SS Cars SS1

Here is a post Gaucho Man should enjoy. By the way, it will be the last one for the year, as I’ll be away during the Christmas season. See you back half-way through January, and advance greetings to all of you! 🙂

A little history

I suppose that there is no need to go through the early years of what would become Jaguar once more. How two friends, William Lyons and William Walmsley, set up the successful Swallow company building sidecars for motorcycles, then ventured into coachbuilding by fitting new sporty bodies to the plebeian Austin Seven has been told over and over again. Then, nine years into existence and carried by its initial successes, their company, Swallow, unveiled its very own car during the 1931 London Motor Show: the SS Cars SS1. Actually, Standard was responsible for a large share of the new model’s input, designing its chassis and providing its engines. Displacing 2100 or 2600cc, those couldn’t allow tremendous performance but the SS1 was in line with all previous Swallow products: it was an elegant and affordable sports car. The concept proved a winning one, 4200 copies of the SS1 being built until 1936. Among those, of particular mention is the striking Airline coupe, launched in 1934 and of which 624 were made. Interestingly, though it is the best remembered SS1 today, the Airline had been inspired by Walmsley but was disliked by Lyons. This wasn’t the only point on which the two partners couldn’t agree. Walmsley was satisfied enough with Swallow’s success, while Lyons only had expansion in mind. In the end, Walmsley gave up and sold his shares to Lyons in 1935. Under the latter’s guidance, SS would continuously develop: after a 1935 reorganization that saw the Swallow sidecars activities being separated from the SS automobile ones, then completely sold ten years later, SS changed its name to Jaguar, which would soon unveil the famous XK120 and enter the racing scene with the C- then D-Types. Lyons would remain at the helm of his company until 1972, designing most of its cars in the process, up to the legendary Jaguar XJ6. He would peacefully die in 1985.

About the model

Model: SS Cars SS1 Airline coupe
Year: 1935
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.39 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2007, in Souillac, France

A simple – not many separate parts and, in this Altaya version, wheels that are a little too thick – yet elegant rendition of the famed SS1. My rating is 13/20.

Auburn Speedster

So I’ve been silent during the last eight weeks, except when answering the numerous – yet always clever – messages of our new follower Gaucho Man. Persistent problems with my computer(s) got the upper hand on my good habit of writing a new post every Saturday. Laziness soon settled in afterwards. In addition to this, my trusted old camera asked for a well-deserved retirement. As of now I still don’t know if it can be repaired, but fortunately I have pictures left for a few more posts.

Now for the good news: unlike previously announced, ALL of your comments that had disappeared are now back. Where were they then? Well, er… they were here all the time, actually. When Blogspot added its new “spam” feature, about one-third of all the comments, though already approved, were randomly removed from this blog and placed without any warning into the spam folder… which I never had a look at.

So, to end a long period of silence, I chose an exceptional automobile today. But before we start, as per tradition, welcome Gaucho Man (I can only advise you all to visit his own, very nice blog!) and Tunning66 (interesting blog too).

A little history

Auburn was just one among the dozens of minor automobile manufacturers that had spread across America and were lucky enough to somehow remain in business for some reasonable amount of time. From its founding in 1909 in the small Indiana town after which it was named, the existence of the little company was essentially a tale of survival. Fifteen years later, amid a dire recession that struck hard at the American car industry, Auburn seemed to have met the end of the road.

That was at this exact time that a saviour entered the scene, in the improbable guise of a twenty-nine-year-old man. His name was Errett Lobban Cord. The young folk boasted that he had already twice made a fortune worth a million dollars – and lost it in both occasions. Now he had the opportunity to succeed a third time, and have his name written in all automobile history books in the process.

