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Models celebrate GM's 100th birthday
Thursday, May 22, 2008
By Don Hammonds, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
If General Motors' 100th anniversary this year has inspired model car collectors, they are in luck.
Check out the gorgeous 1957 Cadilac Eldorado Biaritz Convertible and the brutish 1966 Chevrolet Corvette 427 fastback coupe, both produced by Danbury Mint, which has a wealth of products in its catalogs from all of GM's brands, except for Saturn. Needless to say, they are intricately detailed with operating parts of all kinds.
The Biarritz model replicates a car that, for all of its glamour, was subdued looking by 1957 standards -- except, of course, for those famous fins.
The model is done in an unusual rose color with a dual-tone black and dove gray interior (with some of the most intricate chrome accents you'll see on a model). Emblems on the exterior are all done with gold leaf. Danbury Mint got it right on this one.
Problems? You may have some trouble installing the three-piece convertible top; the pegs don't fit perfectly in the holes, although they fit well enough for display. I suspect a lot of people will choose to use the white "up top" that comes with the model instead.
The Corvette model's centerpiece is, of course, that fabulous 427-cubic-inch V-8 engine. This monster powerplant was one of the most feared and respected in the auto industry at the time. Every detail, wire, hose and label on the real car is illustrated on the model car.
The neat thing about this Corvette model is that it's done in an unusual dark blue shade that I don't recall seeing very often when this car was new. It also has blackwall tires -- not seen much on Corvettes because back then, black wall tires were considered suitable only for bargain basement cars. (Detroit's love affair with European cars convinced car makers to use blackwalls as a sign of Euro sportiness and performance).
Corvettes of this era are particularly tough to model because of the unusual humps, swoops and curves that were part of the design. But this one is spot on. (The only problem I had was the thickness of the rear mounted antenna -- it looks so toy-like that it takes away from the overall impression of the model).
Both the Corvette and the Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz retail for $120.
Of course, there are other GM models that collectors are sure to want. Many of them are what I'd call milestone or watershed GM models that marked some major technical or design stage for the company: the 1932 V-16, the 1959 Cadillac DeVille, the 1941 Cadillac Fleetwood Series Sixty Special Sedan, and the 1:12 scale 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster.
For Buick fans, there's the voluptuous 1948 Buick Roadmaster Convertible and a fastback 1948 Buick Coupe with the toothy grill. Chevy fans will like the 1959 "batwing" Impala models and Pontiac fans probably will covet the several GTO models in Danbury's catalog.
For a catalog or more information on the models, go to www.danburymint.com.
Don Hammonds can be reached at dhammonds@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1538.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
By Don Hammonds, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
If General Motors' 100th anniversary this year has inspired model car collectors, they are in luck.
Check out the gorgeous 1957 Cadilac Eldorado Biaritz Convertible and the brutish 1966 Chevrolet Corvette 427 fastback coupe, both produced by Danbury Mint, which has a wealth of products in its catalogs from all of GM's brands, except for Saturn. Needless to say, they are intricately detailed with operating parts of all kinds.
The Biarritz model replicates a car that, for all of its glamour, was subdued looking by 1957 standards -- except, of course, for those famous fins.
The model is done in an unusual rose color with a dual-tone black and dove gray interior (with some of the most intricate chrome accents you'll see on a model). Emblems on the exterior are all done with gold leaf. Danbury Mint got it right on this one.
Problems? You may have some trouble installing the three-piece convertible top; the pegs don't fit perfectly in the holes, although they fit well enough for display. I suspect a lot of people will choose to use the white "up top" that comes with the model instead.
The Corvette model's centerpiece is, of course, that fabulous 427-cubic-inch V-8 engine. This monster powerplant was one of the most feared and respected in the auto industry at the time. Every detail, wire, hose and label on the real car is illustrated on the model car.
The neat thing about this Corvette model is that it's done in an unusual dark blue shade that I don't recall seeing very often when this car was new. It also has blackwall tires -- not seen much on Corvettes because back then, black wall tires were considered suitable only for bargain basement cars. (Detroit's love affair with European cars convinced car makers to use blackwalls as a sign of Euro sportiness and performance).
Corvettes of this era are particularly tough to model because of the unusual humps, swoops and curves that were part of the design. But this one is spot on. (The only problem I had was the thickness of the rear mounted antenna -- it looks so toy-like that it takes away from the overall impression of the model).
Both the Corvette and the Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz retail for $120.
Of course, there are other GM models that collectors are sure to want. Many of them are what I'd call milestone or watershed GM models that marked some major technical or design stage for the company: the 1932 V-16, the 1959 Cadillac DeVille, the 1941 Cadillac Fleetwood Series Sixty Special Sedan, and the 1:12 scale 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster.
For Buick fans, there's the voluptuous 1948 Buick Roadmaster Convertible and a fastback 1948 Buick Coupe with the toothy grill. Chevy fans will like the 1959 "batwing" Impala models and Pontiac fans probably will covet the several GTO models in Danbury's catalog.
For a catalog or more information on the models, go to www.danburymint.com.
Don Hammonds can be reached at dhammonds@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1538.
