Maserati A6 road cars

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.

Volkswagen Typ 4 (411 and 412)

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.

Morris 1100 (ADO 16)

A little history

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

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

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

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

About the model

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

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

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

A little history

Ferrari’s 2+2 coupe, the 456, was withdrawn from production in 2004, and replaced by the 612 Scaglietti. Despite being a real 4-seater, the 612 could offer very high performances – including a 315 kph top speed and only 4.2 seconds from 0 to 100 khp – thanks to its V12 inherited from the Maranello, a 5.7-litre block rated at 540 hp. Transmission was to the rear wheels through a 6-speed gearbox, either manual or semi-automatic. Body styling was co-authored by Frank Stephenson, Ferrari’s in-house designer, and its traditional partner Pininfarina, reportedly inspired by a special 375 MM built during the Fifties. Not only the passenger compartment had been enlarged in order to comfortably accommodate the car’s occupants, the front section had been elongated to such an extent that, in my opinion, made the car’s profile terribly unbalanced.

Another nostalgic touch, the name of the new model was intended to celebrate both the 612, the late Sixties Can-Am spyder, and the coachbuilder Scaglietti, which regularly collaborated with Ferrari since the Fifties and was actually given the task of producing its namesake’s bodies.

The 612 Scaglietti is still currently in production.

About the model

Model: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
Year: 2004
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Fabbri as no.49 of its Ferrari Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France

A model good enough to be given a 13/20 rating.

Austin 1800 and 2200 (ADO 17)

A little history

Shortly before the merger that would create the unfortunate British Leyland conglomerate, BMC was still a very successful carmaker. The company had released the Mini, then the 1100, two very strong sellers on the home market and, at least for the former, in foreign lands. BMC’s staff supposed that the basic recipes which had make these cars the hits they were could be applied throughout the range. This is how the ADO 17 was born.

The larger family saloons offered by BMC had been rather conventional up to then. When introduced, the ADO 17 proposed an incredibly roomy passenger compartment - thanks to the fact that it had all four wheels pushed to its corners -, front-wheel-drive and Hydrolastic suspension. Even with the help of Pininfarina, Alec Issigonic seems to have struggled to make the car presentable: it appeared as a ridiculously outgrown Mini, not exactly the kind of things BMC’s conservative customers wanted to be seen riding in.

The ADO 17 was unveiled in September 1964 as the 4-cylinder Austin 1800 and 6-cylinder Austin 2200. Despite its many qualities (comfort, handling, extreme structural rigidity), the car’s look played against it. While the Austin 1800 received the coveted European Car of the Year award in 1965, its sales were disappointing and it soon gained the ungraceful nickname “landcrab”.

Morris stuck for a time to the conventional Oxford model, but an ADO 17-based replacement was scheduled for it too. It appeared in 1966 as the Morris 1800 and 2200. During the following year, the Wolseley 18/85 and Six were launched, featuring higher quality standards and the traditional Wolseley front grille, but few other differences whatsoever. An automobile’s development spanning years, BMC was the victim of its programs’ inertia and the same mistakes were repeated again in the 3-Litre, its new top-of-the-line saloon presented at the London motor show in October 1967. Despite the fact that it retained a traditional rear-wheel-drive transmission, the 3-Litre inherited the central section of the ADO 17 and its Hydrolastic suspension arrangement – it ended in complete disaster and was soon removed from the market.

Another failure was to adapt the car to the Australasian market. After producing a virtually unchanged ADO 17 in Australia, two heavily modified Austin Tasman and Morris Kimberley were introduced in 1970. Unsurprisingly, the technologically refined cars couldn’t do much in a country which liked antiquated, American-style gas-guzzlers. These models disappeared in 1974, shortly before the British company’s Australian operations were definitely closed down.

If the luxury 3-Litre had been scuttled early on, BMC didn’t have such an easy way out with its more mainstream ADO 17. The company did what it could to improve the car, facelifting it in 1968 (Mark II version), adding further modifications in 1972 (Mark III), and trying to address the quality problems that were beginning to plague the British motor industry. All its efforts were to no avail. The whole ADO 17 range was retired in March 1975, when the wedge-shaped Princess on which rested most of BLMC’s hopes was introduced.

About the models

Model: Austin 1800 Mark II
Year: 1968
Maker: Corgi
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Vanguards
Acquired: brand new, in February 2008, in Manila, Philippines.

