1934 ASTON MARTIN 1/18 GREEN

The first Aston Martin was built by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin in 1914. Financial problems hounded the company, which passed through several owners: Frazer Nash, L Prideaux Brune and R G Sutherland, until the company was bought in 1947 by David Brown who in 1972 sold to Company Developments Ltd. After a period of mixed fortunes, Aston Martin was acquired by Ford in 1987.

Models of the cars exist from a number of manufactures such as Signature, and made in China. This 1934 dark green 1/18th scale model is a beauty, and sports working steering, piano -hinged opening bonnet, opening doors, excellent black painted wire wheels and a superbly detailed dashboard. See more.

THE FEROCIOUS FIORANO - FABULOUS FERRARI

2007 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano diecast model car 1:18 scale die cast by Hot Wheels - Red J2859

The Ferrari Fiorano, the company's 2-seat Grand Turismo flagship model, replaced the 575 Maranello and debuted at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. The styling of the Fiorano bears some resemblance to its sister car, the 612 Scaglietti, yet at the same time carries a sportier, more aggressive stance. The differences are mostly in the squared-off body detailing, the lack of the scalloped side detail of the 612 and more obvious aerodynamic ducting, particularly on the bonnet, in the front wing over the front wheels and the flying buttress C pillars. These pillars are the most distinctive feature of the Fiorano and are designed to redirect airflow over the small lip spoiler on the red decklid. These, in conjunction with the shaped undertray allow the Fiorano to exhbit a degree of stability at very high speeds that was lacking in its predecessor, by contributing downforce and aerodynamic efficiency without the need for ungainly wings and spoilers. The 599's Enzo sourced Tipo F133F 6.0 L (5999cc) V-12 is the most powerful series production Ferrari road car and most of the modifications to the engine were done to allow it to fit in the Fiorano's engine bay. The company claims a 3.7 second sprint to 100km/h (62mph) and 11.0 to 200km/h (124mph) --SMI

SILVER ROCKET 1:18 SCALE AUTO UNION D-TYPE

1936-1937 Auto Union Type C Diecast Car 1/18 Silver Die Cast Car Model by CMC

The dominant car in 1938 was the Mercedes W154 but a late season challenger was the Auto Union D-type, especially as driven by the legendary Tazio Nuvolari. CMC have yet again excelled with this weighty masterpiece described as a 1938-39 Type D on the box. The model is clearly the 1938 car, the limited edition shown here being that which Nuvolari drove to victory at Donington in October that year. This being one of CMC’s later models it shows exceptional detail, once one has got over the initial wow factor!

The model is made from over 680 parts, is hand assembled and is crowned with a superb paint finish. The bodywork line seems right and leads forward around a well-appointed cockpit with the detail we have become accustomed to. This bodywork is even more refined in the 2003 ‘Model of the Year’ winning type C car, but it is all there in this type D. Massive chrome molybdenum longerons are visible either side of the cockpit floor, robust chassis tubes being a hallmark of these cars, taking chassis surefootedness the whole length of the car.
The best-ever value for money in models of this type. The subject matter is mouth watering and who knows what would have become of this mid engined marvel had the Second Warld War not intervened? --SMI

AUTO ART 1/18 LAMBOGHINI MURCIELAGO

Lamborghini Murcielago Diecast Model Yellow 1/18 Die Cast Car By Autoart

The Murcielago sports a 6.2L version of the legendary Lambo V-12 engine, a six speed manual or six-speed sequential automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive. It also has a rear spoiler that can be raised to an angle of 70 degrees, side mirrors that fold in to improve aerodynamics, and side scoops that automatically open to the needed size to let in just the right amount of air needed to cool its engine. The name Murcielago comes from a bull that survived 24 sword strokes in an 1879 fight at the arena of Cordoba, and fought with such passion and spirit that the matador chose to spare its life, a rare honour. In another Lamborghini tie in, the bull was later presented as a gift to Don Antonio Miura, a noted breeder, and went on to sire a line of famous fighting bulls. Murcielago also means bat in Spanish and a Murcielago roadster is featured briefly in the movie Batman Begin!

AutoArt's Murcielagos are as you can expect first class 1:18 scale replicas of this exciting supercar, correct in every detail. If only we could afford the real thing!

MATCHBOX: FREEWAY GAS TANKER

During the early 1970s Matchbox decided to include the '1-75' range futurishtic models to help capture the toy market away from competitors. Many traditional vehicles were quickly replaced and in 1973 the Freeway Gas Tanker was introduced. There were many different labels used on the tank which was subject to many minor casing variations, not least the allowance for a hole which enabled a towing hook to be fitted so that a trailer could be towed. Most cabs had purple windows though a few had red or amber. Strengthening braces were fitted around the base of the cab in later versions.

The Freeway Gas Tanker remained in the range for nine years until it was replaced in 1982 by a Layland Tanker. The general release was a red cab and a white tank on a red chassis with Burmah in either label form or tampo print.

In 1984 a model which had previously been included only in the US range as a milk tanker appeared around the world as a petrol tanker. This was a Peterbilt six-wheeler. There are other combinations of cab and tank which have not been authenticated. The English-made blue and white Milk Tankers have not been included.