When Cord was offered to manage the company by its Chicagoan owners, Auburn’s coffers were as empty as its factory was full of unsold cars. The daring young man struck a deal which would actually give him control of the company if he could save it – it took only four years until, by 1928, Auburn became his. How did he succeed? By considering styling an important factor in the power of attraction a car can have towards its potential customers. Though it seems commonplace today, styling was virtually non-existent back then. Cord’s genius resided in a very simple idea: to repaint all the unsold cars with a striking two-tone paint job – all soon found owners. Thanks to this fresh input of cash, Auburn was ready to introduce new models and, once again, styling would be seriously considered. Though a complete range was made available, it was the Boattail Speedster, also launched in 1928, that caught most of the attention – so much that this particular model seems to typify Auburn as a whole. Production increased dramatically, allowing E.L. Cord to form a new Cord Corporation in 1929 in order to manage the many companies he now controlled. For Auburn was just one among one hundred and fifty concerns he owned by then! Checker, the well-known taxi builder, was another one. And so was Duesenberg, which would acquire immense prestige as a luxury brand under the Cord Corporation’s guidance. And obviously, technologically advanced automobiles would also be built under Cord’s name. Most engines were provided by Lycoming, another member of the group. Indeed, its activities extended well beyond automobile to cover all forms of transportation, including a shipyard and several aviation-related concerns (among the latter was the future American Airlines). Alas, though many they were, most of these companies were of too limited a size to survive in a highly competitive environment. And a few months after the Cord Corporation had been formed, the Wall Street crash announced renewed hardship.

Auburn was the “volume” car manufacturer among the company – that is to say that all the automobiles Cord produced were rather exclusive. Sales were plummeting, though E.L. Cord and his team made them more attractive than ever. Tastefully penned, well appointed, fitted with powerful eight or even twelve-cylinder engines (the company advertised its models as the only V12s below $1000) the Auburns of this era are the best remembered nowadays – but still, they didn’t sell well in these difficult times. The most extraordinary of all would appear shortly before the final collapse of the group: it was the 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster, soon followed by the identical 852, boosted by a supercharger and graced by Gordon Buehrig’s elegant styling. The number of replicas mimicking this extraordinary car says it all about its place in automobile history.

Nineteen thirty-seven marked the last year for all of Cord’s automobiles – except, ironically, for the less flamboyant, the Checker, which regained its independence and survived for almost half a century. Gone were the Auburns, the Cords and the Duesenbergs. The aviation companies were in much better shape, allowing E.L. Cord to sell his corporation for a hefty sum that he soon had fructified by investing, wisely enough, in Californian real estate and the nascent television network.

A personal note

Driving once through Indiana I decided to stop in Auburn to see the famous Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg museum, installed in what were Auburn’s headquarters. Unfortunately by the time I arrived there it was evening, so I would have to wait until the morning for the opening. After checking two of them, I found that motels in Auburn were terribly expensive for my limited budget, so in the end I got back to the highway and continued towards Detroit. I ended up sleeping in my car – yep, obviously it was winter. Anyway, drooling at three of the company’s models through the building’s window was well worth stopping by. But I still hope that one day I’ll finally have the opportunity to visit this museum!

About the models

Model: Auburn 12-161 Speedster
Year: 1933
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.20 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in June 2006, in Souillac, France

Though the 852 is probably the most famous Auburn, Ixo chose this slightly older Speedster for Altaya’s series about classic prewar cars. I have to praise the Chinese company for its original choice, and for the good quality of its model. Despite this, I saw a little paint defect when I took these pictures, but to be frank it’s hardly noticeable. My rating is 14/20.

Model: Auburn 851 Supercharged Speedster
Year: 1935
Maker: Ertl
Scale: 1/18
Distributed by: Ertl
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, from the estate of a late fellow collector, in December 2006, in Manila, Philippines

Who could guess that actually the beautiful 851 Speedster was nothing else than a stopgap, masterfully designed by Buehrig by combining the front end of the year’s Auburns with the Boattail bodies that remained unsold from the previous year? Far from its usual muscle cars, Ertl has made a very elegant rendition of this car, well worthy of the original. My rating is 15/20.

