Olds' Futuramic coupe swooped its way toward the 1950s ... Post-WWII cars have their own charm and simplicity, yet even by 1949 General Motors was trying to get a little swoopy with their 2-doors, plus adding muscle. Plus at Oldsmobile the Rocket 88 was a name that launched the Greatest Generation into their growing family... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: NEO’s 1960 Ford Thunderbird
1960 Thunderbird convertible still stylish after all these years … Long before Ford’s Thunderbird grew into a full-size luxury coupe with long hood and monstrous dimensions, it was a cool sportster, first a two-seater, then a four-seater. From its launch as a 1955 through the end of its second generation model, 1960, the T-bird was... Continue Reading →
Diecast: NEO’s 1956 DeSoto Firedome
Pink DeSoto Firedome will light up a display case … Pink was a hot color in the 1950s. Think Florida, think flamingos, think the Latin influence of Cuba and Desi and Lucy. Two-tone cars also were all the rage as the nation climbed out of the gloomy war years into the bustling 1950s. So, a... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Brumm Mercedes W196 and Ferrari 500F2
Brumm's latest among its greatest 1/43 releases … Italy’s Brumm excels at making sharp-looking vintage racers in 1/43 scale at an affordable price. These are fine collectables because they come handsomely packaged, easily stackable, and nicely detailed, often for less than $45. Last issue we told you of the 50th Anniversary release of a slightly... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Replicarz 1952 Indy 500 Winner, Agajanian Special
New 1/43 Indy Winner a colorful replica of Ruttman's racer … If you’re an Indy 500 nut like me you’ll recognize Troy Ruttman’s name, otherwise he might be a mystery, or vague memory to you. There’s a reason for that. Ruttman won the 1952 Indianapolis 500, but never won another IndyCar race during his long... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: NEO’s 1981 AMC Eagle wagon
AMC Eagle wagon beat crossover trend by decades … History seems to show us that the innovators, the forward thinkers are not always rewarded with success. Consider the move over the past 25 years to AWD vehicles and crossovers in particular. Then consider the American Motors Eagle wagon. It was an early crossover to be... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Replicarz’s 1940 & ’41 Indy 500 Maseratis
Latest 1/43 scale Maserati racers are a colorful duo … The late 1930s and early 1940s saw race cars developing quickly into what we would consider modern racers and Wilbur Shaw and his Boyle Special, a Maserati 8CTF, led the way at the Indianapolis 500, but others followed quickly. In 1939 Shaw won the 500... Continue Reading →
Neo’s 1960 Plymouth Valiant Wagon
Plymouth Valiant Wagon sharp in 1/43 scale … Wagons are ho-hum these days, and nearly extinct, unless you count crossovers as wagons. But in the 1960s they were a big deal as families tried to make room for the Baby Boom generation that was rapidly filling up their sedans. At the same time, a sizeable... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Ixo’s Ford GT No. 66, Daytona 2017
Ixo’s Ford GT a beautiful bargain … I still don’t know how Ford did it, come up with a new GT that’s as beautiful as the old one, but with a modern twist. I also don’t know how Ixo continues to offer such beautiful 1/43 die-cast models at such reasonable prices. The reviewed Ford GT... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Autocult’s Volkswagen T1
Unique VW for the racing-oriented collector ... When I was a kid the only minivans were VW vans. They fit the mini category, maybe even invented it. But these were simple vehicles that like VW’s Beetle captured many of us Boomers’ imaginations. What may have been forgotten, however, is that there were several iterations and... Continue Reading →