A very acceptable model of the Austin 1800. Rear lights are simply painted, but it’s so nicely done that no one will probably mind. The front end’s rendition is excellent. A Vanguards’ touch is the photo-etched wipers, a rarity in this price range. My rating is 13/20.





Model: Austin 1800 Mark II
Year: 1968
Maker: Corgi
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Vanguards
Acquired: brand new, in August 2007, through a friend from Shanghai, China.

Same model as the above, with a different decoration: 13/20 again.

Peugeot 405

A little history

The Peugeot 405 was introduced in July 1987 for the 1988 model year. An upper-middle range saloon, it used the platform and the engines of the Citroën BX, but adopted the much tamer appearance the more traditional patrons of Peugeot enjoy. Classic elegance is indeed a Peugeot trademark, and the 405, as most cars proposed by the Sochaux manufacturer before and after it, was designed by Pininfarina. Though an estate version was proposed for model year 1989, the envisioned coupe never materialized in other form than the Paris-Dakar racing version. A Pininfarina coupe based on the mid-size Peugeot had therefore to wait until the 406 was released.

Though the 405 was an instant hit both with the public and the press, the latter awarding it the European Car of the Year prize for 1988, the Paris-Dakar race did a lot to boost the sales even further. Taking over from the 205, a 405 Turbo 16 won the difficult race in both 1989 and 1990, before PSA’s standard in rally-raid racing was grasped by Citroën.

The sign of success, the 405 seldom evolved over the years. Most important than any other, a new turbocharged, four-wheel-drive T16 version topped the range starting with model year 1993. With 200 hp, the T16 could reach 235 kph and accelerate from 0-60 in 6.5 seconds – not bad for what was basically a family car.

In October 1995, the Peugeot 406 was unveiled, and the production of the 405 saloons was immediately suspended. In pure Peugeot fashion, a 406 estate appeared only later, so the 405 estates carried on until 1997. Two and a half millions 405 had been built, but was that really all? Many factories around the world, but outside of Europe, were still building 405s. Most have stopped since then, but the car, now more than twenty years old, is still presently built in Iran, a country which has selected it as its new national car, succeeding the ubiquitous but outdated Paykan.

About the models

Model: Peugeot 405 Turbo 16
Year: 1989
Event: 1989 Paris-Dakar Rally, driven by Ari Vatanen, navigator Bruno Berglund (overall winners)
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.5 of its La Légende du Paris-Dakar press series
Acquired: second hand with stand and box, in November 2007, through mail from a fellow collector from Saint Doulchard, France

Simply looking at this fine model guarantees me many souvenirs from the great hours of the Paris-Dakar - enough to grant it a 14/20 rating!









Model: Peugeot 405 T16
Year: 1993
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.60 of its Collection Peugeot press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2008, in Souillac, France

A nice model that could have been even nicer if not for poor workmanship - the plague of the models Norev reserve for press series... I’d give 12/20.

Seat 1400C and 1500

As with previous followers joining this blog, it is time to greet interdomin with a purposely-written post. Welcome!

A little history

Spain had had a lively automotive industry at an early time, but it was virtually wiped out by the effects of the competition offered by imported cars, the world economic crisis that followed the Wall Street crash and three years of civil war. In 1950, the Spanish authorities decided to resume the production of an automobile on the national soil, and sought Fiat’s assistance. In November 1953, the first SEAT (Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo, or “Touring Cars Spanish Company”) was assembled in Barcelona from parts shipped from Italy; the car, named Seat 1400, was virtually identical to the new Fiat 1400 mid-range saloon.

By 1960, the bulbous, bathtub-styled 1400 was looking old, even on a virtually closed market as the Spanish one. Though this initial car remained in production for a few more years, a new 1400C, technically similar but totally different on the outside, was released. The 1400C was actually based on the new 1800 and 2100 six-cylinder saloons Fiat had introduced the year before; the Seat management immediately decided to adopt their elegant Pininfarina body, while sticking to the trusted 1.4-litre four, much better suited to the means of the average Spanish motorist of the time.

In 1963, a roomy estate version was added to the 1400C range, while a Seat 1500 based on the Fiat 1500L, a simplified and more economical version of the 1800/2100, was also introduced. Production of all 1400 models was stopped during the following year, the estate version being maintained in production with the 1.5-litre engine fitted.