Mercedes-Benz 500 to 580K (W29)

A little history

After the legendary Mercedes-Benz SSK and SSKL had retired in 1932, only the SS remained as the famous company’s sports car offer. Two years later, the SS was finally withdrawn when a new 500K topped the range.

The 500K represented a sharp turn for Mercedes-Benz. It indeed inherited powerful engines fitted with superchargers, optional short wheelbase variants and immeasurable reputation from its predecessors, but the new cars were more urbane, with luxury set as their ultimate goal rather than strict performance.

Though most 500Ks produced in Mercedes-Benz’ Sindelfingen’s plant were heavy saloons built on the longer chassis, that were the shorter, sportier versions which focussed the bulk of the attention. With the Reich superhighway system filling out into a dense network, the very design of automobiles was evolving in a particular way in Germany. Most manufacturers were offering streamlined cars able to sustain high cruising speeds. For such a high-performance vehicle as its own, Mercedes-Benz couldn’t discard such a version, which came in the form of an impressive “Autobahnkurier” special coupe that was a sign of things to come.

All 500Ks were powered by a 5.0-litre inline eight. This new engine was rated at a rather leisurely 100 bhp but, in line with the company’s tradition, was equipped with a supercharger offering extra power at the driver’s request, by a simple touch of a button on the car’s dashboard or with the gas pedal through a kick-down system. When in use, the supercharger would push the output up to 160 bhp, which actually was still short of the SS series, of which many versions had been rated at more or less 200 bhp. Other technical details of the car deserve to be mentioned, as they were extremely advanced for the times: the 500K received an all-independent suspension, hydraulic power-assisted brakes on all four wheels, and a five-speed synchromesh gearbox was available.

It was in October 1936 that Mercedes-Benz broke with its habit and chose Paris instead of Berlin to introduce the W29’s next version, the 540K. The new name reflected the engine’s growth to 5.4-litre, with outputs now at 115 / 180 bhp, without or with supercharger in use. Using knowledge acquired through their all-conquering Grand Prix racing team, the 540K was totally reworked and its weight greatly reduced. As the 500K before it, the 540K too had its halo model, the outstanding Spezial Roadster, which has since then become one of the few classics among all classics. Actually this version, penned by Hermann Ahrens, had been introduced with the latest 500Ks, but became Mercedes-Benz’ most effective image-builder following the 540K’s introduction. Nonetheless, once again most of the production concentrated on less striking saloons and limousines.

In 1939, Mercedes-Benz started to work on the 540K’s replacement, internally known as W129 but supposed to be introduced as the 580K. Engine was again enlarged to 5.8-litre, with outputs up to 130 / 200 bhp, without or with its supercharger on. Several prototypes were built and clothed in the exclusive Spezial Roadster body, or as equally extraordinary coupes. They were tested until 1940, when the necessities of the war brought the program to a halt. Interestingly, the very last units ever built in this series were armoured cars built on the 540K chassis on special request from the Third Reich authorities, the last vehicles being delivered in 1944.

About the models

Model: Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster
Year: 1936
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.3 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2005, in Souillac, France

A nice Ixo-built model of the famed Spezial Roadster has been proposed by Altaya. It is aptly painted in the traditional red paint these cars often sported, and is nicely fitted with many separate parts. The only drawback is the size of the headlights, which are much too large in diameter. My rating is 13/20.

Model: Mercedes-Benz 540K
Year: 1936
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Solido, “Sixties” series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2003, in Brive, France

Solido offers this older model, curiously enough in its “Sixties” rather than “Âge d’Or” series. Despite its age this is still a pleasant die-cast in any collection, helped by the fact that rather than the omnipresent Spezial Roadster, Solido chose a plainer yet more original four-seat convertible. Just for the anecdote, a curious problem occurred with this model, as one day I found one of its headlights resting on the shelf next to the car, broken. The model never having been bumped beforehand this was rather odd, but fortunately was fixed without any problem. My rating is 12/20.

