1956 DeSoto Adventurer by Collector's Classics

In this article  have a collectible rarity and beauty in one: The famous 1956 DeSoto Adventurer by Collector's Classics!
The DeSoto Adventurer is an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation and sold under its DeSoto automotive marque from 1956 through the 1960 model year.

The 1956 Adventurer was DeSoto's top-level answer to the Chrysler 300B. Both were high performance vehicles with top speeds of 144 mph. Besides speed, the popularity of the Adventurer was enhanced by its strikingly good looks. These cars were based on the legendary designer Virgil Exners Forward Look body. The Adventurer boasts a stunning exterior with a color-sweeping paint scheme, a pillarless hardtop, chrome bumpers accents, taillights ascending up the rear fins, Gold name plates, spoke wheels, cleverly placed rear-view mirrors, and a jet inspired windshield. Exterior colors were restricted to three colors in six combinations: white/gold, black/gold and the extremely rare white/black. By reversing colors, you had six combinations from which to choose.
The Adventurer's manual was signed by DeSoto President L. Irving Woolson. "It isn't very often that any man or woman has the opportunity to see one's dream come true," he wrote, "but a dream of ours has become a reality in your new DeSoto Adventurer. We believe it to be the finest DeSoto ever built. May I congratulate you on your choice of this superb automobile."
These words describe my feelings at the magnificent model Desoto Adventurer by Collector's Classics - Buby. Buby was the original name of the company which first sold model cars in Buenos Aires in about 1958.  It was founded by Harolodo "Buby" Mahler.  The quality of Collector's Classics was excellent for the era. Each model was assembled by a person who signed a sticker attached to the base plate. I love this detail - my model is made by Gladys - many greetings to my unknown… When it comes to detail and quality, the Buby's Collector's Classics line is without equal. Similar, somewhat, to the vehicles produced by Brooklin Models, the Collector's Classics line is much more affordable and highly coveted by collectors world over.  All chrome parts are metal, not plastic! Model wears a nice hand-rubbed paint, and a very detailed beige matching interior and real white wall rubber tires. This is one of only 3.000 units produced in this original color scheme white/gold, individually numbered in the chassis casting and on the perfect box. Numbered Certificate included - No.00298.

Unfortunately, this Argentinian company is no longer in business, so many of these vehicles are becoming increasingly harder to find as the years slip by. I can imagine the fantastic quality of the Collector's Classics models with today's technological possibilities!!

Manufacturer:	Collector's Classics
Scale:	1/43
Year of Production:	1987
Part Number:	00000
Material:	DieCast
Rating:	9/10

1956 Oldsmobile 98 Starfire Convertible by Franklin Mint

The Oldsmobile 98 (a Series 90 with an 8-cylinder engine, hence the Ninety-Eight) was a full-size automobile and the flagship model of the Oldsmobile division of General Motors and related  Cadillac Series 62. This is fourth generation (1954-56).
 Oldsmobile first used the Starfire name on a one-off show car at General Motors’ 1953 Motorama auto show held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Named after the Lockheed F-94 jet fighter plane.
The top of the line body-style was the Convertible and sold for $3380. A total of 8,581 examples of the convertible were produced for 1956. The car comes with the famous Oldsmobile Rocket V8 motor coupled to a Hydro-matic transmission.
What we have here is a Franklin Mint 1956 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Starfire Convertible beautifuly finished in a two-tone pale blue and white, the convertible roof is also white.
Model has opening doors, hood, chrome-plated driver's side rearview mirror, sculpture exhaust tips, whitewall tires, and 'spinner' wheel covers. The interior has black and white upholstery with matching black carpeting, a black padded dash with a white painted lower half. Deluxe steering wheel with horn ring, deck lid '98' script, back-up light moldings. Absolutely perfectly detailed chassis on this scale has no competition.
Nice detail - word STARFIRE is spelled out across the lower portion of the front fender and side trim permitted attractive two-tone finish.
This outstanding example is one of top stars from Franklin Mint Extension Set of Classic Cars of the 50s. Twenty-year-old  die cast model to preset a high standard of quality you can get on eBay.

Franklin Mint 1956 Oldsmobile 98 Starfire Convertible

This is a rocket it would move on down the road!

