Porsche 911 (997)

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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.

Jaguar S-Type

A little history

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

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

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

About the models

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

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









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

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









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

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

Isuzu VehiCross

A little history

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

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

About the models

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

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











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

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





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

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

BMW E1

A little history

When it unveiled its E1 city car prototype during the 1991 Frankfurt motor show, BMW was among the first to answer the call for more environment-friendly vehicles. An early hybrid, the E1 could be powered, depending on the driver’s choice, by a 32 kW electric motor or a 1.1-litre inline four rated at 82 hp. BMW having no gasoline engine as small as the latter in its production cars’ range, the E1’s block was actually adapted from the K1100 motorcycle’s engine.

The E1’s structure was built from aluminium elements assembled together. Some panels were also made of plastic. This gave the car both rigidity and light weight. Wheels were pushed to each corner of the vehicle, allowing an incredibly large passenger compartment, considering the tiny overall length. Security was also a concern for BMW engineers, and in this respect the E1 incorporated then-top-of-the-art technologies such as an ABS braking system, energy-absorbing zones or dual airbags at the front.

The only performance that really matters about a car that is solely or partly powered by electricity is its autonomy. Electricity having been a common form of power during the early stages of automotive history, it is amazing to see how little modern cars have progressed in such a long period of time. In this respect the BMW E1 fared rather better than most other similar projects, being able to cover 160 km in normal, urban traffic conditions and a maximum of 265 km in the most favourable situation. Perhaps the main drawback of the E1, should it have reached production stage, would have been its price and high maintenance costs. As all electrical vehicles, the E1 relied on large batteries that are expensive to manufacture, and need to be changed regularly. This stern prospect has probably done much to hinder the success of a type of car which, almost two decades after the E1 has been presented, sadly remains more of a curiosity than a potential mean of transportation.

About the model

Model: BMW E1
Year: 1991
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: brand new, in November 2004, in Manila, Philippines

This is again a model that we should be happy a die-cast maker ever produced, albeit quality isn’t great. Indeed, while up front Cararama did things rather correctly, the reproduction of rear window and panel as a single part that is never assembled correctly does much to reduce my rating to 6/20.

Ford Corsair

A little history

The Corsair appeared in October 1963 during the London motor show as a member of the large Consul family of mid-range cars that was then offered by the British branch of the American giant, Ford. The new car’s appearance surprised the visitors at Earl’s Court: the recently-released Ford Thunderbird’s front end had been transposed without much modification beyond the replacement of quad headlights by single units. Though the T-Bird’s styling was praised, it could seem ungainly to some when applied to the Corsair but, at any rate, the British car looked bold for the era.

The Corsair was certainly not as daring from a mechanical point of view. Conventional throughout – British cars have rarely been innovative, all the more in those times – it received the very same 1.5-litre inline four that already powered the Cortina. With only 60 bhp, the first Corsairs, offered either as 2-door or 4-door saloons, were noticeably deficient in terms of performance. Another annoying detail was the tiny size of the gasoline tank: with only 35 litres, carefully planning a long trip was a necessity in order to avoid strolling around the countryside, an empty can in one hand.

The Corsair had many flaws, but it certainly had qualities. My father reported to me once that a friend of him bought this brand-new Ford during the Sixties, and was proud to demonstrate how tough the gearbox was by switching from fourth to first at about 100+ kph. Despite this harsh treatment, you didn’t have to get out of the car as soon as it stopped and walk back a few hundred metres in order to gather transmission parts on the pavement… Another incredible trait, that was common to all British-built Fords of the time, was the thickness of the metal sheets stamped into body parts. This certainly didn’t make these cars light, but at least they were as tough as a Churchill tank.

Ford knew well its Corsair didn’t benefit from the engine it deserved, and as soon as 1965 discontinued the 1.5-litre version in favour of a new car fitted with the new V4 block. To this 1.7-litre unit a 2.0-litre was added in 1966, but unfortunately improvements were marginal while both these engines had the mellow of a pneumatic drill when driven at any pace.

The Corsair was produced until 1970, when it departed Ford’s range without too much regret. The third-generation Cortina succeeded both this car and the previous Cortina. A little more than 300,000 Corsairs had been built, the majority of them sold on the domestic market – despite my father’s friend story, they were extremely rare in most continental countries.