Sky King Velocipede

A little history

We often discussed the topic: aerodynamics, or rather streamlining as it was then called, affected aircraft, then automobiles, then locomotives… What else was next? Why not a kid’s bicycle, so the tiny tots could pedal with a lesser effort?

It’s finally as early as 1935 that Sky King provided American kids what would make them think “Suddenly it’s 1940!” Well, okay, this didn’t really caught on, but at least for a while the young riders of the Velocipede could tour their neighbourhood with something that would make all of their little friends jealous.

I didn’t find anything on the Sky King Velocipede on the net. Fortunately a little card was included inside the model’s box, with some description that I’ll share with you now:

1935 Sky King Velocipede
This fully streamlined Sky King Velocipede is styled to fly down the sidewalk. Handlebars, with reflective headlight and cruising lights, are curved in the shape of gull wings. The smart frame, built-in step plates, sleek wheel hoods, and even the pedals are aerodynamically designed for the path of least resistance!
The original Sky King Velocipede had the following specifications:
Body – Sized to fit children with an 18” to 21 ½” inseam.
Finish – Red gloss with white trim and white spoked wheels.
Equipment – Headlight and cruising lights; built-in step plates.
Gear – Rubber hand grips; adjustable saddle with cushioned top.
12” front and 9” rear wheels with white, 1” rubber tires.

I said that I didn’t find anything about the Sky King Velocipede, which is quite true as far as the original thing is concerned. I nonetheless discovered that a modern-day Velocipede can still be purchased today as the rather unconventional Airflow Sky King, painted in traditional red, but also sold in pink as the Princess variant. Recommended age is up to five years, the machine being actually rather tiny in size. From the pictures I saw, that seems to be an exact replica of the Velocipede that Airflow now produces.

About the model

Model: Sky King Velocipede
Year: 1935
Maker: unknown; the only mention is “Made in China”, which is quite vague nowadays...
Scale: 1/7 (no mention either, but an exact computation can be made from the figures given above)
Distributed by: Hallmark, “Kiddie Car Classics – Sidewalk Cruisers Collection” ref. QHG6311
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

If you think that it’s not exactly in line with what I usually collect, I should clarify that it’s actually my wife who liked it so much when she first saw it at the shop that she made me buy it for her. I don’t regret it however, for it’s extremely well made and highly original. Plus, I got it for a song while original retail price was $45, and leftovers that I saw on the net still cost about the same today. Equally original was its brand, as after greeting cards then a TV channel Hallmark seemed to be willing to sell diecasts for a while – their Sky King Velocipede was produced from 1995 to 1999, and I ignore what they did next in this field, if ever. My rating is 15/20.

Panhard Panoramic

A little history

If you find that pre-war automobiles all look the same, you aren’t totally wrong. After all, for years previous design was virtually non-existent: style was determined by the engineers themselves, and only answered purely technical needs rather than the public’s taste. General Motors is generally credited for giving an increased attention to the appearance of its cars and creating a dedicated department, at first within its new La Salle branch. Soon, most automobile manufacturers had understood that good looks also helped selling cars. The intrusion of aerodynamics into the field of automobile design during the Thirties further gave a hand in developing cars that did away with the upright look of the Tens and Twenties.

Among the constructors that spearheaded this foray into modern design should be included the name of Panhard. Already one of the world’s oldest automobile manufacturers back then among the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot, Panhard had specialized in luxurious and comfortable, yet slightly unconventional automobiles. Engines were all of the sleeve-valve type, and rear suspension used a patented “Panhard rod”, an arrangement still used today. Common between the wars in luxury cars from all over the world, Knight-licensed sleeve-valve engines guaranteed silence, high torque and worriless functioning, at the expense of a high oil consumption as the said sleeves were prone to warping, consequently leaking oil – Knight-powered cars emitted characteristic blue exhaust fumes.

