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Post by 105epaul on Dec 18, 2023 12:16:46 GMT -5
Pretty good haul Jerry, shame that the auction house and some packers were fairly useless. I know which blue Somerville Fordson you refer to! They usually do not fetch high prices here either but definitely more than $15. Mr Frankenheimer used to visit the original St Martins shop and buy models when he was in London, apparently he was a nice unassuming guy. I wish I had the space to have display cabinets such as he did though, need a large lottery win.
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oldirish33
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Post by oldirish33 on Dec 18, 2023 12:47:35 GMT -5
Thanks for the recommendation, Ian!  You can't go by their website as they show many lots as unsold, including ones I bought, so know its not accurate. They have been adding unsold lots to their other auctions, so you can watch those. One thing I forgot to mention is their website leaves much to be desired. Their search feature is pretty good, but for example, there were no links to the other auction pages on a three day auction. |
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oldirish33
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Post by oldirish33 on Dec 19, 2023 13:20:36 GMT -5
Wow, what a roller coaster ride Jerry! You did more than OK though, that's a fantastic batch! Welcome to my world where every model needs either reassembly or cleaning... I've been trying to stay away from that Tom, but lately it seems I have had a batch of models that I either bought or arrived disassembled. Glad I have a bin of spare parts!  Well done, Jerry! You got yourself some really interesting models! Thanks Julio! I only started out being interested in two or three in the collection, but as it progressed it developed into quite a few more I figured I couldn't live without at the price. How sad. You spend your life building an amazing collection, only to see it disposed of like that. I think it demonstrates that you need to plan for how your collection will eventually be disposed of, because no one knows your collection better than you do. Looking forward to seeing how you incorporate the fish mongers can in a diorama Jerry. Maybe you can use it in a diorama of the harbour front at Monaco! I think the auction genre itself is not a bad way to sell (just need to have carefully vetted the auction) and the reality of keeping the collection intact when you are gone is not a likely reality. You are so right, you need to plan and if for no other reason, to lessen the burden on a surviving spouse of kids. As I march into my 70's that is what I am trying to do. Note I said trying. I don't really know how or when, if ever I would use the van Ian. Upon a closer look, it is a Ford demonstration van. Very cute, but it needs to move along.  Some excellent bargains had there Yes, maybe too much so Paul but some nice rarities for my Ferrari collection. The ones you grabbed are a collection in themselves. It may have taken some time out of your day, but that was time (and money) well spent. The Thomson 512 is worth the price of admission alone. As it turned out, it was a cold, very rainy weekend, so it was pretty easy to sit and watch the auction at times (and too many times saying to myself, "well that's worth more than $20".) Good thing there were others that wanted some more than I, or I would probably have doubled the haul!  The 512 BB LM was one of the ones I was originally drawn to Martin. It will likely be the sole 512 BB LM representative I keep in my collection. An AMR, built by master builder Buzz Lockwood for $60 incl. shipping was a very good deal indeed. Pity the packing company did such a ham fisted job of packing, but it is easily repairable, just time. No way of knowing how they arrived at that figure Ian other than a WAG. I'm sure they sold the estate on that figure, but certainly didn't play out that way. If it had been in the hand of Vectis or another specialist auction house it would probably have been a much different (better) result.  Pretty good haul Jerry, shame that the auction house and some packers were fairly useless. I know which blue Somerville Fordson you refer to! They usually do not fetch high prices here either but definitely more than $15. Mr Frankenheimer used to visit the original St Martins shop and buy models when he was in London, apparently he was a nice unassuming guy. I wish I had the space to have display cabinets such as he did though, need a large lottery win. As I have mentioned Paul, yes in a nut shell, they were fairly useless. On one hand though, we don't know who was holding the estate and it just may have been a huge relief to them to have the collection gone, money not being the primary objective. According to Wikipedia, his wife is now 87, perhaps selling the house where the collection was housed, who knows? I'll bet he was a very valued customer at St. Martin's. I think he would have been an interesting guy to have a conversation with about cars and models. |
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Post by jager on Dec 20, 2023 4:36:28 GMT -5
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oldirish33
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Post by oldirish33 on Dec 20, 2023 13:02:45 GMT -5
Its all in the marketing and getting bidders to the table. In this instance, perhaps they did. I am a bit surprised on the Breadvan bid, but someone wanted it badly enough. Some good bargains were had I'm sure. |
