Car Of The Day: October 10, 2012

Today's Car of the Day comes from jedimario's collection and is Welly's SA Mazda RX-7.

Series 1 (1978–1980) is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression." In Japan it was introduced in March 1978, replacing the Savanna RX-3.

For more info on the real car, click here.

Ah, the first-first generation RX-7.  Perhaps not a widely known fact, this car got a moderate update for 1981, so the earliest cars are a bit different and much more rare.  This is the lightest RX-7, weighing in at 2,300lbs (about a hundred less than the refreshed '81).  Doesn't sound like much, but when you're only making 100hp at the flywheel it makes a difference.  At least that little bit of power was delivered as smoothly as possible from the 1.1L rotary motor.

Car of the Day:August 18, 2012

The car for today is the Welly 1957 Chevrolet Corvette.

Wikipedia.com The Chevrolet Corvette (C1) is the first generation of the sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced late in the 1953 model year and produced through 1962. It is commonly referred to as the "solid-axle" generation, as the independent rear suspension didn't appear until the 1963 Sting Ray. The Corvette was rushed into production for its debut model year to capitalize on the enthusiastic public reaction to the concept vehicle, but expectations for the new model were largely unfulfilled. Reviews were mixed and sales fell far short of expectations through the car's early years. The program was nearly canceled, but Chevrolet would ultimately stay the course and Harley Earl and company would transform the Corvette into a true world-class sports car.

For more information and pictures of the real car, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvette_%28C1%29

Wikipedia.com There was no doubt Chevrolet was in the sports car business with the release of the 1956 model. It featured a new body, a much better convertible top with power assist optional, real glass roll up windows (also with optional power assist), and an optional hardtop. The 3-speed manual transmission was standard. The Powerglide automatic was optional. The six-cylinder engine was gone. The V8 remained at 265 cubic inches but power ranged from 210 hp to 240 hp. The volume was 3,167, a low number by any contemporary standard and still less than 1954's 3,640, meaning this was the third lowest-volume model in Corvette history.

Visually the 1957 model was a near-twin to 1956. Engine displacement increased to 283 cu in, fuel injection became optional, and a 4-speed manual transmissionwas available after April 9, 1957. Fuel injection first saw regular use on a gasoline engine two years prior on the Mercedes-Benz 300SL "gullwing" roadster. Although the Corvette's GM-Rochester injection used a constant flow system, as opposed to the diesel style nozzle metering system of the Mercedes', the Corvette's engine nevertheless produced about 290 hp (gross). This was underrated by Chevrolet's advertising agency for the 283 hp 283 small-block V8 one hp per in³ slogan, making it one of the first mass-produced engines in history to reach 1 hp/cu in. Pushed toward high-performance and racing, principally by Zora Arkus-Duntov who had raced in Europe, 1957 Corvettes could be ordered ready-to-race with special options. Fuel injection was in short supply and 1,040 Corvettes with this option were sold.

Truck Of The Day: June 24, 2012

Today's car of the day comes from juantoo3's collection and is Welly's 1977 Chevrolet C/K-Series.

The C/K is the name for Chevrolet and GMC's full-size pickup truck line from 1960 until 1999 in the United States, from 1965 to 1999 Canada, from 1964 through 2001 in Brazil, and from 1975 to 1982 in Chile. The first Chevrolet pickup truck appeared in 1924, though in-house designs did not appear until 1930. "C" indicated two-wheel drive and "K" indicated four-wheel drive. The aging C/K light-duty pickup truck was replaced with the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra in 1999 in the US and Canada, and 2001 in Brazil; the Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD heavy-duty pickup trucks followed in 2001.

For the first Chevrolet C Series, made from 1911 to 1913, see Chevrolet Series C Classic Six, (the first Chevy).

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Chevrolet C/K-Series

A pickup converted into an airport stairway truck- definitely something you don't see in diecast frequently.  And of course, the side saddle controversy that proved "Dateline NBC" is a sensationalist outfit and not a real news program.  Not that it stopped people from watching...

An all-new clean sheet redesign of General Motors' Chevrolet and GMC brand C/K-Series pickups débuted in 1972 for the 1973 model year. Development of the new third generation trucks began in 1968, four years prior to production in 1972, with vehicle components undergoing simulated testing on computers, before the first prototype pickups were even built for real world testing. The redesign was revolutionary in appearance at the time, particularly the cab, departing from typical American pickup truck designs of the era. Aside from being near twins, the Chevrolet and GMC pickups looked like nothing else on the road. As a result, the third generation trucks quickly became known as the "rounded-line" generation; although some people may refer to them as "square bodys", given that the trucks appear square-like by more modern automotive design standards.

