1955 MERCEDES-BENZ 190SL

1955 Mercedes 190SL Soft Top Diecast Model Black 1/18 Die Cast Car By Welly

The 190SL (Sports & Light) intentionally resembled a scaled-down 300SL roadster, complete with horizontal grille, wheelwell "eyebrows," and alloy doors, hood and trunk. In 1955, the 190SL was priced at $3,998, a bit less than half the cost of a 300SL. It was promoted as a sports-touring car as opposed to a true sports car primarily due to limited power. The 190SL enjoyed an eight-year lifespan from 1955-1963, with remarkably few changes to the original 1955 design.

1:18 1936 CORD 810 DIECAST MODEL

1936 Cord 810 Diecast Model White 1/18 Die Cast Car By Signature Models

Designed by Gordon Miller Buehrig as the Baby Duesenberg, the Cord was hailed as being advanced for its time, both in design and technical features, but its appeal proved to be too short-lived and too late to save the company on its last gasps from the Depression. After six months of debating the proposed design, Duesenberg's boss, E.L. Cord, left Buehrig just four months to build the cars needed for the 1935 New York Auto Show, where it was awarded the title of the most beautiful car; luckily, however, no one at the show bothered to raise the hood because the engines were not ready. Buehrig was praised for beaking all the rule sin auto design. The Cord was the frist American car to feature hidden pop-up headlights, hidde door hinges and a one-piece rear-hinged hood. The Cord's most distinctive styling feature was its so-called coffin-nose hood with its seven wrap-around chromed ribs or louvers, making it the first water-cooled car to dispense with the front grille and radiator shell.

Other advanced features included front-wheel-drive, a four-speed semi-automatic transmission and a V-8 built to order by aircraft engine manufacturer Lycoming, also part of E.L. Cord's empire. The leading edge of the Cord's front wheels actually preceded the hood because of the transmission placement ahead of the engine, making the car appear as though it was leaping forward even when standing still, and making it well balanced. The interior was equally stunning, dominated by an instrument panel reminiscent of an airplane. At both ends of the dashboard were small cranks to raise or lower the hidden headlights given that power-assisted motors were not yet available.

However, the car's appeal proved to be its downfall with the company taking production short cuts to meet the unprecedented orders; the quality problems were eventually fixed but too late to save the marque and E.L. Cord's other automotive ventures, the Auburn and Deusenberg. The last Cord came off the assembly line August 7, 1937.

MINICHAMPS 1/43 AUDI R8R - 2000 LE MANS - 2nd PLACE, JOEST RACING

The team car, carrying race number 9, which had yellow identification markings and was driven by Aiello/McNish/Ortelli. The Minichamps model is accurately reproduced in size and shape.

MINICHAMPS 1/43 AUDI R8R - 2000 LE MANS - 1ST PLACE, JOEST RACING

The winning car entered by Team Joest, carrird race number 8 and was driven to victory by Biela/Kristensen/Pirro. The car sported red identification marking on the nose, rear wing and on the cockpit surround. The cae was powered by a 3.6 litre V8, with a reputed power output of 610 bhp. The model is a limited edition of 4,999 pieces.

VANGUARDS 1/43 FORD LOTUS CORTINA MKII

Undoubtedly, the first inter-continental rally, The London to Sydney Marathon was a true worldwide spectacle uniting drivers and enthusiasts from the 11 countries who entered, and marked the beginning of international rally-mania as it is enjoyed today. The indisputable star was the number 48 Lotus Cortina, driven by arguably then Europe’s finest Rally Driver Roger Clark and co-driver Anderson for the Ford Works Team, which led 8,500 of the event’s 10,000 miles.