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oldirish33
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Post by oldirish33 on Feb 26, 2024 12:21:44 GMT -5
Rare Bird - I first became aware of BTS Mouldings about a year ago thanks to Paul (LM24HRS). Through Paul I got a list of the models that Barry at BTS makes. All are primarily unique British cars which ran at Le Mans in the 1950's and early 60's. This Austin Healey Sprite model was not on that list, but popped up recently with a seller I follow on eBay. Like all BTS models, it is handmade in resin, simply cast and while well finished, perhaps not as well detailed as many resin cast models by larger makers today. However, this is a model that no one has done to my knowledge, even in kit form, so to help complete my Healey and Austin Healeys at Le Mans collection, it is a very welcome addition. Austin Healey Falcon Sprite Le Mans - Le Mans, 1960 - BTS MouldingsIn late 1959, Geoff Healey bought a fiberglass Falcon body and had the Experimental Dept. at Healey fit it to a Sprite chassis, using modified Sprite suspension, gearbox and rear axle. With an eye towards Le Mans, the car was given a 1.0L (994cc) BMC Formula Junior engine which produced 67 BHP. Disc brakes were fitted on each corner and the finished car done in three weeks, weighed 300 lbs. less than a standard Sprite. The car made its first race appearance at Sebring in 1960, where it finished 1st in class.  Accepted late for Le Mans entry, some last minute rule changes required that the body be modified for a full height glass windscreen and the mandatory space for luggage, tools and a spare. Suitable aluminum panels and a hasty windscreen were fabricated (to the detriment of the cars looks), and aerodynamics. The car was entered in the prototype class, with John Dalton and John Colgate (substituting for the injured John Sprinzel) driving. They drove the car at an average speed of 85.63 MPH, finishing 16th overall and 1st in class, despite a worsening oil leak in the final hours.  As a additional note, the small Healey team from Warwick in the UK entered each Le Mans from 1960-1969, a feat only equaled by Porsche and Ferrari. After Le Mans, the team raced the car again at the Nassau speed weeks after which it was sold and stayed in the USA where it ran in club races into the 1960s before disappearing. Rediscovered on an Ohio farm in the 1970s in badly deteriorated condition, it still awaits restoration today. The Falcon Sprite at Sebring, 1960 
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Post by Tom on Feb 26, 2024 12:32:23 GMT -5
What a cool mini-racer!
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Post by reeft1 on Feb 26, 2024 16:00:58 GMT -5
Quirky cool
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Post by Alfaholic on Feb 26, 2024 20:02:17 GMT -5
Box ticked I'd say. The mods required for LM at that time ruined the looks of many a racer, not just this one. A perfect addition to your collection.
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Post by Scalainjridesagain on Feb 27, 2024 3:08:58 GMT -5
Fabulous. Never heard of it so new to me and i like it, though less the full height windscreen
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Post by 105epaul on Feb 27, 2024 12:56:00 GMT -5
What Andy said. Barry used to have a stand at a swapmeet in the town of Maidstone, Kent that I used to attend and I did buy some stuff from him over the years be it one of his models or a nicely restored Dinky Cortina rally car as an example. Nice guy who has made a lot of models over the years and they are sought after on the second hand market as they are hard to find. There was an online auction a year or so ago that had a number of his creations for sale but I cannot recall if I won any of them.
The Falcon Sprite needs to be restored doesn't it?
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Post by jager on Feb 27, 2024 17:37:47 GMT -5
Nice to fill a gap in your Healey collection Jerry, though the model feels a bit like a caricature of the real thing to me. The actual car looks a lot lower, wider and sleeker than the model to me.  There is a 1:43 kit of the Falcon made by GCAM, but that also has some shortcomings with oversized wheels. However, that should be relatively easy to fix. Obviously in the case whoever built the kit also got the colour wrong.   |
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oldirish33
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Post by oldirish33 on Feb 28, 2024 17:06:21 GMT -5
A product of its time I'd say. Its impossible to imagine today buying a fiberglass body to fit to a production car chassis, using mostly stock components and being ready to run in major races in three weeks. And yes, I agree its cool Tom. Box ticked I'd say. The mods required for LM at that time ruined the looks of many a racer, not just this one. A perfect addition to your collection. Thanks Martin. Yes, just one Sprite left to collect, the 1964 that ran at Le Mans. MeaKit43 makes one, but I haven't been able to pull the trigger on it due to price. Fabulous. Never heard of it so new to me and i like it, though less the full height windscreen Like many small bore cars of it's time Andy, it was overshadowed by the larger cars it was running against at the time. I have known about it for a long time having been fortunate to know the men that designed and built the Healeys. Its only been the past three years or so that I wanted to collect them like you do Audi's. What Andy said. Barry