CG 1300

A little history

Chappe et Gessalin, otherwise known simply as “CG”, used to build bodies for DB, then Alpine in their little Brie-Comte-Robert factory. During the Sixties, they capitalized on their experience to try to emulate their former customer Alpine. Though their little sports car somewhat looks like an A110 up front, CG relied on Simca mechanical components, unlike the Renault ones used by rival Alpine. CGs were built until 1974, failing both on the road and on the track to equal their model, although their nimble car was a rather good one and is fondly remembered by Simca aficionados today.

(This car’s history will be expanded in due time, please be patient.)

About the model

Model: CG 1300
Year: 1973
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.7 of its Les Belles Années Simca press series
Acquired: second hand with stand and box, in October 2007, through mail from a fellow collector from Rouziers de Touraine, France

Ixo didn’t only please the amateurs of original cars by offering them a CG die-cast, it also gave them quality. The rear lights look a little bit unrealistic and that's a pity, for the rest of the car is simply beautiful. My rating would be 13/20.

Alfa Romeo 6C-2500 and 8C-2900

A little history

By the mid-Thirties Alfa Romeo had became one of the most famous automobile manufacturers in the world: its cars were victorious on the track, and very exclusive on the market.

Just before World War Two, two ranges, both designed by famed engineer Vittorio Jano and closely intertwined with the company’s racing cars, were offered to the public. The most prestigious was the 8C, a powerful 8-cylinder car which, since 1936, was powered by a 2.9-litre engine. Originally based on the “Tipo B” Grand Prix racer, the 8C-2900 offered high-end performance combined with the most graceful bodies. This extremely attractive package came with a price, though, and consequently only 30 8C-2900 were ever built until the war. Production wasn’t resumed after peace was re-established.

Designed as a (slightly) cheaper alternative to the 8C, the 6C was a 6-cylinder machine, equipped with a 2.5-litre engine starting in model year 1938. 6Cs were generally equally elegant than the bigger 8Cs, but weren’t performance-aimed. Hand-built as the 8C was, the 6C saw 680 built until 1952 – still an extremely limited production run. Its successor, the 1900, was designed to be mass-produced, but despite this Alfa Romeos would be able to preserve this “exclusive” image of them for many more years to come.

About the models

Model: Alfa Romeo 6C-2500
Year: c.1938
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Solido, "Sixties" series
Acquired: second hand with stand and box, in May 2006, in Manila, Philippines

Nice enough reproduction, though rather old and apparently not available since some times now, of an Alfa 6C by Solido. Its main flaw is the assembly of the various metal parts forming its body, which aren't adjusted well enough to be discreet. My rating is 12/20.





Model: Alfa Romeo 6C-2500, body by Touring
Year: 1939
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.36 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France

A nice reproduction from an original car, this die-cast is yet predictable, lacking refinement in many parts and notably in its wire wheels, as it is the tradition for Ixo's press release versions of its models. My rating is 12/20.









Model: Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B, body by Touring
Year: 1938
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.5 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2006, in Souillac, France

This early release from Altaya's Voitures classiques series announced many more beautiful models to come. Obviously there's again the wire wheels issue which brings the rating a little down, but otherwise this model is splendid. I'd give 14/20 to it.









Model: Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B, body by Touring
Year: 1938
Event: 1938 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Raymond Sommer and Clemente Biondetti (retired)
Maker: Minichamps
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Minichamps, "Le Glorie della Alfa Romeo" series
Acquired: brand new, in September 2007, in Manila, Philippines

Perfect is the simple word to describe Minichamps’ model of the lone aerodynamic coupe designed by Touring for the Le Mans 24-Hour race. Worth every penny spent for it: 17/20.

Lancia LC2 - Ferrari

A little history

The introduction of Group C regulations condemned the Lancia LC1 spyders, as the new rules, introduced in 1982 and strictly enforced in 1983, pushed aside both open spyders and cars not meeting certain fuel consumption requirements. The LC1 didn’t comply to either of these – enter the LC2.

Teamwork was the keyword in the LC2’s development, which started during the summer of 1982. While the chassis was developed by Dallara, the engine was borrowed from Ferrari (another member of the Fiat group), with Abarth fine-tuning both. The gearbox was a very plain Hewland, which was known not to provide much trouble. The chosen 3.0-litre V8 saw its capacity reduced to 2.6-litre, while twin turbochargers guaranteed 650 hp – Porsche having announced outputs in the vicinity of 580 hp for its 956, the LC2 seemed the car to beat for 1983.

