McLaren M19 - Ford

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.

Ferrari 500

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.

Ferrari F2002

Welcome to our newest follower, Danny.

A little history

The brand-new F2002 received the difficult task of extending Ferrari’s long domination upon Formula One – the Maranello company then held the Constructors’ championship since 1999, and the Pilots’ championship since 2000. Though Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello started the 2002 season with the previous year’s F2001, the first F2002 appeared for the Brazilian GP, the third round of the season. Despite being similar to its predecessor overall – strict rules and computer-assisted design don’t allow much originality anyway – the F2002 was a totally new car. Its new V10 “051” engine wasn’t the most powerful that year, but this handicap was easily compensated by excellent aerodynamics and a low centre of gravity which gave the car superior handling. As a result, Michael Schumacher once again crushed all opposition on its way to his fourth crown in top-class open-wheel racing. Better than this, he perhaps signed his best season ever in Formula One, finishing every race out of seventeen on the podium, and being crowned as early as July. Beaten by McLaren in Monaco, the F2002 would win every other race it entered during the season.

Before the arrival of the new F2003, the F2002 (slightly updated as the “B” version) defended Ferrari’s colours during the first four races of 2003. Though less commanding than during the previous season, the F2002B succeeded in clinching one last victory in San Marino before retiring for good, and its successor the F2003, despite a stronger challenge from both Williams and McLaren, renewed both Schumacher’s and Ferrari’s titles at the end of the year.

About the model

Model: Ferrari F2002
Year: 2002
Event: 2002 Formula One Championship, driven by Michael Schumacher (championship’s winner)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Fabbri as no.3 of its Ferrari Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in February 2005, in Souillac, France

Competition is hard for modern Formula One die-casts, all the more for Ferraris. Ixo didn’t fare poorly though, and deserves a 13/20 for its efforts.

Ferrari 125

Welcome to JB, who after posting several comments has decided to join this blog as a follower.

A little history

Though Enzo Ferrari wasn’t able to baptize the first car produced by his small workshop with his own name, this pre-war Auto Avio was followed after World War Two by the first real Ferrari, the 125.

Reportedly, the Commendatore dislike road cars, and only built such automobiles in order to finance the racing activities of his company. Unsurprisingly then, the 125 was a racing car.

The very first 125 was a spyder named 125 S. The light structure of this sportscar was made of steel tubes but, apart from this, it was a rather conventional machine. Again, no surprise here as Enzo Ferrari also favoured engine development over any other technical aspect. While the Auto Avio had used a Fiat engine, the Ferrari 125 was powered by a brilliant 1.5-litre DOHC V12 designed by Gioacchino Colombo. With three double-barrel carbs, the little block was rated at no less than 100 bhp, a decent output in the Forties. Colombo knew his business: his previous creation, the supercharged 1.5-litre engine powering the Alfa 158 single-seater, was already a remarkable creation.

The Ferrari 125 S first appeared at a modest sportscars race at Piacenza. At its wheel was Franco Cortese, a potent veteran driver who had made his debut in the Twenties with Itala. Despite his long career and strong records Cortese is forgotten by most today, so Ferrari’s first step in motor racing as a full-time constructor can appear modest nowadays. The Ferrari didn’t win, though it showed promises. Those materialized two weeks later at the Rome Grand Prix, which Cortese won. Several successes followed during the next few months, all in national events. Nonetheless Ferrari felt its spyder was underpowered against the competition offered by the Maseratis, and a few months after the 125 had been introduced, its replacement the 159 entered the scene. As the 125 before it, the 159 took its name from the individual displacement of a single cylinder, thus its displacement had been enlarged to 1.9-litre, good for 125 bhp. The 159 finished the season, before a new 166 took over for 1948.

The 125 S was gone, but the 125 F1 soon entered the limelight. Competing in sportscar racing was one thing, but Enzo Ferrari was eager to defy its former partner Alfa Romeo in the most prominent class, Formula One. Note here that unlike what is so commonly, but totally erroneously written, Formula One wasn’t created in 1950 (the World Championship for Drivers was, hence the confusion) but in 1946.

Constructors willing to enter Formula One had the choice between two options: normally-aspired 4.5-litre or supercharged 1.5-litre engines. Alfa Romeo had opted for the latter and was dominant, and furthermore Ferrari already had a 1500 cc engine on hand, so it followed suit.