used to have a stand at a swapmeet in the town of Maidstone, Kent that I used to attend and I did buy some stuff from him over the years be it one of his models or a nicely restored Dinky Cortina rally car as an example. Nice guy who has made a lot of models over the years and they are sought after on the second hand market as they are hard to find. There was an online auction a year or so ago that had a number of his creations for sale but I cannot recall if I won any of them. The Falcon Sprite needs to be restored doesn't it? I am assuming this was an older production of Barry's since its no longer listed in his list of available models. Its certainly the first I've seen come up of the Falcon Sprite, so must not be that many out there. He certainly has made some models of cars no one else has touched. Yes, the car needs to be done, but as I understand it, part of the problem is that the chassis is badly rusted, engine and gearbox missing, the fiberglass is in pieces and the Le Mans aluminum panels are badly damaged, or missing. It certainly could be done, but at what cost?  Nice to fill a gap in your Healey collection Jerry, though the model feels a bit like a caricature of the real thing to me. The actual car looks a lot lower, wider and sleeker than the model to me. There is a 1:43 kit of the Falcon made by GCAM, but that also has some shortcomings with oversized wheels. However, that should be relatively easy to fix. Obviously in the case whoever built the kit also got the colour wrong. While I agree that the model is more 'rustic' than a modern resin cast, that to me is also part of its charm. Wheelbase looks to be same as a couple Sprite models I have. If I was as talented as Jean, I would make a new windscreen in photoetch. I think I can remove the one on the model and file it down to a more accurate frame width and would improve the looks. I would also lie to remove the bonnet strap and use a photoetch one. Other than that, I can live with it. Is the GCAM still on someone's stock list? I don't think I've ever seen it. |
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Post by raceoddity on Feb 28, 2024 17:14:36 GMT -5
Wow, Jerry, you had me at Sebring class Winner. What a great story and model. A shame a car with that much history was basically abandoned behinf a barn in Ohio!
Really like that!
cheers
Scott
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oldirish33
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Post by oldirish33 on Mar 5, 2024 15:57:25 GMT -5
New Project Idea - 1970 was a watershed year for me in regard to my automotive interests and passions for many reasons. It was the year I got my drivers license and the new sense of freedom that brings. It was also the year my interests in American cars and racing shifted to British and European cars. A prime catalyst in that change was getting a subscription to Road & Track magazine. In one of the first issues, I read about a race I knew of from Ford’s recent wins there, but it was also like learning about Le Mans for the first time.   From there, my interests in Le Mans and the cars that raced and won there only got stronger, fueled by Le Mans the movie when it came out on the big screen. Therefore recently, it didn’t surprise me that I had already collected many of the cars that sat on the grid at Le Mans in 1970. While up until that point I don’t think I consciously focused on that year, I decided that a fun focus for me would be to try and assemble the complete grid at Le Mans in 1970. This Porsche 907 was one of the missing pieces. Porsche 907 - Le Mans, 1970 DNF - by Axel'R![]()  The 907 was the catalyst for the line of prototype race cars which ultimately led to the Le Mans winning 917K in 1970. Also entered at Le Mans in 1970 was this 907 (Ch. #031) which had started out life as a factory race car in 1968. Powered by a 2.0L flat-six, the car was sold after its first race to Spanish racer Alejandro Roig who ran it in Europe and at Sebring and Daytona before selling it to wealthy Swiss tire distributor Andre Wicky, who would enter the car at Le Mans three times and won its class in 1971. It would actively race until the mid-1970's.  Wicky entered this car in 20 races in 1970, most of them International Championship of Makes races where it often was the class winner and contended for a podium position. At Le Mans in 1970, the cars engine capacity was increased to 2.2L and ran as the only entry in the Group 6 2.5L Prototype class, but with stiff competition from Chevron and Ligier. Andre Wicky teamed with Jean-Piere Hanrioud, starting 29th. They were running as high as 18th when a broken throttle ended their race in the 17th hour after 161 laps. I'm currently looking for 13 of the 51 cars that started at Le Mans in 1970. I have to say, the hunt for the cars I am missing has added a new shot of fun into my collecting hobby. Models like this handbuilt from Axel'R turned out to be cheaper than what resellers are asking for out of production Spark versions. Thankfully, with reissues and new production of certain models like the dozen 911's that ran in 1970, I will fill the entire grid over time.
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The 512 BB LM was one of the ones I was originally drawn to Martin. It will likely be the sole 512 BB LM representative I keep in my collection. An AMR, built by master builder Buzz Lockwood for $60 incl. shipping was a very good deal indeed. Pity the packing company did such a ham fisted job of packing, but it is easily repairable, just time.