When in 1968 Seat introduced its 124, based on the Fiat bearing the same name, the attention of most customers switched to this modern vehicle, compared to which the 1500 suddenly looked antiquated. Despite this, the old car kept a strong following when it came to commercial purposes. Spacious and chrome-laden, the 1500 made a popular taxi on the streets of all Spanish cities, while Seat had developed an indigenous pickup variant of the car. Furthermore, the Spanish manufacturer introduced a diesel version, powered by a 1.8-litre provided by Mercedes-Benz. The engines from this diesel pioneer were known to offer remarkable fuel economy and unbeatable reliability and durability, albeit at the cost of abysmal performance. Later, a 2.0-litre Perkins also became available. Both became favourites among Spanish taxi drivers.

Despite a last-minute facelift, the 1500 receiving in 1969 the quad-headlight front of the Fiat 2300, the model retired in 1972, giving way to the Seat 132. Production tally stood at 48,000 for the Seat 1400C, and 135,000 for the Seat 1500, mostly sold on the domestic market. The car today remains as an icon of an era of the Spanish motoring history and, furthermore, of Spanish history as a whole.

About the model

With some logic, Altaya catered to the Spanish public with many variants of Seat 1500 saloons and estates. Unfortunately, those are rather hard to find outside of Spain. Right now, I have to content myself with the most common of them all.

Model: Seat 1500
Year: 1971
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.1 of its Nuestros Queridos Coches 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.

Too bad Altaya doesn’t sell models as this one outside of Spain. They’re probably right in thinking that the small number of collectors interested in, or even having heard of, the Seat 1500 outside of its native country is rather slim, but as of myself I grabbed this one as soon as I found it. No regret whatsoever: this die-cast is splendid, correctly detailed and painted in a superb dark blue hue. A 14/20 rating seems amply justified to me.

Ferrari 330

A little history

The long and successful career of the Ferrari 250, both on the road and on the track, couldn’t last forever. In 1963 its replacement finally entered the stage: the 330 model. There was nothing revolutionary about the new car, though. Enzo Ferrari’s attention was as ever focussed on engines – he had close to contempt for any other aspect of a car. Therefore the main difference between the 250 and its successor was the bigger engine of the latter, period. The 330 was set in motion by a 4.0-litre V12, a derived but heavily reworked version of the 400 Superamerica’s block. Under the 330’s bonnet, the 4.0-litre was rated at 300 bhp. On the other hand, chassis and bodies were almost identical to the previous models.

After a small series of “interim” 330 America models, the 330 production started in earnest in January 1964, while a smaller 275 received the task of replacing the two-seater 250s. Not including the short-lived America, the first 330 was the GT 2+2, which heavy-looking quad-light front end received dire reviews. Pininfarina immediately corrected its design, and in 1965 the car got a more restrained fascia. This mistake wasn’t repeated when the 330 GTC was introduced next, at Geneva in March 1966. This 2-seat berlinetta had the engine from the 330 GT 2+2, the chassis from the 275 GTB, while its body was a mix of 400 Superamerica up front and 275 GTS at the rear… Top speed was claimed to be 240 kph, while the car could accelerate from 0 to 100 in just 7 seconds – not so impressive today, but another story back then. Seven months later, a convertible, the 330 GTS, was introduced during the Paris motor show, replacing the short-lived 275 GTS.

Though the 330 wasn’t designed with motor racing in mind, the Ferrari sportscars of the era, the famous 330 P series, were constructed around its engine, pushed to up to 450 bhp in its latest evolutions. They shared little else, the “P” being a central-engined racer while the road 330 stuck to the classic front engine/rear wheel drive layout.

The 330’s production extended until 1968, when it was replaced by the 365, again roughly identical, but powered by a larger 4.4-litre, 320 bhp V12. All three GT 2+2, GTB and GTS versions were carried over, until they were joined a few months later by a brand new coupe that was about to overshadow them all: the 365 GTB/4 “Daytona”.

About the model

Model: Ferrari 330 GTS
Year: 1967
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Fabbri as no.30 of its Ferrari Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Souillac, France

Good Fabbri and Ixo thought of including this 330 GTS, not the best remembered of all Ferraris today, in their press collection. This model is rather correctly made, with correct wire wheels when considering the sacrifices made in this respect in order to cut the cost of press models, yet none of its features truly is overwhelming. A good 13/20 still.

