Hot Wheels 2011

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Saico 1/36 2007 Hummer H3

The Hummer H3 was a crossover SUV/Sport Utility Truck from General Motors' Hummer division introduced in 2005 based on the GMT355 underpinning the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon compact pickup trucks. Produced at GM's Shreveport, Louisiana factory and the Port Elizabeth plant in South Africa the H3 was the smallest of the Hummer models, and the first to be built by GM. It was available either as a traditional midsize SUV or as a midsize pickup known as the H3T.
The H3 features a two-speed, electronically controlled full-time four-wheel drive system that is suitable for both on-road and off-road driving in all conditions, with electronic locking front and rear differentials optionally available. Like its larger sibling the Hummer H2, the H3 can ford 24 inches (610 mm) of water (tested in depths up to 31 in/790 mm) at a speed of 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) and 16 inches (410 mm) of water at a speed of 20 miles per hour (32 km/h). Standard ground clearance is measured at 9.7 inches (250 mm) while the approach, departure, and breakover angles are measured at 37.4°, 34.7°, and 22.1° respectively, allowing the H3 to scale a 16-inch (410 mm) vertical wall and negotiate grades of 60% and side slopes of 40%. Though fore and aft recovery hooks are standard, a trailer hitch and wiring harness are optional.

Maximum towing capacities are 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) for the straight-5 with manual transmission, 4,500 pounds (2,000 kg) for the straight-5 with automatic transmission, and 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg) for the V8 with automatic transmission. Cargo volume with the second-row seats in the upright position is 25.0 cubic feet (0.71 m3), which expands to a maximum of 62.8 cubic feet (1.78 m3) when the seats are folded down. V8 models feature the lightest maximum payload capacity of just over 1,100 pounds (500 kg) while straight-5, manual transmission models allow the greatest payload at 1,300 pounds (590 kg).

reference: wikipedia

1/24 Bburago Bijoux Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole

This is a 1/24 scale replica of the Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole by Bburago. It is from their Bijoux Collection.
Features of this Item Include:

1.Diecast Body
2.Opening Doors
3.Opening Hood
4.Opening Trunk
5.Detailed Gauges
6.Manual Transmission

The Countach was the predecessor to the very successful Miura. The body was designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone, and given a mid-engine layout in two-door coupe configuration. It featured an attractive and curvaceous body with elegant lines and fitted with modern mechanical components and technology. The engine was mounted longitudinally and replaced the transverse layout of its predecessor. The transmission was now fitted in front of the engine offering excellent weight distribution. Power was sent to the rear wheels through a driveshaft, which ran in its own tunnel in the engine's sump. Top speed was achieved at nearly 200 mph with zero-to-sixty taking under six-seconds.

The Countach was first shown to the public at the 1971 Geneva Motorshow. It was dubbed the Countach LP500, for its five-liter powerplant. It was finished in an eye-catching bright sunflower yellow and had small air intake ducts. The production version, though similar in design, was a vast departure from the prototype version. The car customers received did not have the five-liter engine or the monocoque chassis. Instead, a four-liter derivative engine was mounted inside a tubular frame. Though the engine was smaller in displacement size, it was much more reliable and durable. The 5-liter unit had failed initial testing and was destroyed during a high speed test session. Part of the issue was the cars poor ability to keep the engine cool, which eventually resulted in larger air ducts.

The first series of Countach's were known as the LP400 followed by the LP400S in 1978. The engine was further increased in 1982 to 4.8 liters and the model designation changed to LP500s. The LP500S was Lamborghini's response to Ferrari's 'Boxer' car, the 365 GT4. It was called 'Boxer' because it used a horizontally opposed engine which resembled a boxer boxing. Ferrari's response to the LP500S was the Testarossa. Once again, Lamborghini answered by creating the Quattrovalvole that produced 455 horsepower.

Del Prado 1/43 1966 Lamborghini Miura

“I have had all the most beautiful GTs in the world, but in each of them, I have found defaults: too slow, too incomfortable, too hot or bad finished. Now, I want to build a car without default. Not a technical masterpiece, but very normal, very conventional: a perfect car.”

