on a rather old platform, the times were not as harsh in the Eighties as they had been for GTs during the previous decade. The Jalpa sold in fair numbers until the company was sold to Chrysler. One of the American giant’s first decisions regarding its new acquisition was to suspend the production of the Jalpa, for not being prestigious enough. During a fifteen-year career, less than 1,300 Urracos and derivatives had been produced.

About the model

Model: Lamborghini Urraco
Year: 1974
Maker: Minichamps
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Minichamps, limited edition - 4,512 pieces
Acquired: brand new, in September 2007, in Manila, Philippines

Minichamps proposes a disappointing model of the initial Urraco. The die-cast looks heavy and much too low when compared to the real car, while details as the thick wipers, equally fat radio antenna and large black side scoops don’t help. The German brand’s reputation won’t prevent this beer-bellied model receiving a 8/20.

Alpine A108

2010-09-04T11:01:00.022+08:00

A little history

Many artisans sprung up in France during the Fifties, with a large part of them producing nimble sports cars. Such a trend was favoured by the availability in the country of two small production engines that were excellent bases for racing preparation, the flat-twin Panhard and the Renault 4CV’s inline four. None of these companies, some of them only enjoying a brief existence, was more successful than Alpine.

We have already seen how Jean Rédélé, Alpine’s founder, created the A106. By the late decade some more modern cars had been introduced, while the 4CV’s, from which the A106 drew most of its parts, had been joined in Renault’s range by the Dauphine. Rédélé’s logical step was to commission a new car based on Renault’s newest popular car, calling it the A108.

Alpine’s very limited production at the time allowed great flexibility, but is an automotive historian’s nightmare today. Hardly two cars were alike, and even the switch from the A106 to the A108 was gradual. Therefore, the very first A108s, introduced during the 1959 Paris motor show, were hardly different from the A106s they replaced. They enjoyed some technical refinements but overall looked similar. Still, the final A108’s design was already in embryo, in the form of specially-bodied A106 prototypes presented over the years. The first “true” A108 appeared in 1960, surprisingly not during a motor show, but on the starting grid of a racing event. For the Tour de France, Alpine had developed a special A108 coupe, the fastback “berlinette”, which proved a success and was immediately nicknamed “Tour de France”.

The 1960 A108 Tour de France now had all the characteristics of what is today perceived as a classic Alpine. A central tubular backbone supported a small Renault inline four, set at the extreme rear of the car, and a fiberglass body that was sealed into place. This arrangement made the A108 incredibly light: the car would only weigh in the vicinity of 580 kilos.

The A108 was good enough, but its concept was soon further refined into the mythical A110. For a time both models were produced, but the berlinette version of the older car retired in 1963. The A108 nonetheless survived in two forms. First was a 2+2 coupe, introduced in 1961, which enjoyed a lengthened platform and a different body. Designed by Chappe & Gessalin, a coachbuilder associated with Alpine since its very beginnings, but which would soon develop its own sports car, the Alpine-inspired but Simca-powered C.G., the A108 2+2 had odd proportions and seemed out of balance. Performances were comparatively disappointing, and the 2+2 was often seen as a lady’s car. It was produced in limited quantities until 1965, though a much more elegant GT4 had been added long before. The second A108 survivor was built in faraway Brazil as the Willys Interlagos, available in a full range of berlinette, coupe and convertible models. Though the American company had concentrated on Jeeps and trucks in its homeland, its local subsidiary was still building road cars, among them an updated version of the Aero sedan and, starting in 1960, a Renault Dauphine built under license. In 1961, Willys clinched another contract for the soon-to-be-discontinued A108, to be constructed in the Americas as the Interlagos after the famous local circuit. If I’m not mistaking – our Brazilian friends may correct me if I’m wrong – this license owed much to “Bino” Heins, a young local pilot who was killed a few years later at Le Mans while driving an Alpine, and his father, the brand’s local importer.

About the models

Three models today… but none of the most obvious A108 berlinette type!

Model: Alpine A108
Year: 1959
Maker: Eligor
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.29 of its Alpine & Renault Sportives press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2011, in Souillac, France

The model itself is nicely done and correctly assembled, but the paint job is a complete disgrace. For this reason I’ll limit my rating to 9/20, though with a nicer paint it could have been much higher. Interestingly, this doesn’t to be an isolated problem for Eligor, as I already complained about the poor quality of the A106 convertible.