Colombo’s engine was reduced to a single carburettor and SOHC, but a single-stage Roots supercharger was grafted onto it. Ferrari’s V12 could peek at 230 bhp: it can seem impressive, but was still way below what the Alfas could rely on. Unsurprisingly, the 125 F1 was dominated by its rival from its first race, the Valentino Grand Prix held in September 1948. The Ferrari 125s could generally approach the Alfettas on smaller tracks, though a brilliant exception was the victory of Alberto Ascari at Monza in 1949, the first ever success of the prancing horse in an Italian Grand Prix. By then Ferrari had already took notice of its inferiority, and had tried to remedy this by reverting to DOHC and switching to a two-stage supercharger. The latter allowed outputs up to 280 bhp, but proved troublesome, so Ferrari decided to replace its 125 by a simpler 4.5-litre 375 model for 1950. Some privateers continued to race 125 F1s until the current Formula One rules were abrogated, at the end of the 1951 season.

About the models

Note that the first three models below represent the very same car: Ferrari 125 S chassis #01C, a spyder built by minor coachbuilder Peiretti, possibly working on blueprints provided by Touring. Only two 125 S were ever constructed.

Model: Ferrari 125 S
Year: 1947
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Fabbri as no.16 of its Ferrari Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in September 2005, in Souillac, France

Fabbri released this plain 125 S as part of its Ferrari series. It is correctly done but it is rather disturbing to see a car designed with racing in mind devoid of any race number – presentation models prepared for the introduction to the press didn’t exist in those days. My second concern is the bright red colour Ixo chose. One day that I had a Brumm Ferrari 125 (see below) to sell, a potential buyer refused it saying that it wasn’t red, or so he said. I suppose that Brumm has good reasons to paint its 125s a brownish sort of red, while Ixo prefers to cater to “collectors” preferring legend and tales than historical accuracy – too bad. My rating is 10/20.







Model: Ferrari 125 S
Year: 1947
Event: 1947 Mille Miglia, driven by Franco Cortese, co-pilot Adelmo Marchetti (see below)
Maker: Brumm
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Brumm, ref. R182
Acquired: brand new, in March 2008, in Montpellier, France

Here Brumm gives me some problems to identify this car, along with the next one. It is presented as the Ferrari 125 S that Cortese drove at the 1947 Mille Miglia. Cortese and Marchetti indeed entered that race, but their car sported number 219. The following year, the same pair had number 10. Hooray!… except this time their car was a Ferrari 166 S. In both years they retired, so at least we get this right… Otherwise this is typical Brumm, rather simple, not very well assembled, but correct enough – nice wire wheels, among the best plastic ones. Until I can identify this car better, I’ll have to limit my rating to 9/20.









Model: Ferrari 125 S
Year: 1947
Event: 1947 Circuito di Pescara, driven by Franco Cortese (see below)
Maker: Brumm
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Brumm, ref. R183
Acquired: brand new, in March 2008, in Montpellier, France

This time, based on quality alone, a rating of 12/20 is justified.











Model: Ferrari 125 F1
Year: 1949
Event: 1949 Italian Grand Prix, driven by Alberto Ascari (finished 1st)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ixo “La Storia” series, ref. SF05/49
Acquired: brand new, in June 2008, in Manila, Philippines

Ixo included this model in its collection of Ferrari milestones “La Storia”. Having the ambition of being more exclusive than plain Ixo die-casts, La Storia models have to offer utmost quality, and in this respect this 125 F1 fulfils its promises. Ixo makes good use of photo-etched parts for the superb wire wheels and the spectacular front grille. My rating is 15/20.

Brabham BT58 to BT60

A little history

Slimy Mr. B. having successfully used the team he owned, Brabham, as a footstep in controlling the FOCA, and soon the FIA as a whole through his accomplice Max Mosley, he found himself with a useless and somewhat faltering outfit on hands and decided to pass it to a new owner. He found one in a businessman from Switzerland, Joachim Luhti.