From 1934, Panhard’s CS and DS ranges, large cars using six- and eight-cylinder engines, were updated by the company designer Louis Bionier, who gave the models a distinctive look with exaggeratedly wide front wings, a tall and narrow grille, and low and closely set headlights, although its most unusual feature was its windshield. Large glass panes still were flat at the time (though not unknown by the Thirties, large curved glass panes made their real debut after World War Two, the technology having been developed to produce one-piece canopies for aircraft), and pillars were thick and cumbersome. Bionier tried to remedy the problem by flanking the windshield by two small windows, themselves set between thin pillars, which helped reducing the dark spots from the driver’s view.

This range, aptly named Panoramic, was distinctive, but not much ahead of the competition. Two years later, in 1936, Bionier refined its design and unveiled the new Dynamic, a rather baroque automobile which looked like nothing else on the road – but that’s another story.

About the model

Model: Panhard 6CS Panoramic faux-cabriolet
Year: 1935
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.40 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2007, in Souillac, France

Altaya’s Voitures Classiques series was peopled by some very nicely crafted models. Nevertheless there were exceptions, and this Panhard is unfortunately one of them: it could have been a success, if only Ixo hadn’t botched the characteristic windshield by fitting much too thick pillars. The front bumper is also slightly too large for my taste. Lacking finesse, this die-cast doesn’t deserve more than 10/20.

Peugeot 302

A warm welcome to our newest followers Custom Cars Paints by Martin Aybar and Rizal Sarluf. Enjoy your stay here guys!

A little history

Suddenly, the rest of Peugeot’s range (the “-01” models) looked comparatively old-fashioned when its modern 402 was introduced in 1935. The public and the press having well received this bold design, the French manufacturer decided to progressively apply the same typical “Fuseau Sochaux” style to all its new models. Thus, as early as in 1936, the 302 entered the scene.

Peugeot’s intention was to challenge Citroën’s new Traction Avant with its 302, which replaced the 301 as the company’s middle range offer. It led a gallant fight but ultimately lost: despite its audacious look, the 302 was a rather conventional car while its rival, though more restrained on the outside, was an advanced front-wheel-drive automobile promising perfect handling and superior comfort. As a consequence, the 302 retired after only two years. It was replaced by the 402 Légère, a crossbreed mixing the 402’s engine and front end with the 302’s chassis and passenger compartment, while simultaneously the smaller 202 was introduced as a popular car. With an output up from 43 to 60 bhp for a relatively unchanged weight, the 402 Légère was the GTI of its time. Indeed, the 302 also served Peugeot’s publicity needs by entering major sportscar events, as a roadster prepared by Darl’Mat – but we already discussed about this one.

War brought the progressive halt of all Peugeot’s passenger cars production. Heavily bombed by Allied air raids, the Sochaux factory had to be rebuilt and reequipped in 1945. Unsurprisingly, the company management preferred to concentrate on commercial vehicles and popular cars, which were then much more in demand, and dropped both the 302 and 402 from its post-war range.

About the model

Model: Peugeot 302
Year: 1937
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.46 of its Collection Peugeot press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2007, in Souillac, France

The 302 is my favourite among Peugeot’s “-02” models, as in my opinion it is the one enjoying the better balanced design. Happily Norev did a good job in reproducing this model, though its rendition of the front grille (crucial in order to let the enclosed headlights appear) could have been better. My rating is 13/20.

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.

Voisin C28

Back to Voisin, with a much different car than the recently discussed Biscuter.

A little history

Between the two world wars, and long before he designed his final Biscooter/Biscuter, Gabriel Voisin headed a prestigious brand of advanced luxury cars.

Reportedly horrified by the martial use of the airplane he had helped develop, the French engineer totally gave up designing flying machines and in 1919 introduced his first automobile. Though the Voisin company would become rapidly known for its innovative designs, its very first model, the C1, had been proposed by two independent engineers after their offer had been turned down by another newcomer on the automotive scene, André Citroën. From this conventional vehicle would later evolve bold designs, powered by sleeveless engines and clad in unorthodox yet elegant bodies, epitomes of the times’ Art Déco style.

