Originally, I wanted to combine this wonderful 1908 poster with the usual layout of the Newsletter cover-page but try as I might, the result did not at all look good, so I am dispensing this time around with the enumeration of what you are about to read, and let you discover the new releases, as you are reading them.
So here it is, the Newsletter No. 14 of November 2020, the year we all would rather forget about!
1908 G.P. de Dieppe race circuit
From Moscow, we get this information about a handmade 1:43 scale model, of the Mercedes Grand Prix car No. 35, with which the driver Christian Lautenschlager won the 1908 “Grand Prix de l’ACF” (Automobile Club de France) in Dieppe, in the north of France.
Only 35 pieces of this Mercedes No.35 have been produced, and they have been made by CarManiac Atelier in Belarus. I suspect that our friends in Moscow have bought most of the models, so, if you want to order one for your collection, now is the time.
Its price is USD 300 (+ S&H), order can be placed at: Ds-13@mail.ru
Judging from the few pictures available, the model is a small jewel, certainly by far the best of all models of this car made previously.
Follow the race at least partially on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=9grePy-Ljlc&feature=emb_logo
Another interesting 1:43 model is being imminently released by Touchwood Models of Great Britain. It is the extraordinary 1905 Mercedes 60 HP x 2, also known as the “Flying Dutchman II”.
Driven by Herbert L. Bowden on January 31st, 1905 at Ormond-Daytona in the USA, the car was attempting a world speed record, however the car was disqualified by the AAA (American Automobile Association) for being overweight, exceeding 2204 lbs.
Nevertheless, this monster of a race car with its two 4 cylinder engines in tandem ran 1 mile in 32 and 4/5 seconds, meaning it reached the speed of 109.76mph (176,64km/h), which beat the existing record.
The model, available in kit only, can be purchased for £65 (+S&H) and paid for by Paypal from: stuart.delf@touchwoodmodels.com
Bizarre (Spark) announces an 8 inch or 20-centimeter long 1:43 model of a Mercedes-Benz record car von 1937, but this car remained a prototype project, with the designation “MicKl Mercedes”.
In 1937, Joseph Mickl the chief R&D engineer of Porsche filed a patent for a high speed vehicle, which made use of a wide range of techniques making it most probably the most advanced vehicle of its kind for that time. The “Mickl Mercedes” was never built, but the general lines evoke the shape of the Mercedes-Benz T80 land speed record car built in 1939.
The model is priced at around 117 Euro (+ shipping)
Over the years, I have often heard laments about there not being any 1:43 scale figures of quality available. Indeed they are few, and becoming fewer, those artisans who are producing good ones, painted and unpainted figures which could enliven the display cases. One such company, Omen Miniatures, located Wiltshire in the UK is a specialist in this field. If you think you are a master 1:43 figurine painter, each model costs on average 3,5 GBP to 5 GBP unpainted and if you are as talented as I am, then it will cost you between 14G BP and 20 GBP painted (depending on the complexity).
In Omen’s shop on their website, you can find whatever you are looking for: men, women, children, from the Victorian era to today, in a variety of styles, outfits, professions and poses. I shall limit myself mostly to a few pictures showing well-known race drivers who drove for Mercedes-Benz at one point or another, one among them being the unforgettable Michael Schumacher in a variety of “outfits” he wore over the years.
If you are interested, you can contact Nigel Smith at: nigel@omen-miniatures.com.
J.M. Fangio S.Moss
Michael Schumacher : 1993 – 1994 – 1995 – 1996 – 2000
In the last Newsletter issue, I reprinted the story of the discovery at a swap-meet in Sweden, of a 1:43 Mercedes-Benz 180D (Ponton)
made by Tekno, with right-hand steering.
First of all, for a reason that still eludes me, the introduction of the article, pointing out that this story was told by the owners of the “L’ Auto Jaune” - a shop in Paris (France) specialized in antique and obsolete 1:43 scale model cars - and the shop’s address as well, disappeared – which in plain English means that I totally forgot to include all that!
So, if you are ever in Paris these days (wear you Covid mask!), here is the address of this interesting shop (you can also buy online: https://www.autojauneparis.com):
L’Auto Jaune, 41 Rue Cavendish, 75019 Paris, France
This article about the Tekno Mercedes 180D got some reaction from one of our MBMC-members, Mr. Bengt Bengtsson, a Swede himself, who wrote that Mr. Espinasse from “l’ Auto Jaune” seemingly made a mistake.
Nevertheless, the mystery about the right-hand drive 180D model remains…
MBMC around the world, this time in Sweden.
I am always happy to receive “letters to the editor”, be that from our MBMC-members or from readers outside of the MBMC.
