Auburn Speedster

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.

Tatra T77

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.

Citroën 8 to 15CV “Rosalie”

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.

Citroën C4 and C6

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.

Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow

A little history

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

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

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

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

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

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

About the model

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

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

Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8

JDMike just commented about pre-war cars, so here’s one.

A little history

The firm established by Cesare Isotta and Vincenzo Fraschini built its first automobile in 1904. Never a car for the masses, the Isotta Fraschinis aimed at the elite, seduced by a cocktail of luxury, performance and innovation. On the later front, Isotta seldom invented anything new, but had a talent to adopt new promising techniques as soon as they were applied by others. Thus, Isottas were among the first ones to market cars with overhead camshaft, four-wheel brakes and eight-cylinder engines. The later was first fitted to the new Tipo 8 in 1919. It was then a large inline eight displacing 5.9 litres for 80 bhp and, with this car, Isotta Fraschini was definitely playing in the same league as Rolls-Royce.

The prosperity that followed the Great War helped to make the Tipo 8 a success. An ever increasing share of the production was shipped to America. During the same period, Rolls-Royce opened a production line in the U.S. in order to satisfy the local demand. As for them, Isottas were imported, resulting in staggering price tags. This didn’t hamper their success – in an era of riches quickly made, the elite wanted to let anyone see how much fortune had been good to them by buying only the best and most expensive. The most frivolous of all customers, the Hollywood stars, became suckers for Tipo 8s.

By 1924, the Tipo 8 wasn’t able anymore to satisfy such a clientele, ever willing to be seen in more impressive automobiles. Isotta Fraschini answered the call with its Tipo 8A, now powered by a titanic 7.4-litre straight eight rated at 115 bhp. The huge 8A chassis was sold bare, ready to be fitted with a custom-built limousine or town car body, but for those who still found these too formal and wanted a livelier automobile, Isotta proposed too short-wheelbase versions, the S and SS, equipped with engines boosted to up to 160 bhp.

The Tipo 8A was produced until 1931 when it was superseded by another evolution of the original design, the Tipo 8B. However times were rapidly changing. That specialized firms offered landaulet or town car bodies for the plebeian Ford chassis suffices to indicate that the happy days were over for luxury automobile manufacturers. The Tipo 8B was produced until 1936, when Isotta Fraschini withdrew from the market. With a conflict ending in Ethiopia and another one erupting in Spain, the Italian company, since long involved in aeronautics, correctly estimated that much more money was to be made from the war contracts granted by Mussolini than derived from the production of exclusive automobiles.

About the model

Model: Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A
Year: 1930
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.7 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2006, in Souillac, France

Ixo tastefully reproduced this icon of a by-gone era. Body as well as chassis are moulded in metal, making it a rather heavy model. It is accurately detailed and well finished. I’d give a 14/20 to it.

Bentley Speed Six

A little history

Bentley’s very first model had been the 3-litre, but in 1926 two new cars, even more ambitious, followed. They were the 4½-litre, which promised high performance, and the huge 6½-litre, which put Bentley in the same league as Rolls-Royce, no less. Both raced, and made Bentley the company to beat during the Twenties, should it be at Brooklands or at Le Mans. This brought a performance-oriented variant to each of them: for the 6½-litre, it was called the Speed Six and appeared in 1928, while the 4½-litre saw a Supercharged version (the famous Bentley “Blower”) introduced during the following year.

Racing also created the legend of the Bentley Boys, a group of young and rich gentlemen-drivers who were so dedicated to the brand that when it felt in dire straits, they all dipped into their personal fortunes in order to save it. But ultimately even the most deeply involved of the Bentley Boys, Woolf Barnato, didn’t succeed in avoiding Bentley’s bankruptcy despite the huge amounts he poured into its coffers. In 1931, Bentley was sold to Rolls-Royce, and for almost seventy years thereafter lost most of its autonomy and retired from racing.

About the models

Model: Bentley Speed Six Sportsman Coupé, body by Gurney Nutting
Year: 1930
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.8 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2006, in Souillac, France

Often erroneously called the “Blue Train Special”, this spectacular one-off automobile has been wonderfully reproduced by Ixo. Praises should be given to Altaya to have proposed the great series of pre-war classics of which this model is a part. My rating is 15/20.







Model: Bentley Speed Six “Old Number 1”
Year: 1930
Event: 1930 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Woolf Barnato and Glen Kidston (overall winner)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.31 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2004, in Souillac, France

In 1930, Bentley closed a series of four straight wins at Le Mans with this car, while another Speed Six finished second ahead of two Talbots – a British triumph! Ixo’s model is good enough, though it’s unclear what the Chinese brand wanted to do regarding the car’s headlights. Correct enough though to be awarded a 12/20.