Unfortunately its sheer reputation did not protect Voisin from the adverse effects of the economic crisis of the Thirties. Sales sagged and finances plummeted. Bringing together all of its resources Voisin introduced the C28 during the 1935 Paris motor show, replacing both its previous C25 and C26. Despite their audacious design, their hydraulic brakes and two outstanding models, the Aéroport coupe, considered by some as the first pontoon-bodied automobile, and the one-off Ambassade saloon, the C28s would be produced in very limited quantities – about 30 copies until Voisin finally went bankrupt. Some investors still wanted to foresee a future for the company, which they reorganized as the Société Auxiliaire des Automobiles Voisin, or S.A.D.A.V. All that the new Voisin was able to produce was a heavy-looking C30, in which the traditional sleeveless engine had been replaced by a Graham block imported from the U.S., a choice dictated by nearly-empty coffers. The last Voisin would be the short-wheelbase C30S, given for a good (for the times) 145 kph thanks to its supercharged Graham engine. Shortly after this ultimate model was introduced at the Paris motor show in October 1938, the company disappeared for good.

About the model

Model: Voisin C28 Ambassade

Year: 1936

Maker: Ixo

Scale: 1/43

Distributed by: Altaya as no.26 of its Voitures Classiques press series

Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France

The Ambassade was a unique C28 model, built at the demand of a customer used to travel with a large amount of luggage. Boots being extremely small at that time, Voisin designed the Ambassade by extending the rear part of its standard Clairière saloon. Ixo reproduced this model for Altaya’s series of vintage luxury automobiles. Better let a specialist give his opinion, as I found on a dedicated site about Voisin while preparing this post that Ixo/Altaya’s die-cast has a “proud appearance (…), a correctly reproduced profile, though perhaps a little too wide”. Voisins are seldom reproduced in scale though, all the more at affordable prices, so let’s not sulk: 13/20.

Chrysler Airflow

A little history

Up to the early Thirties, the pace of change for automobile look wasn’t a fast one. Then engineers and designers discovered aerodynamics, known at first as streamlining: an empirical form of the former, a simple gimmick aimed at appealing customers in an era which was constantly projecting itself into the future. Within a few years though, the approach to aerodynamics applied to automobiles became more scientific, at least for a handful of carmakers.

The period certainly astonished many a motorist. Cars were becoming outdated within a few years due to constant innovation, which along the way brought some odd designs. Among those, the Chrysler Airflow was surely the most forward-looking. Equally certain was the fact that when it first appear in 1934, it looked like nothing else on the road.

A large corporation in the absolute but a minor contender when compared to General Motors and Ford, Chrysler had no other option throughout its history than challenge its competitors on the field of innovation. The company had just been able to adapt to its own cars the low silhouettes of front-wheel-drive models pioneered by Cord and Ruxton when it presented a truly ground-breaking automobile, the Airflow, brainchild of Chrysler engineer Carl Breer, helped by chief stylist Oliver Clark and fully supported by Walter P. Chrysler himself. A patient study of the evolutions of a car through air, thanks to a purposely-built wind tunnel, was the first step in the Airflow design. Yet the futuristic character of the new Chrysler wasn’t only on the outside. The car was among the very first to adopt all-steel monocoque construction, decades ahead of rivals GM and Ford, and weight balance was carefully studied, ideal distribution being attained by moving the engine over the front wheels.

The Chrysler Airflow was unveiled in 1934 to an amazed public. The new car was low and sleek. The rear wheel arches were skirted, while its windshield was of a new “V” type made of two panes of flat glass. Headlights were mounted flush in the front wings, while the upright front end had given way to a rounded one, ornate with a large “waterfall” grille. The first road tests revealed a safe car, with a handling far superior to any of its rivals, thanks to the good weight distribution mentioned above. Next to the Chrysler Airflow range sat its smaller relative, the DeSoto Airflow, while Dodge and Plymouth had to content themselves with conventional models – on the long run, they had nothing to regret.