About the model

Model: Ford Corsair
Year: c.1963
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in January 2007, in Shenzhen, China

By somewhat sacrificing quality in order to keep its prices down, Cararama is able to appeal to both adults seeking a collectible item and children playing with it as a toy, the latter, thanks to their innate wisdom, being less sensible to the car reproduced than we collectors are, always looking for the same models over and over while neglecting more original vehicles. This again seems to prove that it is perfectly possibly feasible and profitable to mass-produce a die-cast of a not-so-famous automobile, whatever some may say about this.

Actually this model’s quality is far from mediocre. Simple should be the aptest word to describe it, but it looks good. Opening doors, a detail I usually dislike for their unrealistic character, are adjusted well enough to make themselves discreet. As a result, I grabbed this model as soon as I found it, and now give it an honourable 12/20.

Lotus Elise

A little history

After a long period of uncertainty, Lotus found in Romano Artioli a new owner who understood what the company’s philosophy was all about: building lightweight GTs offering impressive performances, not overpriced supercars. Though the old Esprit would remain in production, a new model, small and affordable, would be added to the range: the Elise.

The Elise’s development was a protracted one, ending in the car being launched only in September 1996, just as Artioli had to relinquish the small British company to Malaysian giant Proton after the collapse of his over-ambitious project. The small roadster was constructed on an aluminium chassis fitted with Lotus’ traditional fibreglass body – as a result, at a time when extra electrical and electronic equipments had driven the weights of all other cars to towering heights, the Elise didn’t even reach 750 kilograms. With a 1.8-litre four borrowed from Rover, and rated at no more than 120 hp, the Elise was capable of impressive performances. Though its top speed was obviously no match for bigger GTs, its capacities in terms of acceleration and cornering enabled the car to challenge most of its larger and more expensive competitors.

Still, some customers were asking for more performance, that Lotus was keen to deliver. A 145 hp version debuted in 1999 as the Elise 111S, followed during the next year by the 179 hp Exige. The very same engine was also fitted to a lightweight roadster, the minimalist 340R, which with less than 570 kilos could be considered a modern interpretation of the original Lotus Seven.

During the same period Lotus decided to measure itself against the likes of Porsche or Mercedes-Benz in the FIA GT championship. Cunning interpretation of the FIA rules gave birth to the Elise GT1, which used the road car’s chassis but shared few other elements with its namesake. Its career wouldn’t essentially extend on more than a single season, as the car was only marginally short of being catastrophic. Its chassis lacked potential, aerodynamics weren’t its strong point, its gearbox was often failing and none of its engines (the GT1 could be fitted either with the 3.5-litre from the Esprit, brilliant but fragile, or the 6.0-litre lent by the Chevrolet Corvette, a GT block that proved insufficiently powerful) was satisfactory. Following the pitiful demonstration of the GT1, Proton, appalled by the staggering cost of the program, signified to Lotus that its unfortunate foray into international motorsports was over.

A Series 2 Elise was unveiled for model year 2001, which introduced many minor improvements and a body redesigned in a similar yet much more aggressive style – I personally prefer the more rounded, somehow more feminine look of the Series 1, but this is purely a matter of taste. The Elise is still produced today, the main event of its later years being the switch to a 1.8-litre Toyota engine following Rover’s collapse.

About the models

Model: Lotus Elise
Year: c.1996
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Manila, Philippines

A simple model that nonetheless does the trick perfectly well. At just above two euros it left my budget virtually unscathed in order to purchase rarer models proposed by more expensive brands. My rating is 12/20.









Model: Lotus Elise GT1 - Chevrolet
Year: 1997
Event: 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Jan Lammers, Mike Hezemans and Alexander "Sandy" Grau (retired)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.14 of its Les Monstres Sacrés de l'Endurance 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.

A correct die-cast but I have serious reservations about the clear covers on the headlights, which get loose with extraordinary ease – if you present your model out of its box, take care not to lose any, of otherwise unscrew the chassis, then add two little drops of glue on the inside of the body, where their lone stems are supposed to hold these faulty parts. My rating is 11/20.

