Maserati 420

A little history

Though a Duesenberg won a Grand Prix during the early Twenties and Indy cars’ specifications closely followed those in use in Europe for a long time, by the Fifties the motor racing scenes on both sides of the Atlantic were totally disconnected. The Indianapolis 500 race had been included by the FIA as part on the World Championship for pilots as early as a Formula One’s crown had been awarded, but to no avail.

In 1957, an attempt was made to reconcile the two drifting aspects of motor racing through the well-named “Race of Two Worlds”, held in Monza. The banked oval had just been thoroughly renovated. The similarity between this circuit and the Indy track begot the tantalizing plan of bringing over American teams, accustomed to this sort of venue, and confront them with entrants from the Old World. A tempting money prize was gathered and a trophy was crafted for the winner of a 500-mile event, ran in three heats.

During its first test an American team demonstrated speeds in excess of those reached at Indianapolis by a hefty 50 kph. Concerns about safety soon arose, and European entrants shied away. The race became a walkover for the American cars, which only real competitors were the three Jaguar D-Types brought by the Ecurie Ecosse, sportscars what were hopelessly slow in an event they were not designed for. Interest was limited for the public and the press reflected the race’s lack of gleam. However, a second Race of Two Worlds was held in 1958, and this time European teams involved themselves a little more to face the American challenge. Though Ferrari’s effort was rather improvised, Jaguar and even more Maserati were well prepared.

Thanks to the sponsoring of Eldorado, a local brand of ice-cream, Maserati was able to develop a specific car for the race. Though this 420 resembled its 250F Formula One, it was a much larger machine, sitting on the same wide Firestone tyres the American teams were using. A potent V8 engine fed with alcohol sat slightly outboard in order to offset the effect of the huge forces pushing the car outwards in the high-speed curves. Stirling Moss was to drive this custom-built monster. Despite being theorically competitive, this too-green Maserati lacked the experience of the American machines, which were used year-round and did not evolve much from one season to the next.

Qualifying no higher than eleventh, Moss nevertheless had a brilliant first heat and finished fourth – the first non-American finisher. In heat two, the Brit battled for the second place for most of the race, but didn’t finish better than fifth, though he once again had the satisfaction of being the first European. During the third and last heat, the Maserati’s steering suddenly broke as Moss was entering a curve at high speed. Out of control the car crashed into the rails, and though its pilot was fine, his race was over… and so was the career of the forgotten Maserati 420, a machine purposely built for an event that would soon die by lack of interest.

About the model

Model: Maserati 420M/58 “Eldorado”
Year: 1958
Event: 1958 Race of Two Worlds, driven by Stirling Moss (retired)
Maker: Grani & Partners
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Poligrafici as no.23 of its Maserati 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.

Though not the best press series I’ve seen in terms of quality, this Poligrafici collection, reserved to the Italian market, was extremely attractive. Its models were often original, and generally well done. I’ll give a 12/20 rating to this one.

Maserati 8CTF

A little history

Between 1934 and 1937, Grand Prix were run with no other limit than weight. This gave birth to such monsters as the Mercedes-Benz and the Auto Union, which crushed all of their rivals. The switch to a new formula for 1938 (4.5 litre normally aspirated, 3 litres supercharged) gave hopes to some that the German teams’ invincibility could come to an end. Maserati was among those, and prepared a new machine, the 8CTF, of which three chassis were built. This optimism was short-lived though, as both Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union proved able to dominate the new formula as they had done with the old.

An unexpected success awaited the 8CTF nonetheless. The third chassis was sold to the U.S., and the two ex-works cars soon followed the same way after the Maserati factory lost all interest in them. In 1939, Wilbur Shaw won his second Indianapolis 500 with an 8CTF and, even better, renewed his victory during the next edition of the race. In 1941, he had to retire, but was then again leading the race. The three Maseratis suddenly became very popular among American drivers. Actually, the very last 8CTF to appear on the paved oval was an ex-works car which unsuccessfully tried to qualify in… 1954! Most late entries had been re-equipped with 4.5-litre Offenhauser engines, replacing the original 3-litre Maserati. Hard to believe nowadays as any car winning a major event is immediately sent to a museum, Shaw’s double-winning car was entered eight times at Indianapolis until 1950!