Fiat Dino

A little history

By the second half of the Sixties, Ferrari, already quite busy in Formula One and sportscars, decided to extend its involvement in motor racing even further. The plan Maranello put up was to use the V6 engine powering its Dino road cars to develop a Formula Two open-wheeler. The idea had one flaw: though Formula Ones could be unique machines, rules made Formula Twos closer to production cars from a technical point of view. In particular, their engines had to be based on a road-going car’s block. So far so good. This block would be homologated after being built in a minimum production series. Oops…

Though the Dino had been designed as a lower-cost Ferrari, it was still too exclusive for its V6 to be homologated – five hundred engines built over the last twelve months was the very minimum requirement. Nevertheless, at the very same time Fiat was willing to improve its image by building a more prestigious vehicle than the popular family saloons it was known for. An agreement between those two parties allowed both of them to pursue their own goals.

Dino’s all-alloy, quad-cam V6 would be fitted to new Fiat coupes and convertibles, guaranteeing them both prestige and performance. The relatively large production numbers expected from a company such as Fiat would permit Ferrari’s engine to be homologated. Everyone seemed satisfied by the deal.

Production of the Fiat Dino – the Turin brand wanted to enjoy full publicity from its move, and consequently didn’t looked much for a name – started in the spring of 1966. Fiat also produced the engine, a 2.0-litre block good for 160 bhp, courtesy of three double barrel carbs. Part of the output was sent back to Ferrari in order to power that firm's Dino 206. The other key mechanical parts would also be provided by companies much more experienced in high-performance than Fiat was: ZF sold a 5-speed gearbox, while Girling gave the Dino the very same brakes that the Lamborghini Miura used. As many other Italian cars of the era, the coupe and convertible versions were designed by different companies, and therefore their appearances had nothing in common. The coupe was an aggressive fastback signed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Bertone, while the more curvaceous ragtop was designed by Pininfarina. This latter one was first to hit the market. Sales were predictably limited, but as an image-builder vehicle the Dino was a success for Fiat.

In early 1969, production of the 2.0-litre Dino was stopped. Its block was replaced by a cast-iron 2.4-litre V6, heavier but more powerful at 180 bhp. Simultaneously, it was fitted with an advanced independent rear suspension – difficult handling had probably been the main critic against the car up to then. Under this updated form, the Fiat Dino was produced until December 1973. And, would you ask, what about Ferrari’s foray into Formula Two? Well, its racer proved very fast, notably when driven by Ernesto “Tino” Brambilla. Alas, it was also terribly unreliable, rarely reaching the finishing line…

About the model

Model: Fiat Dino Spider
Year: 1972
Maker: Minichamps
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Minichamps, limited edition - 2,112 pieces
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Manila, Philippines

The usual quality from Minichamps. Up front the model looks particularly good. My rating is 14/20.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

It has been several days already since I made a last addition to this blog. Checking tonight for any new comment, I saw that a third follower has joined us. Welcome aboard Paul! As your avatar reads “Veloce”, it was tempting then to follow on with a post about an Alfa Romeo model.

A little history

Alfa Romeo was, without doubt, one of Italy’s prides during the Twenties and Thirties. If not for its lower range of models, which were only relatively cheap, it could easily be said to be some sort of “pre-war Ferrari” thanks to its appealing high-performance road cars and its solid racing credentials. Indeed, Benito Mussolini himself, who shared with his fellow dictator Adolf Hitler a passion for automobiles, didn’t resist a veiled allusion to Alfa Romeo when someone pinpointed at Italy’s dismal industrial capacities in the event of a war, answering that the people who passionately built the race cars that amazed the world would produce the best weapons, albeit in limited quantities. Il Duce ha sempre ragione, read the propaganda posters on Rome’s walls – “the Duce is always right”. Well, if he would have proved wrong only once, this would have been it. By 1945, Italy had been crushed, though through the timely coat-turning of the nation’s Southern half it still could pretend to stand among the victors. This didn’t change anything to the fact that the country was now ravaged, impoverished and divided – not anymore the ideal place to build one of the most exclusive automobiles in the world.