After Brabham missed the 1988 Formula One season, the famous name was back in the paddocks for 1989 under its new management. The one-year hiatus didn’t necessarily do good to the team. Their new car, the Judd-powered BT58, was hardly competitive. Stefano Modena, who had launched his career in Formula One with Brabham two years before, was back after a one-season stunt with Eurobrun. With him was Martin Brundle. Despite a promising 3rd place in Monaco for Modena, both pilots struggled throughout the year, even to qualify. The team ended up with eight points, to split equally between its two drivers.

Even more annoying for Brabham’s future was the fact that Luhti had finished the year in jail on unrelated charges. The team’s ownership switched to a Japanese company, Middlebridge Racing, a F3000 outfit which purchased Brabham using borrowed money.

Under Middlebridge, Brabham fielded Modena alongside Swiss pilot Gregor Foitek, not necessarily the most memorable of all Formula One drivers. Foitek had ran the 1989 season for Eurobrun and Rial without qualifying even once, and was dropped after only two races in favour of David Brabham, son of founder Jack Brabham. Brabham the Younger didn’t fare better than his predecessor, Modena alone being able to score two points in the opening race with the old BT58; the newer BT59 which replaced it didn’t bring a single point.

This catastrophe of a car had nonetheless to be carried over for the first two races of 1991 as the BT59Y, now powered by a fragile Yamaha V12. The BT60Y which succeeded it was, at least, able to gather a few points: two for the returning Martin Brundle, and a single one for newcomer and near-homonymous Mark Blundle.

From the onset, Brabham’s 1992 season was to be a terrible one: short on cash, the team was running after sponsors to keep itself afloat. No new car could be designed for lack of budget, and only an updated machine, the BT60B for which the team reverted to a Judd engine, could be entered. Pilots were to be Eric Van de Poele, with one race and… fifteen non-qualifications under his belt, and Giovanna Amati, the first lady driver in Formula One since Divina Galica in the late Seventies. The choice of Amati was more a publicity stunt than a serious attempt at finding a competitive driver, and she ended up being kicked out of the team after only three races when unable to provide the promised sponsorship contracts. After giving a chance to David Brabham the year before, the team followed up by replacing Amati with the heir of another famous name of the Sixties, Damon Hill. At least the promising Hill was sometimes able to qualify the hopeless car, but scoring points was out of the question. At any rate the team didn’t even finish the season: Middlebridge proved unable to repay the loans that had been granted to it, and brought its creditors along in its fall. The whole story ended up with several jail sentences being pronounced regarding the conditions in which the money had changed hands. Unfortunately, the favourite’s stage of Brabham’s last years had been more often a tribunal than a podium.

About the model

Model: Brabham BT60B - Judd
Year: 1992
Event: 1992 Formula One Championship, driven by Eric Van de Poele (non-classified)
Maker: Minichamps
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Minichamps, limited edition
Acquired: second hand with stand and box, from a friend, in May 2006, in Manila, Philippines

Okay, there’s nothing remarkable about either Eric Van de Poele or the BT60B, but that’s just what I enjoy about this model. I can understand people having tens of Michael Schumacher’s Ferraris on their shelves, but it’s not my thing. Fortunately Minichamps is here to propose original Formula One entries in 1/43 at a fairly nice level of quality and a correct price. My rating is 14/20.

Ferrari 246

A little history

The Ferrari 246 went through some of the best and worst times for the Scuderia. After a successful 1958 season, this single-seater rapidly turned into a dinosaur during a period of rapid changes.

The 246 model was designed by two of the greatest names in Formula One history: Carlo Chiti and Vittorio Jano. While the former drew the blueprints of the chassis, the latter, who had recently joined Ferrari after the Scuderia had taken over Lancia’s racing activities, was responsible for a radically new engine. Ferrari had been viscerally attached to V12 blocks up to then. Dino Ferrari, the Commendatore’s son, insisted on the development of a V6, a revolution at Maranello. Jano, to whom should be credited the world’s first production V6 (as the Lancia Aurelia’s engine) was obviously keen to give satisfaction to his employers, and designed a 1.5-litre block with a 65° “V” answering Formula Two rules. The original idea being credited to Dino Ferrari who had prematurely died in the meantime, the decision was taken to name “Dino” all non-V12 engines assembled in Maranello.

