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.

Nissan Teana

A little history

The Teana took the place of the Cefiro as Nissan’s upper middle-range offer in 2003, though the older name was retained for the new car on some export markets. Base engine was still a 2.0-litre four, but the 3.0-litre V6 used by the previous Brougham VIP gave way to a larger 3.5-litre on the new luxurious 350JM. A rather conventional car, the Teana was only available as a large saloon, mostly sold in Asia and Australasia.

The first-generation Teana had a rather short career, being discontinued in 2008 after an early 2005 facelift. A new Teana, graced with a similar styling, powered by identical engines but built on a brand-new platform, succeeded it and is still currently produced.

About the model

Model: Nissan Teana
Year: c.2003
Maker: Autorozza
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: unknown
Acquired: brand new, in February 2007, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

A superb model apparently produced for the promotion of the Teana. All details are splendid, both inside and outside. The same can be said of the gorgeous blue paint. My rating is 16/20.

Lagonda LG6

A little history

This little manufacturer from the Middlesex town of Staines already had a long history when it released its LG6, having been founded by American entrepreneur Wilbur Gunn as early as in 1906. Today is still attached to it the image of yet another brand of typical tourers, made to travel around the countryside with its top down whatever the weather can be, with a moustached, retired British Army colonel proudly sitting behind the wheel of his machine. Though not untrue, Lagonda nevertheless made a difference by being reasonably innovative in a very conservative British automotive landscape.

The worst and the best in Lagonda’s history came in 1935. That year, the little factory both was placed in receivership and recorded its greatest racing success ever, a (lucky) victory at the prestigious Le Mans 24 hours, a feat we’ll discuss another time. Regarding its troubles, a saviour appeared in the guise of a certain Alan Good, who purchased the company and restored its financial buoyancy. Good then attracted a well-known engineer to Staines: no less than W.O. Bentley himself. Working for the company bearing his name after he was forced to sell it to Rolls-Royce was apparently unsatisfactory, and Bentley was glad to undertake the design of the next Lagonda.

The company’s flagship was then the M45. With a six-cylinder, 4.5-litre block – hence the name – provided by Meadows as Lagonda purchased most of its engines from independent suppliers, the standard M45 could reach about 150 kph, not a bad performance at that time. Those asking for more could order the Rapide, a tuned up, shortened version of the M45. Bentley soon revamped the line into the LG45, but a brand new car had to wait a little more.

Lagonda’s management gave the go-ahead for the release of the new LG6, the successor of the LG45, in 1937. The car was ready on time to be introduced at Earl’s Court during the London motor show, alongside a prestigious yet closely-related V12 model. The 4.5-litre engine of the M45 and LG45 was retained, though it enjoyed such refinements as a twin ignition system: spark plugs being regularly faulty in those days, two of them were mounted on each cylinder. The chassis was also reworked. A torsion bar system provided an independent suspension at the front, while the brakes were now applied through a hydraulic system by Girling. With two carburettors and 140 bhp, the standard models’ performances remained interesting, but the Rapide version, though carried over, appeared heavier and tamer than its previous incarnations.

The career of this interesting car was interrupted in 1940. Though production on a limited scale was maintained during the first months of the war, building exclusive automobiles while the country’s defense requested the gathering of all of its resources in order to win the Battle of England soon proved pointless.

Though the Staines factory resumed production after the conflict, by 1947 it was purchased by David Brown, the agricultural appliances’ magnate who had just acquired Aston Martin. Though Lagondas were built for some time more, they were soon sacrificed in order to concentrate on Aston Martins. Though inevitable at the time, it surely was a mistake on the long run, as can be asserted by the many attempts by Aston Martin to revive the Lagonda name since then.

About the model

Model: Lagonda LG6 Drophead Coupe
Year: 1938
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.22 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2006, in Souillac, France

Altaya proposed this magnificent LG6 in its Voitures classiques series. In my opinion, this certainly was one of the best models released in this collection: elegant car, nice details, good paint job. My rating is 15/20.