About the model

Model: Maserati 8CTF “Boyle Special”
Year: 1939
Event: 1939 Indianapolis 500, driven by Wilbur Shaw (overall winner)
Maker: Grani & Partners
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Poligrafici as no.13 of its Maserati 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.

This model was part of an Italian press series and, as most Grani & Partners products, its quality is more than acceptable. The plastic wire wheels and front grille are as good as can be, only photo-etched parts could possibly be better. Too bad these models are so hard to find for non-Italian collectors. My rating is 12/20.

Fiat 128

A little history

By 1969, the Fiat 1100 was a dated automobile, tracing its ancestry back to 1953, and even as far back as 1937 for its engine. The car was still successful in its native Italy, but the gradual opening of foreign markets to competition meant Fiat needed a much modern offer. In its 128 model, the company found just that.

The conventional layout of the 1100 was forgotten, and replaced by bold solutions. The 128’s engine, a brand new SOHC 1.1-litre four largely employing light alloys for its construction, was placed transversally and drove the front wheels. The gearbox could be squeezed into the front compartment thanks to the use of unequal-length drive shafts, shortening the bonnet and allowing for a roomier passenger compartment. With its four wheels pushed to each corner, its rather low centre of gravity and its peppy engine, the 128 was a joy to drive. And should you need to stop, it had brakes to match.

Fiat’s package was so good that it’s almost no surprise that the 128 received the European Car of the Year award in 1970. Sales were skyrocketing, not only on the home market but also abroad. Though the 128 proved not immune to the quality concerns encountered by all Italian cars of the era, its buyers still were amply satisfied with their purchase. Initially offered from March 1969 in three body types (two- and four-door saloons, two-door estate), the 128 range was joined by new models over time. In 1971, a 1.3-litre “Rally” was introduced, along with a splendid fastback coupe as only Italians seem able to make. Three years later, the “Special” introduced the Rally engine to a less sporty range. In 1975, the original coupe was replaced by the “Berlinetta”, again featuring a body unrelated to the saloon, which was roughly similar to its predecessor but had a more squarish look and a practical hatchback. In the meantime, part of the 128’s drivetrain had been borrowed by the radical X1/9 coupe.

The introduction of the Ritmo in 1978 didn’t bring the 128’s retirement, but meant nonetheless that the car now had a competitor from within. The 128 was kept in Fiat’s range as a cheaper alternative to the Ritmo, retaining only the 1.1-litre engine from 1979. Sales of the old car were helped by the controversial styling of its successor, which led many customers to stick to the then-conventional design of the 128. To satisfy such a demand, the car was built until 1985, bringing the final production count to 3.1 millions.

In addition to the 128s built in Italy, and to those assembled by the many foreign plants belonging to Fiat, Spanish company Seat offered both the saloon and the coupe, while Zastava from Yugoslavia not only produced the saloon and the estate, but also added a locally-designed hatchback saloon that enjoyed a lasting success in the whole of Europe. Revamped and renamed Skala, the Zastava version of the 128 is still built today, forty years after the original car has been introduced.

About the models

Model: Fiat 128
Year: c.1972
Maker: Grani & Partners
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: De Agostini as no.15 of its Carabinieri press series
Acquired: second hand with neither box nor stand, offered by a friend and fellow collector in August 2008, in Manila, Philippines

This model is surprisingly good for a press series release: it is perfectly proportioned, detailed and nicely decorated. In my opinion, well worth 14/20.





Model: Seat 128
Year: 1977
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.37 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.