Manufacturer:	Franklin Mint
Scale:	1/43
Year of Production:	1990
Part Number:	UO23
Material:	DieCast
Rating:	10 / 10

1954 Dodge 500 Royal Convertible by Brooklin Models

Dodge, is an American brand of automobiles manufactured by Chrysler Group, Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles presently include the lower-priced badge variants of Chrysler-badged vehicles, though for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above Plymouth.
 The 1954 Dodge Royal 500 Convertible was a pretty and quite desirable Dodge that was a package model fashioned after the Royal convertible that paced the 1954 Indianapolis 500. The 500 package included Kelsey-Hayes chrome plated wire wheels, an exterior spare tire mount, special trim, and a 150-bhp version of Dodge's Red Ram V-8.
The model  from the year 1990 has a little bid hard lines but the styling is good despite too high body. Extremely good are the chrome parts including the radiator grille, hood ornament, hint of the fins and spare tire mount. Strange impression of the semi-gloss black canvas roof  is followed by Pace Car Yellow color. This Brooklin model is easy to buy, even after years.

Brooklin 1954 Dodge Royal 500 Convertible

1954 Indianapolis Official Pace Car

Manufacturer:	Brooklin Models
Scale:	1/43
Year of Production:	1990-1993
Part Number:	BRK 030
Material:	White Metal
Rating:	7/10

1963 Studebaker Avanti by Franklin Mint

The Studebaker Avanti was a personal luxury coupe built by the Studebaker Corporation between June 1962 and December 1963. Studebaker itself referred to the Avanti as "America's Only 4 Passenger High-Performance Personal Car!" in its sales literature.
Designed by Raymond Loewy's team on a 40-day crash program, the Avanti featured a radical fiberglass body design mounted on a modified Studebaker Lark Daytona 109-inch convertible chassis with a modified 289 Hawk engine.
The front had no conventional grille - just an air scoop below a thin bumper. The hood had an asymmetrical hump, and the interior featured aircraft-style instrumentation and controls, some placed above the windshield. Occupants sat in four slim-section bucket seats as in Alfa Romeo or other Italian sport car.
The original Studebaker Avanti has been described as "one of the more significant milestones of the postwar industry". Nevertheless, this model did not save Studebaker from the abyss. The factory doors closed in December 1963 thanks to poor production rates.
My Franklin Mint model looks a bit oversized. The model has great detail the actual car:  designed sport chrome mirrors typical for sixties, chrome wheel covers, Avanti logo on all sides, interior doors chrome trimmed  panels and color of the original Avanti Gold bodywork. Impressive are chrome frames of all windows. Not only chrome-faced, but faithfully quality chrome. Nice interior and detailed chassis.  For a Franklin well-fitting doors and bonnet.
It is a model of the iconic car, but does not look too American.

Franklin Mint 1963 Studebaker Avanti

Manufacturer:	Franklin Mint
Scale:	1/43
Year of Production:	1988
Part Number:	PY77
Material:	DieCast
Rating:	7/10

1940 Ford Sedan Delivery by Brooklin Models

BRK 09 - 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery - Black

Brooklin Models - 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery

The 1940 Ford car line was a great styling statement, and so was the 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery derivation. Many connoisseurs of design declare it one of the most beautiful commercial vehicles ever.
A sedan delivery, commonly called a delivery, is a two-door station wagon with driver and front passenger seats or driver's only seat, and steel sheet-metal panels in place of rear side windows. Sedan deliveries have spartan interior trim and were used by businesses ranging from plumbers, couriers and local merchants such as bakeries as cargo vans are used today.
A total of 5,325 Ford Sedan Deliverys were built with a sticker price of around $700.00. This vehicle is equipped with a- 85 bhp, 221 cu. in. L-head V-8 engine, three-speed sliding gear manual transmission. Ford also introduced sealed-beam headlights in 1940, finally eliminating the persistent problem of moisture degradation, with their housings also incorporating the parking lights into one single unit.
New pivoting glass wings in each front door offered improved ventilation. A split, fixed windshield with cowl-mount wipers was standard.

Brooklin Models 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery Van "Ford Service" - black, light tan interior. Brooklin produced more than 5000 of these in a variety of liveries between 1979 and 1993. This is the standard model with Ford logos and sign "O'Neil Ltd Sales, Parts, Service" that was discontinued in 1991. Despite this fact, it is still easy-to-find model. Black color model fits well. Beautifully curved lines of the car are captured perfectly, chrome bumpers, grill and lights. White wall tires are nice, and was really on the car.