Early in February 1983, Lancia unveiled its prototype in Pessione, near Turin, choosing as its stage the Martini museum – obviously not a coincidence, as Martini, after having been connected for years with Porsche, was now supporting Lancia. Unfortunately, the LC2 didn’t keep up its promises. A fast car, it was able to outpace the Porsches in practice, only to fall out of the races due to mechanical problems. Not only the Ferrari engines were prone to overheating, the Pirelli tyres didn’t last long – quite embarrassing in endurance racing. Pirelli became the source of more problems in the midst of the season when, also having to provide tyres for Formula One and rally racing, the Italian company decided to give up sportscar races. Dunlop saved the day for Lancia, but its crossplies were totally incompatible with the LC2. The new tyres were more durable though, which allowed Lancia to win the Imola 1000 km late in the season, beating all the private Porsches – the works cars were absent.

Using the Dunlop efficiently required a complete redesign of the suspensions, which was carried out during the winter of 1983-84. Many minor modifications were also introduced to the 1984 cars. Expectations were even higher than, but as short-lived as in 1983. Sheer problems caused by brand new wheels forced Lancia to revert to its previous year’s wheels. As pre-season tests had been entirely conducted with the new wheels, the car’s behaviour suffered. Despite better overall performances and the introduction at Le Mans of a larger 3.0-litre engine good for a staggering 830 hp, the LC2-84s still lagged behind the Porsche, or more exactly led their rivals until various problems pushed them down in the rankings. Skipping some races at the end of the season, Lancia succeeded in placing its cars in the first two spots at Kyalami – but most teams had boycotted the event due to the political situation in South Africa at the time.

Much effort was put into developing the LC2 even further for 1985. Now ridding on good Michelin tyres, the LC2-85s proved even faster – but their reliability was still the cause of consternation. Though scoring five pole positions, the indication of a true potential, the LC2-85s were still behind the Porsche at the finishing line – that is, until Spa, where a tragic occurrence, Stefan Bellof’s accidental death, brought an abrupt end to the race and allowed the Lancias, which were then running in first and second places, to score their very first victory over the works Porsches. Euphoria, providing that there was to rejoice considering the circumstances of the win, didn’t last long, as during the next race in Brands Hatch, the two Italian cars made a pitiful demonstration, colliding with each other at Druids when victory was at hand. Once again, the season was shortened for the unfortunate team.

While most people thought Martini would draw the curtain on the LC2, a lone car made a surprise come-back early in 1986. Despite a second place in a sprint race, all last hopes were soon given up. Privateers carried on with the LC2 until as late as 1991, but with more limited resources and an ageing car unsurprisingly didn’t fare better than the Martini Team had.

About the model

Model: Lancia LC2-85 - Ferrari
Year: 1985
Event: 1985 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Bob Wollek, Alessandro Nannini and Lucio Cesario (finished 6th)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.25 of its Les monstres sacrés de l'endurance press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2007, in Souillac, France

Ixo did a valuable job in reproducing the Lancia LC2, but since European legislators have unfortunately passed anti-everything laws, couldn't place "Martini" decals on its model. Apart from this sad detail, this die-cast is well worth 13/20.

Jeepney

A little history

The vehicle that was to become a Philippine icon started out as a hard times necessity. World War Two having almost entirely wiped out any form of public transportation throughout the archipelago, Filipinos had to do with the surplus jeeps the American troops had released into the local market, rather than bringing them all back home after the end of the conflict. Equipped with a metal roof to protect its passengers from the unforgiving tropical sun, fitted with all sorts of metal decorations and painted in bright colours, the typical jeepney was born.

By the time the original Willys-based jeepneys started to wear out, they were so embroiled into the Philippine landscape that these improvised vehicles simply couldn’t disappear anymore. Instead, they gave way to locally made versions, always bigger in order to accommodate an ever-increasing number of passengers keen of cheap but extremely spartan transportation. No longer related to American jeeps, these later versions were equipped with second-hand Japanese parts, engines generally being diesels, fitted into hand-made bodies. They still form the bulk of public transportation throughout the Philippines, though demands for environment-friendlier vehicles now add a few question marks to their future.