GM's design engineers fashioned the "rounded-line" exterior in an effort to improve aerodynamics and fuel efficiency, using wind tunnel technology to help them sculpt the body. Third generation design traits include "double-wall" construction, sleek sculpted body work, flared secondary beltline and an aerodynamic cab which featured rounded doors cutting high into the roof and steeply raked windshield featuring an available hidden radio antenna embedded into the glass.

There were two types of pickup boxes to choose from. The first type, called Fleetside by Chevrolet and Wideside by GMC, was a "double-wall" constructed full width pickup box and featured a flared secondary beltline to complement the cab in addition to new wraparound tail lamps. Both steel and wood floors were available. The second type, called Stepside by Chevrolet and Fenderside by GMC, was a narrow width pickup box featuring steps and exposed fenders with standalone tail lamps. Initially, only wood floors were available.

The wheelbase length was extended to 117.5 in (2985 mm) for the short wheelbase pickups, and 131.5 in (3340 mm) for the long wheelbase pickups. A new dual rear wheel option called "Big Dooley" was introduced on 1-ton pickups, along with a new Crew Cab option on the 164.5 in (4,178 mm) wheelbase. Crew Cabs were available in two versions: a "3+3" which seated up to six occupants and "bonus cab" which deleted the rear seat and added rear lockable storage in its place. The fuel tank was moved from the cab to the outside of the frame, and a dual tank option was available which brought fuel capacity to 40 US gallons. 1980 was the first year that a cassette tape could be purchased, along with a CB radio.

The rounded-line generation ultimately ran for a lengthy 15 model years (1973–1987) with the exception of the Crew-Cab, Blazer, Jimmy, and Suburban versions, which continued up until the 1991 model year.

The third generation of GM's full-size pickup line featured a design improvement that saw some criticism long after the model run ended. The fuel tank was relocated from the cab to outboard sides of one or both frame rails beneath the cab floor extending under the leading edge of the bed, commonly referred to as sidesaddle. This enlarged fuel capacity from 16 up to 40 gallons depending on wheelbase and the number of tanks. This also removed the tank from the passenger compartment.

According to a now debunked 1993 report which aired on Dateline, this placement made the trucks capable of exploding when involved in a side impact accident. The faked video was staged by an expert witness for hire against GM, Bruce Enz of The Institute for Safety Analysis. Enz used incendiary devices and a poorly fitting gas cap to create the impression of a dangerous vehicle. GM soon sued NBC over the false report, with the broadcaster settling the same day.

Fatality figures vary wildly. A study by Failure Analysis Associates (now Exponent, Inc.) found 155 fatalities in these GM trucks between 1973 and 1989 involving both side impact and fire. The Center for Auto Safety, Ralph Nader's lobbying group, claims "over 1,800 fatalities" between 1973 and 2000 involving both side impact and fire. Other commentators noted that regardless of any increased risk of fire, the GM trucks had statistically indistinguishable safety records in side-impact crashes from their Ford and Dodge equivalents.

In 1993 the bad publicity generated by the later debunked Dateline story spawned several class action lawsuits. As settlement GM offered owners $1000 coupons toward the purchase of a new truck with a trade-in of the old one. Even though the trucks met NHTSA 15 and 20 mph side impact crash test standards in place at the time of manufacture GM eventually settled with the NHTSA in 1994 for the amount of $51 million to be used for safety programs. The Fourth Generation (1988–2001) was designed and produced well before the lawsuits with one fuel tank inside the frame rails.

Car Of The Day: February 20, 2012

Today's car of the day is Welly's 1981 Porsche 935 Kremer K3.

The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976, as the factory racing version of the Porsche 911 turbo prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules. It was an evolution of the Porsche Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype, the second place overall finisher in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Beginning with the 1977 season, Porsche offered the 935 to customers entering the World Championship for Makes, in the IMSA GT championship and in the German Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM). The 935 went on to win the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans overall, and other major endurance races, including Sebring, Daytona, and the 1000 km Nürburgring. Of the 370 races it was entered, it won 123.