Still, Alfa Romeo had no other choice at first than to restart the production of an old model, the 6C-2500. Change was in the air, though. In 1950, the Milanese company introduced the 1900 model at the Paris motor show. Still not a car for the common man, the 1900 was nonetheless mass-produced, a sign of things to come. Four years later, a more affordable Alfa was finally launched: the 1300 cc Giulietta.

Apart from its elegant style, the Giulietta’s brilliant engine made it a worthy heir to a long line of fashionable thoroughbreds. A brand new design, this little twin-cam made extensive use of light alloy, displaced 1290 cc and was rated at 53 bhp. Fitted with a 4-speed gearbox at a time when most of the cars of its size had only 3, the Giulietta had a top speed of 140 kph – for the time, this was an impressive performance. Even more remarkable was the coupe’s engine, from which Alfa Romeo was able to get 62 hp per litre, hence an output of no less than 80 bhp from the same little 1.3-litre.

The Giulietta was so much performance-oriented that the saloon wasn’t even the first model Alfa Romeo to be unveiled. This “Berlina” first emerged during the spring of 1955 at the Turin motor show, a few months after the coupe, dubbed “Sprint” and penned by Bertone, but before the “Spider” convertible credited to Pininfarina. So potent was the coupe’s engine that it made the saloon’s block, though lively, look paltry by comparison. Alfa Romeo brought a remedy in 1957 by adding a “TI” (for Turismo Internazionale) variant of the 4-door in 1957. With 65 bhp, it soon became a favourite among Italian rally drivers. Ever more powerful versions were to follow: the ultimate performance machine developed from the Giulietta was the Sprint Zagato or SZ, a coupe flirting with the 200 kph mark thanks to 116 bhp and a very aerodynamic body.

Though it aged relatively well, receiving only mild facelifts in 1959 and 1961, the Giulietta was to be replaced by a brand new car, the Giulia, in 1964. The latter’s body was of the newly-favoured boxy type, but the valiant 1.3-litre had found its way under its hood. A few further Giulietta coupes and convertibles were built until 1965, bringing the final tally to about 132,000 – nothing to compare anymore with the production figures of the hand-built models of the Thirties.

About the models

Model: Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI
Year: 1962
Event: 1965 Rally di San Martino di Castrozza, driven by Zandonà, co-pilot Andretta (result unknown from me, please help if you can!)
Maker: unknown (some of these Alfas were also sold in boxes by Maxi Cars, but it seems this company didn't produce them, but only sold leftovers from the series)
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Fabbri as no.11 of its Alfa Romeo Sport Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

Beautiful saloon – it makes you regret that several wonderful series by Fabbri and De Agostini such as this one are reserved to the Italian market. My rating: 13/20.



Model: Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint
Year: 1960
Maker: Detail Cars
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Detail Cars, “Platinum” series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2005, in Manila, Philippines

Detail Cars produced this gorgeous Sprint version, which moulds passed to Solido after the Italian brand’s demise. This original model includes details that Solido has since omitted for reasons of cost, notably the seats’ elegant colour-keyed linings. I’d give 14/20 to this die-cast.









Model: Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider
Year: 1962
Maker: New Ray
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: New Ray, "City Cruiser Collection"
Acquired: brand new, in November 2003, in Kalibo, Philippines

Price is the only thing that should make you buy a New Ray model – still, think it twice. Though the body is almost correct, details as the wheels or the interior are extremely crude. The headlights are simply represented by silver disks – in my case, one was even missing, so I had to “steal” those, virtually identical, of one of the two New Ray MGAs I had. It would be unreasonable to award more than 5/20.





Model: Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato
Year: 1963
Event: 1963 Le Mans 24 hours, driven by Giancarlo Sala and Romolo Rossi (retired)
Maker: unknown (some of these Alfas were also sold in boxes by Maxi Cars, but it seems this company didn't produce them, but only sold leftovers from the series)
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Fabbri as no.37 of its Alfa Romeo Sport Collection press series
Acquired: new without box and with mismatched stand (probably a quality control reject), in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

I hardly let pass a Le Mans car when I see one, so I got this one right away. Too bad I didn’t take time to notice that one windshield wiper was absent. Many among you would say that the missing item is rather straightforward to replace, but I have two left hands… Forgetting this little problem, Fabbri again proposed a pleasant model well worth 12/20.