About the model

Model: Jeepney
Year: 1980
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.14 of its Taxis du Monde press series
Acquired: second hand with mismatched stand and box, in October 2007, through mail from a fellow collector from Rouziers de Touraine, France

Ixo seems to have been the only company of international repute to have been interested in reproducing a jeepney. Though it sells a version under its own name, many collectors seem to have a preference for its Altaya equivalent, painted in bright orange colour (as far as I remember the “true” Ixo is blue). Jeepneys being, by essence, one-off cars, it is difficult to evaluate this model’s faithfulness to the original. Nonetheless, a few blameworthy details must be pointed out, most notably the modern commercial registration plate, which doesn’t fit the announced date; and the indication of the route followed by the vehicle, typically painted on each side and curiously absent here. Furthermore, the spare tyre, located on the roof, would have probably looked better behind the front left wing, blocking the access to the driver’s seat. Despite these drawbacks, Ixo have seized much of the jeepney’s spirit, and that’s already good enough: 12/20.

Note that, as the model went loose inside its non-original box after being shipped by its original owner, several small parts have been broken, including the side mirrors. Still not repaired to this day, they are absent on the following pictures.

Bugatti Type 46 and Type 50

A little history

The Type 46 and its variant the Type 50 were the largest Bugattis ever made, apart for the gigantic Type 41 “Royale” obviously.

Launched in 1929, the T46 was a heavy car – most models, depending on the body fitted, weighed around a ton and a half – powered by a large 5.4-litre straight eight with a single overhead camshaft. A 140 bhp output was probably too little to propel the hefty coupes and saloons built on the T46’s chassis, so Bugatti introduced a more potent version, the T46S, one year later. Despite a Roots compressor, the engine could still do no better than 160 bhp.

In order to provide the car with the performances Bugatti customers were expecting, the Molsheim company launched the T50 in 1931. Though its engine was smaller – at 5.0-litre still – a squarer bore/stroke ratio, a double overhead camshaft and a standard compressor enabled it to boast a then impressive 225 bhp. Performances were predictably good, but this came with a price – quite literally, as many Bugatti customers couldn’t afford the towering price tag. Only about 65 were ever built until the model retired, along with its “smaller” sister the T46, to be both replaced by the more reasonable T57.

About the model

Model: Bugatti T50 Profilée
Year: 1932
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.35 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France

Altaya chose to have Ixo reproduce the famous “Profilée” coupe, with its rakish windshield. If I’m not mistaking it was one of Jean Bugatti’s earliest designs, and quite a promising one, though the body was more elegant than truly aerodynamic as it was intended to be. The wings, moulded out of plastic, feel a little light, but the rest of the car is quite nicely reproduced, deserving a 14/20.

Pegaso Z-102

A little history

For a time during the Fifties, Spain had its own prestigious GT, the Pegaso Z-102. Its manufacturer had only built trucks previous to its launch in 1951, and again after its demise seven years later, until it was finally taken over by Iveco in 1994.

Designed by Wilfredo Ricart, the Z-102 targeted the same market as did Ferrari, whose founder Ricart had a long rivalry with. For its supercar, Pegaso built its own engine, an all-alloy 2.8-litre V8, coupled to 5-speed gearbox. Though base models boasted a 175 hp output, various options, including a supercharger, could push this figure up as high as 360 hp. This latter version briefly made the Pegaso the fastest production car in the world, reaching close to 245 kph during the autumn of 1953. Nevertheless, Pegasos were found heavy and tricky to drive, which, along with their extremely high price, limited their total production to 86.

(This car’s history will be expanded in due time, please be patient.)

About the model

Model: Pegaso Z-102
Year: 1952
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.73 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France

This time Altaya didn’t even put a French registration onto its Touring-bodied Pegaso coupe, taken straight from its Spanish series Nuestros queridos coches as we have already seen regarding several other models. So a collection which ambition was to present popular French cars of the Fifties and Sixties ended up with Eighties models and a Pegaso registered in Andorra... Well, don't be too narrow-minded and this model will be a pleasant surprise, though the wire wheels, as it is customary for press release versions of Ixo models, are rather simplified, unfortunately. Still, this original model is worth 13/20.