Dallara SP1

A little history

Though Dallara is better known for its open-wheel racers, it has had a long involvement in sportscar racing, albeit screened by more prestigious names. Actually, Dallara was responsible for the development of the Lancia LC1 and LC2’s chassis during the early Eighties and, later, designed the chassis of the Ferrari 333 SP, the Toyota GT-One and the all-conquering Audi R8, no less!

Shortly after the beginning of the new millennium, Dallara decided to put such an experience to good use by designing its very own prototype, the SP1. Nevertheless, during development the Italian company was approached by Chrysler, which requested from it the design of yet another sportscar’s chassis. The Dallara SP1 became at this point the Chrysler LMP. Racing debut was in 2001 and, despite some problems with reliability, a rather normal issue for a new car in endurance races, a Chrysler LMP was able to grasp a fourth place during its first Le Mans 24 hours. Though this was no small feat, modern motor racing is unfortunately the thing of financiers who don’t understand much of the sport. Therefore, Chrysler estimated that not winning everything from their very first race wasn’t worth their involvement, and withdrew at the end of the season.

This left Dallara with several unused LMP chassis, while the French team Oreca, which had been a Chrysler partner for a long time and had collaborated on the Viper and LMP programs, remained without a car to run in 2002. A solution was easy to find: Oreca took over the three cars, which name reverted to Dallara SP1 (though I also often read Dallara LMP, an understandable confusion) and continued their development. The Chrysler engines were replaced by much-tested Judds, and Oreca was ready to face the competition for the 2002 season. Its cars performed well throughout the year and took the fifth and sixth place at Le Mans. Another car was shipped across the Atlantic to Doran Racing, and won the prestigious Daytona 24 hours. From 2003 though, successes became scarce. Oreca had retired their own racers. Development of the car was now at a standstill, except for the vain efforts of the British team Rollcentre Racing which tried to improve the two chassis it raced in 2004-2005. For 2006, regulations were changed, and making the ageing cars legal for the coming season was unreasonably onerous. The end has come for the SP1.

About the models

Model: Oreca-Dallara LMP02 - Judd
Year: 2002
Event: 2002 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Olivier Beretta, Eric Comas and Pedro Lamy (finished 5th overall)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.22 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in July 2004, in Souillac, France

A very correct model of a Dallara sportscar as raced by Oreca under the "LMP02" name. My rating is 13/20.









Model: Dallara SP1 - Judd
Year: 2004
Event: 2004 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Martin Short, Rob Barff and João Barbosa (retired)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.64 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Souillac, France

Same 13/20 for this later SP1 ran by Rollcentre.

Berliet 770 KE

A little history

Before concentrating on trucks and buses Berliet had been an automobile pioneer, building its very first car as early as 1895. Under the guidance of its founder Marius Berliet, this factory from Lyons would soon become a major producer in France, and an important exporter abroad. By the early 20th century, Berliet was building a diversified range of automobiles, had entered motor racing, had launched its first bus, and had extended its activities to the U.S. where its models were constructed under licence by Alco. Trucks would soon follow, the very first one being produced in 1910.

World War One obviously – and, somehow, sadly – boosted Berliet’s activities. Above all models, its new CBA truck was of major interest for the French army. To fulfil the large contracts signed, Berliet built a new, state-of-the-art factory in Vénissieux, which employed more than three thousand workers.

Such a large industrial potential would inevitably remain underused after the restoration of peace. The poor economic conditions didn’t help, and despite the fact that it retained its rank as a major French truck manufacturer Berliet’s financial situation deteriorated by the early Twenties. Nonetheless, it survived, though its automobile production became more and more confidential. Its very last model, the large Dauphine saloon, was nothing more than a Peugeot 402 fitted with a different, more conventional and, actually, very American-looking front end. Launched in early 1939, the Dauphine sold two hundred copies before World War Two interrupted its production. This new martial interlude gave Berliet’s automobile activities its final blow. On the other hand, truck production never stopped during the conflict, Berliet developing a series of vehicles using wood-fired engines, as gasoline was in short supply.