Usually, no other make could challenge the Porsche 935, due to the availability of customer models. Each race, at the time, typically featured at least five 935s. As racing became a crowd-pleaser, the diversity of the marque suffered. The large turbocharger was used with mechanical fuel injection which caused turbo lag followed shortly by a fireball spitting from the exhaust and an enormous amount of power (up to 800 hp). The dominance of the 935 was ended by the FIA rules changes coming in effect in 1982, when the six numbered groups were replaced by only three groups, A, B and C.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Porsche 935

I'm pretty sure this one is a Tomica copy.  The seperate cast wing is interesting, but it is not an opening feature.

For 1976, endurance racing had two World Championships: the 1976 FIA World Championship for Makes for Gr. 5 Special Production Cars, and the 1976 World Sportscar Championship season for Group 6 prototypes up to 3.0L. Accordingly, the 935 and the new Porsche 936 were the two-pronged Porsche effort for 1976. Each championship had 7 races, with only Dijon hosting both at the same weekend, while on two other weekends, the races were even run in different countries, which forced Porsche to divide its resources. Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass were the main drivers, if F1 schedule permitted. Rolf Stommelen, who was recovering from his bad crash in the 1975 Spanish GP, was the backup, along with Manfred Schurti.

Under Group 5 rules, also known as Silhouette rules, several significant modifications were allowed (including bodywork modifications, larger wings, wider axles and water cooling), provided that the basic silhouette of the car remain unchanged when viewed from the front. The 935 engine was a 560 hp (420 kW) (at 7900 rpm) version of the regular 3.0 L flat-6, with 60 mkp torque at 5400 rpm. Boost was between 1,35 and 1,55, consumption 52 litre per 100 km. Capacity was reduced to 2.85 L, and with the turbo charging penalty factor of 1.4, it fit into the 4.0 L class which had a prescribed minimum weight of only 970 kg (2,100 lb). Porsche, having lots of experience in lightweight cars, had managed to get the Carrera RSR prototype under 800 kg. The empty 935 tipped the scales at 900 kg, and weight distribution could be balanced with additional 70 kg. Preseason testing at the fast Paul Ricard circuit showed a top speed of 295 km/h.

Also, in addition to the naturally aspirated 340 hp (250 kW) Carrera RSR introduced in 1974, Porsche offered a customer racing version of the 911 Turbo prepared for the more standard Group 4 rules, the 485 hp (362 kW) Porsche 934. Some customer teams modified their 934 to Gr. 5 rules with body kits supplied by Porsche, these were often designated 934/5. Cologne-based Kremer Racing entered a 935 K1 built on a factory shell which in the first race, the 6h Mugello, finished 2nd behind the Martini Racing sponsored factory entry of Mass/Ickx. Porsches occupied the first seven places ahead of a BMW in 8th, which according to the 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 scheme meant that Porsche had now 20 points, and BMW 3. The factory 935 also scored pole, fastest lap and win at the 6h Vallelunga, where a BMW was second, though, with the best 934 being only 5th.

After the second race, the CSI rule makers insisted that the whale tail hood of the road-going 930 must fit on the race car. The air-to-air intercooler setup under the rear hood had to be altered to a more compact air-to-water layout, which cost Porsche several weeks of testing and half a Million Deutsche Mark.
The hastily modified 935 set again pole and fastest lap at the 6h Silverstone, but due to a clutch problem at the start, the Martini car could finish only 10th, with the 2nd-placed Kremer 935 collecting valuable points for Zuffenhausen. A private BMW 3.5 CSL had beaten it to the finish by a second. Even more worrisome was the fact that BMW Motorsport had entered also a turbo, a 3.2 CSL driven by Ronnie Peterson and Gunnar Nilsson. That new BMW had qualified only 1 second behind the factory 935, but two seconds ahead of the third placed Kremer 935. The powerful BMW did not last long in the race due to gearbox problems.

Initially, Porsche ran the 935 with the 911's original fender-mounted headlights, in two different guises: a sprint version with a wider version of its wheel arches, and a high speed version with modified aerodynamics. The sprint setup was rarely used. However, after carefully studying the rulebooks, Porsche engineers, namely Norbert Singer, discovered a loophole regarding the modifications of fenders that gave them the liberty to remove the headlights to reduce drag and create more downforce, to which the venting slits contribute. This flat nose (also known as the slant nose), with headlights in the front spoiler, became the distinguishing feature of the 935 and was later offered on the roadgoing 930 as the Flachbau, or "flatnose", part of Porsche's Sonderwunsch, or "special wish" program. Also, the 935 now had extended long tail rear fenders, similar to the low drag setup seen years ago on Carrera RS. These fenders also offered more space for engine periphery and efficient cooling.