Renault Twingo

A little history

Introduced in September 1992 by Renault, the city car Twingo was perceived as extremely advanced at the time. The monobox body, with a very short bonnet and an ample passenger compartment, was both appealing and clever. Modernity also struck inside, where the driver was greeted by an original dashboard with centrally-mounted instruments – almost usual today, but seventeen years back… Unfortunately what was hiding under this engaging skin was, indeed, better hidden. Worst of all was the Twingo’s engine, a 1.2-litre four good for 55 hp. It was based on the “Major” block that had been first introduced with the R8, three decades before. In terms of pure performance, it was still adequate, particularly for a car which playground would be busy city streets, but its thirst for gasoline was unquenchable. This unforgivable flaw was corrected for model year 1997, when all Twingos received the new 1.1-litre engine used by their larger sister the Clio. Nevertheless beauty sells better than technicalities, so the Twingo was in instant hit. Despite three mild facelifts, the car remained basically the same for fifteen years, quite a feat nowadays as life expectancy for a new model has seriously reduced. By the end of model year 2007, almost 2.5 millions had been built, when a brand-new Twingo 2, unveiled at Geneva a few months before, hit the market with the task of renewing its predecessor’s success. This should be difficult: now facing much stronger competition, the Twingo 2 appears way too shy and, though its range has considerably extended, doesn’t really add anything of value to the original concept.

About the model

Model: Renault Twingo
Year: c.1996
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in July 2006, in Brive, France

Nothing exceptional about Cararama’s rendition of the Twingo. On the other hand, apart perhaps from the rear lights, there isn't much to reproach to this die-cast, which is probably cheaper than any other model of this car. I’ll give it an 11/20 rating.

Chrysler LH

A little history

Around 1990, it seems that Chrysler was heading straight to bankruptcy. Timely introduced, a radically new design would pull the company out of trouble – at least for a few more years: the Chrysler LH.

LH was the generic name for the platform Chrysler studied in order to replace its various upper mid-range sedans of the late Eighties. Oddly enough, Chrysler drew a lot from the ill-fated Eagle Premier and Dodge Monaco, unfortunate cars that had been inherited from the AMC takeover. Based on a Renault 21 chassis, but borrowing many mechanical parts and a few body elements, such as the doors, from the Renault 25, the Premier and Monaco’s careers ended in utter failure. Nevertheless, Chrysler found this base was reasonably modern to be used as a starting point for the LH, which most notably carried over its uncommon front-wheel-drive, longitudinal engine combination. A more noticeable particularity of the LH was its so-called “cab-forward” design, with its four wheels pushed to the corners of the car, allowing for good handling and spacious passenger compartment. Along with its modern appearance, the cab-forward design would be one of the main selling points of the LH.

The LH was launched in 1993. The range included the Chrysler Concorde, the Eagle Vision and the Dodge Intrepid. A Plymouth Accolade was considered and almost made it to the market, but the low-end company within the Chrysler group was already doomed, and the rebadging scheme was ultimately cancelled. On the other hand, two other models joined the initial three in 1994: the Chrysler New Yorker, aimed at slightly older, more conservative customers, and the Chrysler LHS, which offered a blend of luxury and performance which positioned it as a cheaper alternative to European imports, most notably German ones. All cars received V6 engines of 3.3- and 3.5-litre displacements, while transmission was solely through an automatic gearbox.

Without any true rival among the rest of the American automobile industry, the Chrysler LH soon cut itself an enviable share of the domestic market. Better still: it proved an influential car that showed the way to how American automobiles of the future should be designed. By 1997, competition had learned and was gaining fast on Chrysler, which nonetheless was resolute in staying ahead with a likewise admirable second-generation LH. Though the chassis was left unchanged for the most part, the new LH pushed even further the cab-forward concept, receiving a short, sloppy bonnet almost in line with its impressively large windshield, and an equally short boot. Released for the 1997 model year, the second LH was either built as a Chrysler LHS, a Chrysler Concorde or a Dodge Intrepid. Already dropped from the line by then, the old New Yorker name was nothing more than a piece of Chrysler’s patrimony. The Eagle brand being discontinued, there were no second-generation Vision, though an aborted project for such a car appeared one year later as the Chrysler 300M. This second LH was built with constant success until 2004 when, though still an advanced design by then, it was replaced by a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, the LX – see how surprising automobile history can sometimes be…

About the model

Model: Dodge Intrepid R/T
Year: c.2000
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in January 2007, in Shenzhen, China

That it is a Cararama, and not among the most recent ones, means that Minichamps-like quality isn’t in order. Nevertheless this die-cast, positioned half-way between collectibles and toys, still does the trick on a collector’s shelf. True, most details could have been done better, but nothing’s really botched. Furthermore, Cararama’s LH doesn’t have many rivals (who else cares about such a car?), and its price is among the lowest you can find. I’ll give 10/20 to it.