After 1945, the production of commercial vehicles was a priority, so Berliet’s future seemed bright. The Fifties and Sixties were indeed a golden age. It was also a time for innovation. Among others, Berliet introduced turbocharged diesel engines in its trucks, fitted a central-mounted horizontal engine under the floor of its buses, and designed a cabover truck with one of the first sleeping compartments. In 1957, thirty years of involvement in the French colonial empire were crowned by the launch of the T100, intended for the exploitation of the newly-discovered oil in the Sahara desert. At more than one hundred tons, riding on specially-designed tyres 2.4 metres tall, the T100 was nothing less than the largest truck in the world (see a picture here and a later variant here with a 1/43 model of this monster). Finally, in 1965 Berliet released the Stradair, a striking truck looking like nothing else on the road. During this time, sheer commercial success was encountered both on the civilian (GLC then GAK cabover) and military (Gazelle) markets.

Such achievements attracted the attention of Citroën. The Javel company was appearing then to be on a steep ascending path: continuing success of the DS, 2CV and Ami ranges, and soon takeover of Maserati and alliance with Fiat. Citroën was also a producer of light and medium trucks, and decided to extend its production to heavy commercial vehicles by purchasing Berliet, which was done in 1967, ending more than seven decades of independence for the Lyons manufacturer. Despite this change of ownership Berliet retained its identity – the company was keen to innovate, and so was Citroën, making the two an ideal pair. Another advanced design to appear during these years was the PR100 city bus. A very modern vehicle when launched in 1971, it equipped a majority of French cities and was widely exported or produced abroad, sometimes in rather surprising countries as in communist Poland and in faraway Australia.

What finally doomed Berliet wasn’t a restriction of its autonomy by Citroën, but the poor financial health of its new owner. In 1974, Citroën was nearly bankrupt. It was now the turn of Michelin, which had saved the company back in 1934 by purchasing it from André Citroën, to sell it to Peugeot, while Berliet and its 24,000 employees were separated from the rest of the conglomerate and taken over by Renault. The latter company already owned Saviem, and though both factories retained their identities at first, rationalization was on the way. In 1978, Renault Véhicules Industriels or R.V.I. was created to cap the manufacture of all commercial vehicles and, two years later, the Berliet and Saviem nameplates definitely gave way to Renault.

About the model

Model: Berliet CAM 770 KEH-C74 Camiva combined with EPA 30 ladder
Year: c.1971
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/50 (that’s what’s commonly said, but I doubt it and would think it is perhaps 1/55 instead)
Distributed by: Hachette as no.1 of its Sapeurs Pompiers de France press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2008, in Brive, France

I do not have much information about this particular model. Solido released its scale model versions of the Berliet KE fire truck in 1973, while the Camiva branch, which took care of Berliet’s production of fire trucks, was formed in 1971, so it’s reasonable to date the 1:1 truck from between these two dates. As an old model this die-cast is accurate, but extremely simple to modern standards. The ladder is articulated and can be extended. I’ll give 11/20 to this model.

Ferrari-Corvette: strange breed

Trying to answer the question our friend Tohmé asked about the combination of a Ferrari chassis with a Chevrolet Corvette engine, I gathered all the information I could in a reasonable amount of time, only to find that this was still too bulky to be posted in the Austin FX4 page's "comments" section. So I decided to make a separate post on this topic.

I had in mind that most of these strange machines came from California. I was surprised to see that actually, the majority raced in Brazil, which "carretera" races I had forgotten. So, Tohmé, you couldn't be better located to find more information about some of these cars, and I hope you'll share with us what you find! ;) Obviously, being "specials", there's no guarantee that most of these machines, though using Corvette engines and Ferrari chassis, even looked like the original Maranello thoroughbred. American and Australian cars on the other hand were genuine Ferraris re-engined with Chevrolet blocks. I found only little information about the exact model of the original machines, but I bet most were Testa Rossas, a model which was rather common (is it the correct word for such a car?) in American national races at that time.

Okay, so to start with, here are the Ferrari-Corvettes I found in my data. Unfortunately I possibly missed a few ones.

Brazil

Celso Lara Barberis & Ruggero Peruzzo
Drove an undetermined "special" to victory in the 1957 Interlagos 500 km. This car is said to have had a Corvette engine on either a Ferrari or Maserati chassis.