Model: Alpine A108 Coupé 2+2
Year: 1961
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.52 of its Renault Collection 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.

Overall proportions and respect of scale are correct, but could have been better. Many separate parts have been fitted by Universal Hobbies. At any rate the model is more good-looking than the original, arguably the ugliest Alpine ever produced. My rating is 12/20.

Model: Willys Interlagos
Year: 1964
Event: 1964 Brasília 12 Hours, driven by Emerson Fittipaldi (finished 2nd overall)
Maker: Eligor
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.8 of its Alpine & Renault Sportives press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2007, in Souillac, France

Basically Eligor’s A108 fitted with a different paint; as Axel’R’s version of the very same car is noticeably dissimilar (see this limited edition – 50 pieces only – collectible on our friend Tohmé’s excellent blog), and though I never saw a picture of the original vehicle, I suspect that Eligor’s budget version doesn’t mind much for accuracy. I’ll give a 11/20 to this otherwise nicely made model.

Panhard Panoramic

2010-09-01T20:43:00.005+08:00

A little history

If you find that pre-war automobiles all look the same, you aren’t totally wrong. After all, for years previous design was virtually non-existent: style was determined by the engineers themselves, and only answered purely technical needs rather than the public’s taste. General Motors is generally credited for giving an increased attention to the appearance of its cars and creating a dedicated department, at first within its new La Salle branch. Soon, most automobile manufacturers had understood that good looks also helped selling cars. The intrusion of aerodynamics into the field of automobile design during the Thirties further gave a hand in developing cars that did away with the upright look of the Tens and Twenties.

Among the constructors that spearheaded this foray into modern design should be included the name of Panhard. Already one of the world’s oldest automobile manufacturers back then among the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot, Panhard had specialized in luxurious and comfortable, yet slightly unconventional automobiles. Engines were all of the sleeve-valve type, and rear suspension used a patented “Panhard rod”, an arrangement still used today. Common between the wars in luxury cars from all over the world, Knight-licensed sleeve-valve engines guaranteed silence, high torque and worriless functioning, at the expense of a high oil consumption as the said sleeves were prone to warping, consequently leaking oil – Knight-powered cars emitted characteristic blue exhaust fumes.

From 1934, Panhard’s CS and DS ranges, large cars using six- and eight-cylinder engines, were updated by the company designer Louis Bionier, who gave the models a distinctive look with exaggeratedly wide front wings, a tall and narrow grille, and low and closely set headlights, although its most unusual feature was its windshield. Large glass panes still were flat at the time (though not unknown by the Thirties, large curved glass panes made their real debut after World War Two, the technology having been developed to produce one-piece canopies for aircraft), and pillars were thick and cumbersome. Bionier tried to remedy the problem by flanking the windshield by two small windows, themselves set between thin pillars, which helped reducing the dark spots from the driver’s view.

This range, aptly named Panoramic, was distinctive, but not much ahead of the competition. Two years later, in 1936, Bionier refined its design and unveiled the new Dynamic, a rather baroque automobile which looked like nothing else on the road – but that’s another story.

About the model

Model: Panhard 6CS Panoramic faux-cabriolet
Year: 1935
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.40 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2007, in Souillac, France

Altaya’s Voitures Classiques series was peopled by some very nicely crafted models. Nevertheless there were exceptions, and this Panhard is unfortunately one of them: it could have been a success, if only Ixo hadn’t botched the characteristic windshield by fitting much too thick pillars. The front bumper is also slightly too large for my taste. Lacking finesse, this die-cast doesn’t deserve more than 10/20.

Jaguar S-Type

2010-08-29T11:37:00.005+08:00

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

2010-08-24T10:26:00.006+08:00

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

2010-08-19T17:48:00.004+08:00

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

2010-08-12T13:38:00.006+08:00

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

2010-08-07T09:57:00.004+08:00

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

2010-08-04T08:11:00.003+08:00

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)

2010-08-01T09:13:00.003+08:00

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.

Renault 16

2010-07-29T09:08:00.005+08:00

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

2010-07-26T18:27:00.006+08:00

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

2010-07-23T08:35:00.005+08:00

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

2010-07-20T09:38:00.004+08:00

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)

2010-07-17T07:26:00.003+08:00

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.