The 1000 km Nürburgring, usually consisting of 44 laps, was run in 1976 as a 47 lap 1073 km race, putting even more strain on the new Gr. 5 machinery. With Mass and Ickx being at the 1976 Monaco Grand Prix, Rolf Stommelen and Manfred Schurti stepped in to drive the 935 which by now had the new look it became famous with. Probably with the help of higher turbo boost, Stommelen qualified the 935 on Pole with a stunning 7:37,5 (see List of Nordschleife lap times (racing)), while the BMW turbo did not take part. The fastest of only 9 race laps was just over 8min, though, as the engine was not sorted out set, and vibrations caused ignition failure. Again, a reliable Schnitzer Motorsport-entered normal BMW CSL took the win, with the customer 934 of Loos salvaging valuable second place points for Porsche.

The 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans counted towards neither World Championship, but Le Mans is often considered the real championship. For that race, it was possible to use the 935's well-tested original engine setup. The main battle was between the sportscars, with a Renault Alpine setting the pole. The 935 driven by Stommelen/Schurti qualified 3rd and despite the weight and drag of a Group 5 silhouette, finished 4th overall, with one of the Porsche 936 taking the win.

At Zeltweg, Ickx was back, setting the pole, but the throttle link broke before mid race. Derek Bell set fastest lap in the Kremer 935, but nonetheless two BMW Coupés won ahead of a private 934. Porsche had still a narrow lead in the points standings, but only the best 5 of the 7 events would count. BMW had now 3 wins compared to Porsche's two, which meant that Porsche had to win the final two races. The new engine setup was tested at Weissach in a modified 934 while the race cars were shipped overseas. At Watkins Glen, the regular race chassis 002 of Mass/Ickx needed an extra stop for new pads at the Porsche 917 derived brakes, and the test chassis 001 of Stommelen/Schurti won, with the best BMW being 4th. Porsche now had 3 wins and two seconds equaling 90 points, which meant that only another win could add 5 more points to their tally. BMW had also 3 wins, but only one second and a fourth, equaling 85 points. Without a competitive third brand, the winner of the final round would take the World Championship.

In Dijon, the turbo of BMW Motorsport was back, now with 3.5L, and this time the fast Swedes Peterson/Nilsson put it on pole, half a second ahead of Ickx. Again, the transmission was not as strong as the Bavarian Motor Works 750 hp engine, failing before the first of the 6 hours had passed. Three 935 plus two Gr. 5 spec 934/5 won ahead of the best normally aspirated BMW. The 935 and 936 had each won its Championship, and Le Mans, too. The age of turbo engines had begun in endurance racing.

As Porsche hesitated to sell their Evolution models, some teams developed their own ideas, especially Kremer Racing from Cologne, Germany. Parallel to the factory in 1976, they had built a 935 K1, and in 1977, modified their customer 935 to the K2. For 1979, they introduced the 935 K3 (for "Kremer Type 3"; the derivative of the successful K2). Driven mainly by Klaus Ludwig, it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979, beating all prototypes, in heavy rain, which is usually considered a disadvantage for race cars with windshields. Coming in second was a factory spec model, driven by Rolf Stommelen, and supported by team owner Dick Barbour and actor Paul Newman.

Facing strong competition in the 1980 DRM by the big Zakspeed Ford Capri, the K4 was introduced in mid 1981, for 400 000 Deutsche Mark. Porsche supplied an 3,1L engine with 750-800 hp at 1,5 bar boost for 91 000 DM in total.

Van Of The Day: January 12, 2012 (Belated)

Today's car of the day is Welly's 1983 Mercedes-Benz T1.

In 1977 Mercedes-Benz introduced a new van/truck (a.k.a. transporter), called T1 internally. Other designations were series TN and Bremen Transporter, since the vehicle was built in a factory near Bremen, Germany. The T1 was a durable vehicle, available as a minibus or fitted with a cargo box body or flat cargo bed. A double cab version was offered in the latter two configurations. Three wheel bases were available, with gross weight ratings ranging from 2.55 to 4.6 tonnes. Mercedes-Benz-built gasoline or diesel engines were available as powerplant options for the rear-wheel drive chassis. The T1 van was also used as a campervan conversion, being somewhat larger than the Volkswagen Transporter. Its closest European competitors were the Volkswagen LT and the Ford Transit. In 1995, after 18 years of production, the TN/T1 van series was discontinued, succeeded by the T1N "Sprinter".