Altaya’s Spanish collection of classic road cars logically included many Seat models. This provided Ixo with an excuse to produce this elegant Seat 128 coupe, the equivalent of the Italian Fiat 128 Berlinetta. Nothing particularly graceful about the dark green paint, but this model’s quality is nonetheless undeniable: 13/20.

Alfa Romeo 2000 and 2600

A little history

As its first “mass-produced” automobile, the 1900 model, was nearing its retirement during the second half of the Fifties, Alfa Romeo decided to launch a brand new car in order to replace it: the 2000.

Introduced in 1958, the 2000 Berlina (2.0-litre four, 105 hp) was more of a family saloon than a pure Italian thoroughbred. Though not entirely succumbing to the then-fashionable American-inspired design, its finned rear quarters looked quite much the British Ford Consul/Zephyr’s one, and its wheel-mounted gear lever wasn’t exactly sporty. Nonetheless provisions were made for a performance-oriented derivative, the 2000 Spider, which design and construction were subcontracted to Touring. Using the 1900 Super Sprint’s floorpan, the Spider was a strict two-seater in which the 5-speed gearbox of the Berlina, this time commanded through a floor-mounted stick, and the engine, pushed to 115 hp thanks to a second carburettor, gave the full measure of their capacities. In addition, a splendid coupe, the Sprint, was added in 1960. It had been penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro, a promising young employee from Bertone, and was being built at this designer’s facilities.

From the very start of its production the 2000 suffered from a high price tag and controversial styling. The Berlina’s design was subject to much debate, while for the Spider, Touring had done nothing more than drawing a larger version of the 1.3-litre Giulietta Spider – it certainly looked like a Ferrari in reduction (talented indeed, Italian designers often lacked originality) but Alfa customers certainly wanted to save piles of lire by going for its smaller sister. The Sprint was seen as the only winner in Alfa’s flagship range, and sales quickly reflected this, the saloon being outsold by the coupe as soon as the latter was introduced, a rare occurrence.

At the 1962 Geneva motor show, Alfa Romeo reacted… but not necessarily the way most people expected. The car’s styling was left virtually unchanged, but its 2.0-litre four was replaced by an even more potent 2.6-litre inline six. A brilliant engine, it was entirely made of light alloy, and featured twin overhead camshafts, a traditional design of many past Alfas that won the hearts of numerous fans from the Milanese company. Fed by two carburettors, the 2600 Berlina could rely on 130 hp, while the Sprint and Spider had a bank of no less than three twin-barrel carbs, able to pull 145 hp out of the engine. The car promised good performance but, alas, no improvement regarding road-holding had been made over the 2000, and consequently the 2600 proved unable to cope with the extra power. As a result, sales remained slow. The Sprint coupe now outsold the ill-stared Berlina by 3.5 to 1, and even the exclusive Spider outpaced the saloon. Zagato gave a try at the 2600, designing an amazing “SZ” coupe, while OSI put a 2600 De Luxe saloon on the market. The latter can largely be considered a four-door version of the good-looking Sprint coupe, and the fact that a coachbuilder produced a special saloon version instead of the traditional coupes and convertibles just shows how hapless the factory Berlina was.

By then Alfa Romeo had given up all hopes in its upper-range model, preferring to concentrate all of its efforts on the successful mid-range Giulia. The 2600 lingered until 1968, without finding any real successor apart from the smaller 1750, an enlarged Giulia. Its real heir would be launched a decade later: the Alfa 6, which would prove a complete disaster. After all, Alfa Romeo is perhaps better suited for sporty cars than luxury ones.

About the model

Model: Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint
Year: 1964
Maker: Grani & Partners
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: unidentified Italian press series
Acquired: brand new, in February 2008, in Manila, Philippines

Not surprisingly the Sprint seems to be the 2000/2600 model that attracted the largest part of the die-cast industry's attention. This example is fine enough for a press release. The original car is beautiful, and the model reproducing it in scale, though no masterpiece, is well up to the job. My rating is 13/20.