These are the words of Ferruccio Lamborghini when he presents his first car, the 350GTV in 1963. But when the Miura appears, in 1966, one can not say that it corresponds exactly to that program: the Miura is surely not conventional, normal, perfect or too slow, but it is definitively a technical masterpiece.

Ferruccio Lamborghini is a self-made man. This Emilian (he was born in Cento da Ferrara in 1916) comes from a modest farming family and is proud, exigent and decided. After putting on several success-full business (tractors in 1948, oil burners, air conditioners and even écran) and owning the best automobiles available, he decides it is time to satisfy his passion for aesthetic creation and noble mechanic. His difficulties with his personnal Ferraris (persistant clutch and transmission problems) and the condescension that Enzo Ferrari demonstrats to him (“Lamborghini, take care of your tractors and I will take care of my cars”, after another visit at the Ferrari factory) probably helps him taking his decision. At the noon of his life, he tries something very audacious: creating a new automobile marque. His first idea is to build “an italian E-type Jaguar”. He also once says that “six cylinders is enough”, thinking of the Jaguar. Luckily, he does not keep promise.

“Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini SAS” is officially founded in 1963, but as early as 1962, Ferruccio Lamborghini have the flair to pick up first-class personnel: Giotto Bizzarrini (ex-Ferrari engineer, the 250 GTO was his) for designing the V-12 engine and as project-engineer; GiamPaolo Dallara (also ex-Ferrari engineer where he worked with Carlo Chiti and ex-Maserati engineer where he worked with Giulio Alfieri, his relative) as chief engineer; Paolo Stanzani has engineer; Robert “Bob” Wallace (a New-Zealander who have been a mechanic for various team) who would soon become the chief test-driver; and various technicians (italians, germans and even japanese).

Ferruccio Lamborghini does not take shortcuts: early in 1963, he buys 90 000 m2 of land in Sant’Agata Bolognese near Modena and he builds a 15 000 m2 factory. “Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini SAS” is entirely financed by the pocket of Ferruccio Lamborghini (an almost 500 millions Liras investment at the time).

The first Lamborghini, the 350 GTV, is a prototype designed by Franco Scaglione. The first castings for the engines are made by ATS, Carlo Chiti’s firm and the chassis is fabricated by Neri e Bonacini. The car is assembled and the tractor plant in Cento. It receives a rather cold welcome at the first press presentation (26th october) and then at the Torino Salone in november 1963. It is more of a styling exercise, without an engine in it. The first true production car, the 350GT, with revised bodywork by Touring, is a good and refined car, technically advanced compared to contemporary Ferraris, Maseratis and others. It establishes Lamborghini as a serious and competent car maker, and also ... Ferrari’s rival.

From the beginning, it is obvious that Lamborghini isn’t interested into racing (mainly for commercial reasons but also because Ferruccio fears for his son, Tonino, who would have been attracted by competition), so Bizzarrini resignes quickly and goes to other projects (like Iso cars and then Bizzarinni cars, among others). Dallara and his team work on “detuning” a bit the engine and on the car that became the 350 GT (that soon evolves into the 400 GT and then the 400GT 2+2).

The Miura is born from after-hours discussions beetween Dallara, Stanzani, Wallace and others of what should be a new GT, but with possible racing version as an ulterior motive. The “revolutionary” idea, from these days standards, is to relocate the engine in a central-rear position and transversaly in an entirely new chassis, but using “in-house” components. Touring and Bertone are contacted to skin the chassis and finally Bertone is choosen. The car is designed and built only in a few months. Marcello Gandini, the young Bertone’s designer, has the genious to sign a real masterpiece (1). This fact alone is largely responsible for the success of the car.

The Miura is definitively the star of the 36th Salon de Genève in March 1966. It is a totally new automobile that is so radical, so technically advanced, so low, so sexy. Words like “400 hp, 1 meter high, 300 km/h” are exploding all over the place. It is an immediate and exceptional success. The car is trully an aesthetic masterpiece as well as a technical bomb. Already, at the Torino Salone, November 3rd 1965, the radical chassis, almost race-car like, with its mid-engined transverse V-12, from a manufacturer only 2 years old, causes enthusiasm but also scepticism from others.