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Mercedes-Benz T1

This is a recent purchase from Pegers (thanks Dan!).  This is very likely a copy of a Siku.

Market share was almost 90% for the Diesel engine and a little more than 10% for the petrol engine. While the petrol engine was mainly used for ambulances which needed the extra power, commercial buyers preferred the Diesel engine for its lower fuel consumption. The body styles were panel van, window van, pickup and pickup with double cab. Power outputs for the 4 cylinder engines were quite low, a result of the underpowered/over engineered style of engine design, which made for a leisurely driving experience, however the upshot of this was an engine that could potentially outlive the body of the van, so unstressed were they. Low gearing also meant that the vans were capable pullers, able to make best use of the power available whilst returning surprisingly good fuel economy for the large size of vehicle.

In September 1981 the 407 D and 409 D were added with a gross weight of 4,600 kg (10,141 lb). The 409 D had a bigger and more powerful Diesel engine with five cylinders, 3005 cc and 88 hp (65 kW), It was the OM 617 engine which was also used in the Mercedes-Benz 300D passenger car. Other revisions throughout the vans production were minor, the OM616 engine having a modified cylinder head which lowered the capacity from 2404 cc to 2399 cc, but producing slightly more power (72 bhp) and then later on to 2304 cc, producing 78 bhp (58 kW) and the van thus redesignated as 208D, 308D and 408D. The 5 cylinder variant was also changed from 3005 cc to 2898 cc, again producing slightly more power and the models re-designated 210D, 310D and 410D.

Super Celica To Wing Car: Toyota Supras In Small Scale

In 1979 Toyota added an inline six cylinder to the Celica and named it the Celica Supra (or Celica XX in Japan).  The Supra went through four generations before being discontinued in 2002.

The first generation was from 1979-1981 and visually the cars were very similar to the Celica.  The car was lengthened about 5 inches to accommodate the larger engine and there were a few other minor differences to tell them apart.  This generation Supra was offered by Matchbox (as an XX) and Yat Ming.  Tomica added a “Supra” sticker to their existing Celica casting, but this did not a Supra make.

Yat Ming MK I (in orange) & Tomica MK II (in white)


The second generation Celica Supra debuted in 1981 as a 1982 model.  The Japanese models were still known as the Celica XX, but the car remained the Celica Supra in the rest of the world.  The second generation Supra was differentiated from the Celica much more than the original car.  In addition to having the front stretched to accommodate the larger engine, the cars share no body panels in front of the doors.  The Supra had fully retracting headlights, a power bulge hood, and different (larger) taillights.  This generation of Supra was very popular in small scale with models from Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Tomica, Welly, Yat Ming, Zylmex, Summer, and others.  The Matchbox model featured an opening hatchback, while the Zylmex, Tomica, and Welly all had opening doors.  The Welly is a copy of the Tomica, with added details including a switch from right hand drive to left hand drive.

Tomica Limited MK II XX


While the Celica was completely redesigned for 1986, and switched to front wheel drive, the Supra remained rear wheel drive, continuing on as the Celica Supra through mid year, when the third generation Supra was released.  The MK III dropped the Celica moniker and retained rear wheel drive.  While this was the best selling Supra generation, surprisingly, there are very few replicas in small scale.  Tomica mocked up a prototype but it never entered production.  Bluebox released an ’87 Supra with a cast over rear window, and in the early 2000s Summer released a highly stylized (and unlicensed) MK III also.   The definitive MK III is CM’s rally car, however, a nice casting of a civilian MK III is a glaring omission in 1/64 scale.  This would make a great candidate for a Tomica Limited Vintage Neo.

CM’s MK III rally


In 1993 the final generation of Supra debuted.  The MK IV is usually considered the best of the breed by Supra enthusiasts, and is the first (and often only) Supra that comes to mind when someone hears the words.  Pop-up headlights were gone, twin turbos were added, and a spoiler reminiscent of the Dodge Charger Daytona & Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird was standard (at least on the turbo models).  The MK IV was replicated by Matchbox and Tomica when the car debuted, and a number of other manufacturers after it starred in “The Fast & The Furious”, among them Hot Wheels (the unlicensed “Super Tsunami”), Racing Champions, Jada, and Muscle Machines.  Johnny Lightning was supposed to revive the Racing Champions casting but they eventually canceled the line of “Fast And Furious” cars they were planning to release when the latest movie came out.

Racing Champions MK IV

Muscle Machines MK IV

Muscle Machines MK IV JGTC

Matchbox MK IV