Thursday, August 14, 2008

1935 Auburn 852 Boattail Hot Wheels 1:64










From Wikipedia:
The Auburn Automobile Company grew out of the Eckhart Carriage Company, founded in Auburn, Indiana, in 1874 by Charles Eckhart (1841–1915). Eckhart's sons, Frank and Morris, experimented making automobiles before entering the business in earnest, absorbing two other local carmakers and moving into a larger plant in 1909. The enterprise was modestly successful until materials shortages during World War I forced the plant to close.

In 1919, the Eckhart brothers sold the company to a group of Chicago investors headed by Ralph Austin Bard, who later served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and as Undersecretary of the Navy for President Roosevelt and President Harry S. Truman. The new owners revived the business, but it proved unprofitable. In 1924 they approached Errett Lobban Cord (1894–1974), a highly successful automobile salesman, with an offer to run the company. Cord countered with an offer to take over completely in what amounted to a leveraged buyout, which the Chicago group accepted. Cord aggressively marketed the company's unsold inventory and completed his buyout before the end of 1925.

But aggressive styling and advanced engineering failed to overcome the fact that Cord's extremely upscale vehicles were too expensive for the Depression-era market, and Cord's stock manipulations would force him to give up control of his automobile holding company, which included the even more expensive Cord and Rolls-Royce-priced high-performance Duesenberg. Under injunction from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to refrain from further violations, Cord sold his shares in his automobile holding company. In 1937, production of all three marques ended.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

1967 Ford Mustang GT Maisto 1:24












The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selling Ford car nameplate. The namesake of the "pony car" automobile segment, the Mustang was developed as a highly styled line of sporty coupes and convertibles derived from existing model lines, initially distinguished by "long hood, short deck" proportions.

Originally predicted to sell 100,000 vehicles yearly, the 1965 Mustang became the most successful vehicle launch since the 1927 Model A. Introduced on April 17, 1964 (16 days after the Plymouth Barracuda), over 400,000 units in its first year; the one-millionth Mustang was sold within two years of its launch. In August 2018, Ford produced the 10-millionth Mustang; matching the first 1965 Mustang, the vehicle was a 2019 Wimbledon White convertible with a V8 engine.

The success of the Mustang launch led to multiple competitors from other American manufacturers, including the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird (1967), AMC Javelin (1968), and Dodge Challenger(1970). The Mustang also had an effect on designs of coupés worldwide, leading to the marketing of the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri in the United States (the latter, by Lincoln-Mercury). The Mercury Cougar was launched in 1967 as a unique-bodied higher-trim alternative to the Mustang; during the 1970s, it was repackaged as a personal luxury car.

For 1965 to 2004, the Mustang shared chassis commonality with other Ford model lines, staying rear-wheel-drive throughout its production. From 1965 to 1973, the Mustang was derived from the 1960 Ford Falcon compact. From 1974 to 1978, the Mustang (denoted Mustang II) was a longer-wheelbase version of the Ford Pinto. From 1979 to 2004, the Mustang shared its Fox platform chassis with 14 other Ford vehicles (becoming the final one to use the Fox architecture). Since 2005, Ford has produced two generations of the Mustang, each using a distinct platform unique to the model line.

Through its production, multiple nameplates have been associated with the Ford Mustang series, including GT, Mach 1, Boss 302/429, Cobra (separate from Shelby Cobra), and Bullitt, along with "5.0" fender badging (denoting 4.9 L OHV or 5.0 L DOHC V8 engines).

Monday, July 28, 2008

1951 Käfer Volkswagen Typ 1 Escala 1:18 Maisto












Der VW Käfer (VW Typ 1) ist ein Pkw-Modell der unteren Mittelklasse der Marke Volkswagen mit luftgekühltem Vierzylinder-Boxermotor und Heckantrieb, das von Ende 1938 bis Sommer 2003 gebaut wurde.

Mit über 21,5 Millionen Fahrzeugen war der Käfer das meistverkaufte Automobil der Welt, bevor er im Juni 2002 vom VW Golf übertroffen wurde.

 Als nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg die Produktion im Volkswagenwerk, damals von der britischen Militärregierung in Wolfsburg Motor Works umbenannt, in der zweiten Hälfte des Jahres 1945 aufgenommen wurde, erhielt der KdF-Wagen den offiziellen Namen Volkswagen. Er blieb nahezu fünf Jahre lang das einzige Modell in der Produktpalette der späteren Volkswagen AG und erhielt erst 1950 mit der Markteinführung des VW-Transporters (Volkswagen Typ 2) die werksinterne Bezeichnung Typ 1.

Monday, July 21, 2008

1961 Chevrolet Impala Jada Diecast 1:24










The Chevrolet Impala (/ɪmˈpælə, -ˈpɑːlə/) is a full-sized car built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made automobiles in the United States.

For its debut in 1958, the Impala was distinguished from other models by its symmetrical triple taillights. The Chevrolet Caprice was introduced as a top-line Impala Sport Sedan for model year 1965, later becoming a separate series positioned above the Impala in 1966, which, in turn, remained above the Chevrolet Bel Air and the Chevrolet Biscayne. The Impala continued as Chevrolet's most popular full-sized model through the mid-1980s. Between 1994 and 1996, the Impala was revised as a 5.7-liter V8–powered version of the Chevrolet Caprice Classic sedan.

In 2000, the Impala was reintroduced again as a mainstream front-wheel drive car. As of February 2014, the 2014 Impala ranked No. 1 among Affordable Large Cars in U.S. News & World Report's rankings. When the 10th generation of the Impala was introduced for the 2014 model year, the 9th generation was rebadged as the Impala Limited and sold only to fleet customers through 2016. During that time, both versions were sold in the United States and Canada. The 10th-generation Impala was also sold in the Middle East and South Korea.


Monday, July 14, 2008

1950 Chevrolet 3100 La Troca Hot Wheels 1:64 Lowrider









2008 Version La Troca is based on a 1950 Chevrolet 3100 lowrider.

It was retooled in 2020, gaining an actual interior. The casting was also slightly shortened and other cost-saving measures were taken, such as the window lip being cast into the body and made smaller and the truck bed using additional plastic as opposed to previously.

From the back of the 2008 card:

Born: 2001
Birthplace: El Segundo, California, USA
Designer: Hot Wheels
Specialty: Proud of its classic heritage and style, this truck love to cruise low and slow - so you can admire it even better as it saunters by.