Over the years, aside from a couple of modelmakers who did not understand the concept of constructive criticism, all letters included some quite interesting facts, information, or life experiences, which – with the permission of the writer – I am happy to share with all readers of the Newsletter.
For your better understanding, the subject matter of the following letter covers the fact that until 1967 cars in Sweden had left-hand drive, but drove also on the left-hand side of the road, and the Tekno-model with its right-hand drive had been characterized by Mr. Espinasse as a prototype, aimed at the Swedish market (driving on the left) back in those years.
Here now, an interesting mail from our Swedish MBMC-member Mr. Bengt Bengtsson:
Hello Mr. Loosen,
In the context it does not seem a big deal, but since your newsletter strives for accuracy, I thought it prudent to mention this little detail, and I am glad that you took it for what it is. Furthermore, to continue minor corrections, Sweden changed from left hand to right hand driving in 1967. (*)
I do not know why the steering wheel was on the left side – it has always been that way as far as I can remember. When we were young and could only afford to look for old and cheap cars, the cars from the 50es and 60es all had the steering wheel on the left- hand side.
Writing these lines, old memories turn up. And one of them I would like to share with you.:
I took my driving license in 1981 in a Volvo, but I was already a Mercedes fan. At the age of 14, I spent the summer holidays working in a garage/petrol station selling IFA and pumping Caltex. Opposite was the main Mercedes- and DKW-dealer, and longstanding customers with IFAs with problems obtained their spare parts from DKW – a good way to keep customers happy. It was my duty to walk across the road to get the spare parts, and my face became known to the employees of the dealership. One day, there was a Mercedes 300SL in the showroom. I was lingering around it, so finally a dealer turned up and offered me to sit inside, behind the wheel. He opened the gullwing door and flipped back the steering wheel.
What a feeling! It was quite easy to get into the Gullwing, but not quite so easy to get myself out!
When I received my first salary, I walked across and bought a chrome MB-star (one of those to fit on the boot/trunk of the “Ponton” models). Mercedes Benz was a great name in Sweden at the time, what with the Kristianstad GP run every year and with the “silver arrows” taking the wins. I remember me and my friend – in 1980 – I think, went down to the ferry terminal to look at the departing MB-team, with the winning 300SLR on the famous blue transporter. We just had to touch the cars, and we did.
Four years later I was drafted into the National Service [compulsory military service]. It was not a happy time. We received pocket money weekly, just enough for a cup of coffee. We also got a couple of train tickets, and that was it.
We all wanted to go home over the weekends, and for us without wheels and money, the only option was to get on a train without tickets and getting into an argument with the ticket collector. But what could he do? Stop the train and kick us off, or report us to the police? Of course not! And all of us young guys in uniform had the support from the rest of the passengers. The alternative would have been hitchhiking, not always so pleasant an option in winter.
Well, I usually checked the ads for second-hand cars. And found a Mercedes 170 from 1950 at the price equivalent to 80 (eighty!) euros - I test drove it, and it was running ‘sweet as honey’. It was an old man’s machine, but it was simple and seemed very strongly built – as well, the interior was o.k. without tears and spots. The 40-45 HP were o.k. for our strict speed limits, and you could take four passengers in comfort. At the going rate, I thought, this car would be paid off within 6 months, at the most. I asked my father for a loan, but he said no. He never had a car, not even a driving license – so what did he know?
By the way, my first car was a VW from 1948, much modified – I bought in 1983 in Hamburg for 200 DM!
(*) Dagen "H" ('day H', "H" for Swedish högertrafikomläggningen = 'right-hand traffic conversion') is the name given to the conversion to right-hand traffic that took place in Sweden on Sunday, September 3, 1967 at 5 a.m.
Announcement
I am happy to announce that the Russian translation of the Newsletter is now available on the website: https://mb143.ru/news/
As well, this website created by Michael Sokovikov - a 1:43 Mercedes-Benz model enthusiast - is highly interesting for its contents and information of Mercedes-Benz models of all types, including rare Russian and Ukrainian models we seldom get to see.
I am also happy to announce the new www.mbmc.asia website, recently created by our longtime Australian member Dev Kuruppu. He too is a dedicated Mercedes scale model collector specialized in 1:43 scale. As the name of his website says, he aims to conquer the whole of Austral-Asia and possibly the whole of Asia for the MBMC!
Keep your posters, they may be an inheritance for your grandchildren!
This authentic 1908 poster sold at the Bonhams Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2013 for USD 17,500.00
For memory – Zur Erinnerung
important – wichtig
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It is payable to the MBMC-head office in Germany preferably by Paypal by sending it to: info@mbmc.de
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(с)BERND D. LOOSEN