Fritz d'Orey
The following 1958 edition of the Interlagos 500 km was won by a Ferrari-Corvette, with this time no doubt about its exact identity. That has to be only d'Orey's major success of the season as he won the Brazilian championship that year. He then embarked on an unrewarding international career - most I remember about d'Orey is a very heavy shunt during practice for the 1960 Le Mans, which saw him bedridden for something as four months afterwards.

Chico Landi
Unlike Fritz d'Orey, Chico Landi didn't have much to prove by 1958, when he entered a Ferrari-Corvette in the very same Interlagos 500 km, finishing 5th. Later that year, Landi raced at the Mil Milhas Brasileiras, teaming with José Gimenez Lopes (car unknown, but I'd bet for this Ferrari-Corvette - they finished 2nd). Landi also won at Barra da Tijuca. Two years later he relieved Nivola on their way to a second place at the Interlagos 500 km with either the same car or a similar one. Considering Landi's fame that should be easy to find more information and pictures.

Pascoal Nastromagario
A Ferrari-Corvette was really the car to drive at the 1958 Interlagos 500 km as Nastromagario also had one. He finished 4th.

Ciro Cayres
Cayres had a great 1960 season with a Ferrari-Chevrolet, winning at Interlagos, at Brasília (not much of the city yet raised from the ground back then, I suppose) and at the Campeonado Paulista. In January 1961, he won at Interlagos and at the Torneio Sul Americano (the latter race with a "Ferrari-Corvette", which obviously is the same machine) before turning to touring cars and the works Simca team.

Antônio Carlos Aguiar
Aguiar drove a Ferrari-Corvette to 3rd place during the 1962 Interlagos 500 km.

Argentine

If Brazil had them, then Argentine should too.

José Froilán González
The main Argentine driver of Ferrari-Corvettes was no less than González himself. After retiring from Formula One, he raced for a few more years around South America with his private machine. The results I have include: in 1957, Argentinas 500 Millas; in 1958, Buenos Aires GP (6th), Argentinas 500 Millas (1st), Rafaela 500 Millas (1st), Interlagos (1st), Torneio Triangular (1st); in 1959, Argentinas 500 Millas (1st), Rafaela 500 Millas (1st); in 1960, Buenos Aires GP (retired), Montevideo (1st), Torneio Triangular (1st), and another race in Buenos Aires (1st). Certainly the most successful of all Ferrari-Corvettes!

Alberto Rodriguez-Larreta
Perhaps because I'm not a South American, what I remember most about Rodriguez-Larreta is his lone entry in Formula One (1960 Argentine GP, at a time when any local boy could race) and his inclusion in the Argentine IKA team heading for the grand touring car race at Spa a few years later (this event under the nickname "Larry"). Well, actually he also drove a Ferrari-Corvette, finishing 2nd in the 1961 Argentinas 500 Millas.

Uruguay

Albérico Passadore
Won the 1961 Primavera GP with a Ferrari-Chevrolet.

United States

Louis Yates
Yates replaced his previous Porsche by a Ferrari-Chevrolet early in 1957. This car has been entered in Palm Springs (as a "Ferrari Mondial-Chevrolet"), in Pomona (as a "Ferrari-Corvette") then in Palm Springs again and Riverside ("Ferrari 500" with no mention of its engine).

Jocko Maggiacomo
Drove a Ferrari-Corvette to 11th place at Lime Rock in 1959. Interestingly that guy reached Nascar twenty years later.

James Place
Entered the 1960 Riverside Grand Prix with a Ferrari-Chevrolet. This car possibly was a 500TR.

Chuck Nervine
Didn't reach the finishing line at Pensacola in 1963 at the wheel of a Ferrari-Corvette.

Bob Ward
He too retired his Ferrari-Chevrolet, but this time it took place at Augusta in 1964.

Australia

Curley Brydon
Brydon was 5th in the 1958 Australian Grand Prix with a Ferrari-Corvette.

This concludes my little compilation which, once again, is rather fragmentary. On the course of making this search I also made a list for Corvette-powered Maseratis, Jaguars and Mercedes, along with a few even stranger machines. Should anyone be interested, just let me know and I'll add them in a further post.