1937 Lincoln Le Baron Convertible Sedan By Brooklin Models 

Manufacturer:	Brooklin
Scale:	1/43
Production Year:	1979 - 1991
Part Number	BRK 09
Color:	Black
Material:	White Metal
Rating:	6/10

1968 Dodge Charger R/T by Franklin Mint

One of the more memorable Command Performances of the 60s was the completely restyled 1968 Dodge Charger R/T. This gritty semi-fastback offered the public a sport car look without breaking the bank. The car was restyled to give it a more menacing look.  The rear taillights were changed from full length to smaller red circular lights similar to those on the Corvette. The R/T performance option was also added this year. The car came with a 440 Magnum engine and "shark-like" body styling. and the car appeared in numerous Hollywood movies.
 All recaptured in a remarkable 1:43 scale die-cast replica Franklin Mint. The full, unbroken front grille is deeply recessed and the friction cheating hood featured twin, simulated air scoops. From the vertical rear deck to the 440 Magnum V-8 engine and complete undercarriage, every feature is state-of-the-art in die-cast engineering. Model is painted Sunfire Yellow, one of the car´s original 16 color choices. Bumble Bee racing stripes were standard and buzzed across and down the sides of the sporty rear fenders. The vinyl roof on model was standard. The nice detail is gas cap - using an Indianapolis pitstop idea, the car featured a quick fill gas cap.

Franklin Mint 1968 Dodge Charger R/T

Manufacturer:	Franklin Mint
Scale:	1/43
Year of Production:	1998
Part Number:	XF71
Material:	DieCast
Rating:	9/10

1953 Kaiser Manhattan by Brooklin Models

Originally formed as the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation in 1945, the firm was reorganized in 1953 under the name Kaiser Motors Corporation.
The trend-setting 1951 Kaiser got a newly named top-line series the following year: the 1952-1953 Kaiser Manhattan 4 door sedan with exeptional styling.  Kaiser claimed that the 1953 Manhattan was America’s first “safety-first car,” based on the pop-out windshield and heavily padded dash and seat back. A wide chrome band wrapped around the cars' lower bodies included a heavier bumper/grille combination, smooth teardrop taillights, small chrome tailfins rested atop the rear fenders, and the front fenders were decorated with script nameplates.  The engine was the "Supersonic Six," the long-running L-head straight-six cylinder that displaced 226.2 cubic inches 118 horsepower. This was unfortunate because the competition was offering high-output eight-cylinder variants that were more powerful and offered more performance.
Kaiser suffered the ultimate fate of all independent American auto manufacturers in the postwar period. While sales were initially strong because of a car-starved public, the company did not have the resources to survive long-term competition with GM, Ford, and Chrysler.
It is interesting that the car was assembled at various locations around the world, such as in the Netherlands under the name Rotterdam, by Nekaf (Nederlandse Kaiser-Frazer Fabrieken),  in Argentina under the name Carabela by Industrias Kaiser Argentina S.A.,  or in Haifa, Israel.

Brooklin produces several color variants of this interesting model. This model is a limited (500 pcs) edition finished in black and was issued for Modelcars in Rotterdam. The model faithfully reproduces the characteristic design including  very unique heart shaped windshield, a wide chrome band  around the car and beautiful chrome tailfins. Interier is in Light Blue.  Model is a tough, well-treated, as is Brooklin.

Manufacturer:	Brooklin Models
Scale:	1/43
Year of Production:	1995
Part Number:	BRK 29X
Material:	White Metal
Rating:	7/10

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air by Franklin Mint

The 57 Bel Air is one of those classics that everyone seems to love.
This i a second generation Bel Air - full-size automobile that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors in model years 1955-57.
The 1957 Bel Air is among the most recognizable American cars of all time; iconic body style, well-maintained examples, especially Sport Coupes and Convertibles are highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts. They are roomy, with tastefully restrained, period use tail fins and chrome. Graceful front and rear wheel openings completed the "speedline" restyling. Single housings incorporated the taillight, stoplight, and backup light, and the left one held the gas filler - an idea popularized on Cadillacs.

The Bel Air become one of America’s most popular production car, the car of the rock-and-roll generation, representing independent, style and flair.

These two obsolete Franklins stunning Bel Air 1957 with superb attention to detail, accurate wheels, detailed red/black or silver interior with correctly contoured seats, dashboard, door cards, realistic lights, all badges, grilles and vents, looks as awesome as the real thing!
Convertible is finished in Matador Red, Hardtop Coupe in Onyx Black with Pale White top.

1957 Chevy Bel Air Coupe and Convertible

1957 America Most Popular Car

Manufacturer:	Franklin Mint
Scale:	1/43
Year of Production:	1990 Convertible 1998 Coupe
Part Number:	UK09 Convertible WM05 Coupe
Material:	DieCast
Rating:	9/10