MODEL MANIA
AFORE Mustangs than are I ’ x produced by Ford, more Sting Rays than are produced by Chevrolet, and more Berlinettas than are produced by Ferrari—that is the output of a 2000-employee factory in Wales. But none of the cars is more than a few inches long, reports the magazine “Sports Illustrated.” The models are enjoying a boom in many parts of the world, but particularly in the United States, where sales this year are reported to be at least 300 per cent up on last year. The models have opening doors and bonnets, and in one, the James Bond • Aston Martin D. 8.5, the unwelcome passenger can be ejected through the roof. This model was selected as Britain’s toy of the year.
The models are often made from blueprints supplied by the car manufacturers: one model has the correct number of spokes in the wheels. In at least one case a British car maker has supplied a model factory with blueprints of a new model before it was announced, so that the model could be announced at the same time as the full-sized car.
Car models are also proving popular in New Zealand, with both built-up scale models and do-it-yourself kits in good demand. In some cases the models are bought by collectors, in many cases they are bought for children, and many adult buyers admit they just want a scale model of a car they have owned, own now, or just wish they could own.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31112, 15 July 1966, Page 11
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248MODEL MANIA Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31112, 15 July 1966, Page 11
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