Potential customers were surprised, curious, even interested, but then came to their mind the fateful question traditionally brought by automotive projects too much ahead of their times: “Do I want to be seen driving such a thing?” All too often the answer was “no”, and initially sales were slow. The people at Chrysler weren’t alarmed. They knew their car was revolutionary, and expected its success to come progressively. Unfortunately, it never did.

Nineteen thirty-four proved disastrous for Chrysler and DeSoto. While the former had retained a limited range of conventional cars, the latter only relied on the new Airflow, and saw its sales take a plunge, a debacle from which it never really recovered until the brand was discontinued a quarter of a century later. For 1935, a new Airstream was introduced by both divisions. It was a fairly conventional car, but featured apparent streamlining. This shier approach attracted the public back into Chrysler’s showrooms and dealerships, at the expense of the Airflow which, despite a 1936 facelift mostly aimed at removed the criticized grille, saw its production numbers sink ever deeper. The DeSoto Airflow was retired after the 1936 model year, while its Chrysler counterpart survived for one more year. They had nonetheless paved the way for more successful imitators, which ironically had begun to appear even before the Airflow project was put to death. Among those who copied the Airflow outright, the most obvious are Volvo (with its Carioca), Peugeot (the 402), Toyota (the AA) and, seldom mentioned but indisputably Airflow-esque, Nash (the Ambassador).

About the model

Model: Chrysler Airflow Imperial Eight
Year: 1936
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.49 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in November 2007, in Souillac, France

To my utter disbelief Ixo and Altaya didn’t choose the revolutionary 1934 Airflow to include in their classic cars series, but the tamer 1936 version. This little disappointment set aside this Airflow is rather good, though two-tone paint is surprising as most Airflows, should they be original cars or restored ones, are painted in simpler solid colours. My main remark would aim at the “chrome” parts (grille and louvres in particular), which are much too plastic-like in appearance. My rating is 12/20.

Maserati 8CTF

A little history

Between 1934 and 1937, Grand Prix were run with no other limit than weight. This gave birth to such monsters as the Mercedes-Benz and the Auto Union, which crushed all of their rivals. The switch to a new formula for 1938 (4.5 litre normally aspirated, 3 litres supercharged) gave hopes to some that the German teams’ invincibility could come to an end. Maserati was among those, and prepared a new machine, the 8CTF, of which three chassis were built. This optimism was short-lived though, as both Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union proved able to dominate the new formula as they had done with the old.

An unexpected success awaited the 8CTF nonetheless. The third chassis was sold to the U.S., and the two ex-works cars soon followed the same way after the Maserati factory lost all interest in them. In 1939, Wilbur Shaw won his second Indianapolis 500 with an 8CTF and, even better, renewed his victory during the next edition of the race. In 1941, he had to retire, but was then again leading the race. The three Maseratis suddenly became very popular among American drivers. Actually, the very last 8CTF to appear on the paved oval was an ex-works car which unsuccessfully tried to qualify in… 1954! Most late entries had been re-equipped with 4.5-litre Offenhauser engines, replacing the original 3-litre Maserati. Hard to believe nowadays as any car winning a major event is immediately sent to a museum, Shaw’s double-winning car was entered eight times at Indianapolis until 1950!

About the model

Model: Maserati 8CTF “Boyle Special”
Year: 1939
Event: 1939 Indianapolis 500, driven by Wilbur Shaw (overall winner)
Maker: Grani & Partners
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Poligrafici as no.13 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.

This model was part of an Italian press series and, as most Grani & Partners products, its quality is more than acceptable. The plastic wire wheels and front grille are as good as can be, only photo-etched parts could possibly be better. Too bad these models are so hard to find for non-Italian collectors. My rating is 12/20.