The success of this engine during the 1957 season prompted Ferrari to develop a Formula One variant, the Tipo 143, a DOHC engine enlarged to 2.4 litres. Fed on 100/130 AvGas, this engine was rated at 280 hp, and was developed on time for the opening of the 1958 season.

Seen for years as a simple curiosity, the rear-engined Cooper didn’t make anyone laugh anymore after winning the first two Grand Prix of the season. Caught off guard in Argentina, outclassed in the twisty streets of Monte-Carlo, the front-engined Formula One re-established their supremacy afterwards. The Vanwalls driven by Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks seemed to outclass the Ferraris. Fortune also played against Ferrari, which lost two of its pilots, Luigi Musso and Peter Collins, respectively killed during the ACF and German Grand Prix. Therefore the eventual success of Mike Hawthorn, who bagged only one win but proved extremely regular throughout the year, came almost as a surprise. Moss and Brooks totalled seven victories, which was well enough to give the very first title for manufacturers attributed in Formula One to their British employer.

For the next season, Ferrari’s workhorse in Formula One remained the 246, but re-engined with another of Jano’s creations, a 2.5-litre, 60° V6. The 2.4-litre, 65° engine’s career was far from over though, as it would be the very same engine that would later equip the road-going Dino 246. During 1959, the Coopers stood one step above the Ferraris, and no one could pretend to beat Jack Brabham for the title. The 246 still proved superior on very fast circuits, winning at Rheims and at the Avus, but the fact that the Scuderia was beaten on its very own Monza track, though itself anything but a slow circuit, was a peek at things to come during the following season.

Totally outshone in 1960, the 246 was easy game for the nimble Coopers and Lotuses. Wouldn’t it be for the cunning organizers of the Italian Grand Prix who bent the rules to advantage their beloved Scuderia, and in the process caused a massive boycott by the British teams, Ferrari wouldn’t have won even a single race. The machine’s obsolescence was acknowledged by the appearance of a new 246P, built around the same engine, but now placed at the rear à la Cooper, a first for Ferrari. Richie Ginther only raced a few times at the wheel of this car, which was never fully developed – Ferrari had better things to do, preferring to concentrate on the 1961 season for which it would unveil an effective weapon: the 156.

About the models

Model: Ferrari 246 - Dino
Year: 1958
Event: 1958 Formula One Championship (see below)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Fabbri as no.18 of its Ferrari Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in November 2005, in Souillac, France

Despite the thick plastic wheels replacing the photo-etched metal ones used on genuine Ixos, this is a correct model worth 12/20.

Note: Fabbri doesn’t provide any indication regarding the event entered by this car. Pictures of Ferrari 246s during the 1958 season would help identifying this car - I have a few ones somewhere but didn’t take the time yet to look for them. Number 4 was used four times by the Scuderia during World Championship races that year: during the Dutch Grand Prix (Peter Collins, retired), the ACF Grand Prix (Mike Hawthorn, finished 1st, as die-cast makers like winners I’d bet this is the one), German Grand Prix (Wolfgang von Trips, finished 4th), and Moroccan Grand Prix (Phil Hill, finished 3rd)





Model: Ferrari 246 - Dino
Year: 1958
Event: 1958 Italian Grand Prix (see below)
Maker: Brumm
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Brumm
Acquired: brand new, in March 2008, in Montpellier, France

Brumm’s main trait isn’t necessarily the quality of its models, but rather the originality of most models among its wide range. Furthermore the Italian seems to have made its specialty of reproducing very correct wire wheels in plastic. On the other hand, the cockpit is traditionnally poorly detailed. I’d give 11/20 to this model.

Note: This model is presented as having raced in the Italian Grand Prix, but no Ferrari was given number 1 during this event. In those times, the habit was to give only even numbers to Formula One cars, though there were exceptions. During that season, a lone Ferrari 246 received number 1 during a World Championship race: this was Peter Collins’ car at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. Pictures of the original car are welcome in order to confirm this.









Model: Ferrari 246 - Dino
Year: 1959
Event: 1959 Monaco Grand Prix, driven by Tony Brooks (finished 2nd)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ixo “Ferrari” series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2008, in Manila, Philippines

A very nice “short-nose” 246. The wire wheels are superb but take care of their spinners, which are all too often badly centered. My rating is 14/20.