Lamborghini is the victim of its success: orders are coming from all over and the car has not even did a single km! The initials plans are to sold 50 cars. Dallara has the task of putting this dream car into a real coherent road car. Production have to start very soon. Bob Wallace and Guerrino Bertocchi are responsible for active road tests. Development of the car is done in a hurry and the first car is delivered very late 1966. In fact, the car is sold so soon that it is not properly developed (total prototype testing did not exceed 15000 km when the first Miuras are sold). Hopefully, development continues and the Miura will evolved into 3 versions : the P400, the P400S and the P400SV.

The Miura is definitively the car that made the Lamborghini name famous. Without the Miura, perhaps Automobili Lamborghini would not have survived. It even helped creating a new niche on sports-car market: the “super-cars”. The perfect symbiose between technique (Lamborghini) and style (Bertone ) was achieved like never before. Even now, few cars (maybe no cars) have reached that balance or have had the same impact. Viva Miura!

source: lamborghinimiura.com

Del Prado 1/43 Ford GT40 MK II

After an increasingly successful two year program, Ford and their partner Shelby American continued to campaign the GT40 in prototype endurance racing. The 1965 version of the GT40 proved itself capable and was primary opposition for Ferrari's P2. For the new season, Ford concentrated on developing the Mark Two GT40 which would compete against Ferrari's radically different 330 P3.

The early 427 GT40

During the 1965 LeMans, Ford received much attention for two large-displacement GT40s entered in the race. These two cars were prepared by Kar Kraft, a subsidiary of Ford run by Roy Lunn. They chopped up the GT40 chassis to accept the 427 CID Galaxie engine. Unfortunately, development time on these cars was short and the decision to run them at Le Mans was unexpected.

The initial performance of the 427 GT40 was promising. The car could reach 210 mph down the Mulsanne straight and qualified almost ten seconds faster than any Ferrari. During the opening hours of the race, prototype GT40s were in the lead. Unfortunately transmission problems arose, retiring both cars. Afterwards, it was clear that the 427 GT40 would be the car to race and a more robust transmission was necessary to make the distance.

The 1965 car left many problems which Kar Kraft could not have reversed during their short development time. Although the car was basically the same as the Mark I it had several hundred additional pounds of reinforcing and a longer nose which interfered with aerodynamics. Even though these problems arose, it was decided that the relatively cheap, NASCAR-proven 427 would power the 1966 Mark Two GT40.

source : supercars.net

Del Prado 1/43 Mini Cooper 1967 Monte Carlo Rally

The Mini was simply perfect for rally racing right from the start, six works cars making their appearance in the 1960 Monte Carlo Rally just six months after the Mini had made its debut in the market. Private drivers entered six more of these brand-new, small but mighty performers. Back then, however, the newcomer was not yet particularly competitive, Riley/Jones finishing 23rd in the fastest Mini. A year later the small cars from Britain were not successful, either, none of the three works cars entered in the race reaching the finish line.

All this changed dramatically in 1962, when Rauno Aaltonen, the Flying Finn, entered the spectacular Rally for the first time at the wheel of a Mini Cooper. Unfortunately, this very nearly might have been his last Rally, too, with his car rolling over in an accident, landing on the roof and catching fire. Aaltonen just had a few seconds to get out before his Mini became a complete victim of the flames.
Only two other works Minis remained in the race, finishing the Rally as No 26 and 77. But two more names also appeared in the list of entrants, destined to hit the headlines in the not too distant future together with the MINI: This was the year in which Timo Mäkinen entered Monto Carlo the first time in a Mini Cooper, albeit as a private driver. And the Sunbeam Rapier finishing third overall was driven by an Irishman called Patrick Hopkirk.

Mini Coopers in the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally were driven by the Three Musketeers Aaltonen, Hopkirk and Mäkinen being joined by Simo Lampinen and Tony Fall. Entering the event with starter number 177, Rauno Aaltonen/Henry Liddon finally ended up in first place, 12 seconds faster than the Lancia finishing second. All other Mini Coopers likewise saw the chequered flag, Hopkirk finishing 6th, Fall 10th, Lampinen 15th, and Mäkinen 41st.

source: The Italian Job

Onyx 1/43 Opel Vectra Opel Team Holzer STW97 Uwe Alzen