MATCHBOX: LEYLAND PETROL TANKER

Before the bedford was discontinued an 8-wheeled petrol tanker had been included in the line. The cab was in green but the tank remained white. The decal soon gave way to a label because whilst decals had to be applied by hand all labels were soon applied by machine with a saving in production costs. In 1970, the Layland tanker was adapted to Superfast wheels. The BP labels were to be found at either the front side of the tank or in the center. Another short run saw the fiting of a grey grille and base.

MATCHBOX: BEDFORD PETROL TANKERS

Matchbox have always had a policy of retaining certain vehicles in the ‘1-75’ range. The London bus, a Rolls-Royce, a Jaguar and certain construction vehicles spring to mind. In addition there have always been petrol tankers. In May 1964 a Bedford Petrol Tanker was includes in the range. For the first time on a Matchbox model it featured a tipping cab and tipping front seats as on the real vehicle. The initial release was fitted with grey wheels but this was soon changed to black wheels.

CHEVROLET CORVETTE INDIANAPOLIS 500 PACE CAR 2002

2002 Chevrolet Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car Diecast Model 1/18 Die Cast Car By Autoart

AutoArt commemorates the Vette's 50th anniversary with this release. It's a very nice replica featuring opening doors, hood, and trunk, and a removable roof panl a difficult item to remove and install. The model's interior is flocked with a cream colored carpet and the seats are tan with Corvette logos on the headrests. Under the hood lies its V-8 engine, but the engine bay could use more detail. Our sample's finish was very shiny and the graphics were excellent. Under the 18-inch wheels lie disc brakes that appear to be metal. With every 50th anniversary AutoArt Corvette model comes a 1:1 scale commemorative license plate frame.

VANGUARD 1/43 MORRIS MINOR VAN GLASGOW POLICE

Although by 1969 the Morris Minor van was in essence a 20-year-old design Police forces continued to use it because it fulfilled their needs reliably and economically. The city of Glasgow Police used SYS 124G for various non-urgent duties. See more.

Y23 - 1930 MACK 'AC' TANKER

Over the years, there have been many versions of the Mack type ‘AC’ as truck. 1991 saw the release of the second livery on the Mack ‘AC’ tanker, that of ‘Conoco’. Although this had a white tank and the red livery of the rest of the model was lighter than the ‘Texaco’ red, it proved to be no more popular than ‘Texaco’. The ‘Conoco’ was developed in the Macau factory, but the regular production run was carried out after production had been transfered to the factory on mainland China.

The Mack was one of the first models to have wheels and tryes base on those of the actual vehicle. The cab and chassis for tanker was made from the tooling that was used for the Mack truck. The ‘front’ end consisted of the bonnet and rear mounted radiator, the cab sides and roof, windscreen frame the cab doors, and the cab floor, steps and front mudguards. The tanker was a one-piece casting, which included the rear ‘cupboard’. Set onto a shallow-sided truck body, which included three discharge valves at the rare. Some ‘Conocos’ also appeared fitted with ‘plated’ wheels, this time with a light gold finish, while some others were of a darker gloss red. See more.

AUTO ART 1/18 MERCEDES-BENZ 600 PULLMAN LWB DIECAT MODEL CAR

The long wheelbase Mercedes 600 Pullman is the well-known 1970s flagship of the mercedes limousine fleet, and both in closed and landaulet forms has served many world leader including the Shah of Persia, Pope Johannes Paul II and Pope Paul VI. Most state visits to West Germany in the early '70s used such vehicles, including that of Queen Elizabeth II. (Leonid Brezhnev, however, settled for a short wheelbase 600!)

IXO 1/43rd SCALE MODEL OF THE ASTON MARTIN DBR9

Le Mans 24 Hours is a subject that brings out the passion in collectors. Serious collectors will need to stick to 1/43rd scale, but there are more and more 1/18th scale models availables as well.

A favorite theme for collectors is the winners; every winner since the first race in 1923 has been modelled. No need searching for the winners from 1940 to 1948 though, because there were no races during the war years. Starter made every winner to 2003 in resin and, although they were no longer producing models, collectors can still find them. IXO have set out to produce every winner in diecast and they are now about 40% of the way through the list. The 1933 winning Alfa was red and yellow do the same or make it the authentic red and cream? Latest issue is the stunning Aston Martin DBR9, and IXO's prototype is this month's cover star!

The phototype of IXO's imminent 1/43rd scale model of the Aston Martin DBR9, is shown here. IXO will be producing a limited edition of 3,000 of these models under the ProDrive/Aston Martin brand, in official Aston Martin packaging. This model will also be issued under general release in IXO's Le Mans brand packaging.

Once people have collected all the winners they can expand their interest by collecting all the second and third place finishers, or a marque such as Jaguar, Porsche of Ferrari, or British car that race at Le Mans, or simply the cars that the collector especially likes. --Model Collector

IXO 1/43 MASERATI KHAMSIN

The khamsin was the successor to the Ghibli. Citroen being majority stakeholders, this car carries a few of their components. The car is fitted with a ZF five speed gearbox. IXO's well crafted model should please collectors of this popular marque. See more.

CORGI 50th ANNIVERSARY - ERF ECT OLYMPIC CURTAINSIDE - J.R. ADAMS

In a Corgi ballot, this vehicle type drew the most votes. To represent England, readers chose this Newcastle based haulier's ERF. The packaging includes two reproduction catalogues, plinth, certificate and a keyring bearing the initials of J.R. Adams. See more.