Miniatures News, December 1983

The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is putting on a special “Kids On Wheels” exhibition for Christmas and would be glad to hear of any children’s cars, either pedal-propelled or mechanically driven, that could be shown in this exhibition. What Lord Montagu has in mind are the sort of little cars so well covered in the book “Bebe’ Auto” that we reviewed recently, which Albion Scott Ltd can supply. The dates of this Model Car Show will be December 26th to the following January 29th.

In conjunction with the recent Little Chef / Alfa Romeo competition, Mrs Julia Armitage, who manages the “Little Chef’ restaurant at Grange Road, Wakefield, had the bright idea of organising a race for those clockwork P2 Grand Prix Alfa Romeos which gladdened the hearts of children some 60 years ago (I remember how badly I wanted the Alfa model, then, but 25/put one out of reach, so I compromised with a 10/6d 7.5 hp clockwork Citroen — Ed). Several of these now-rare tinplate Alfas lined up— a photograph shows half-a-dozen, four blue, two red, and most carrying the racing No 2 — and the race winner was Simon Goodyear of Huddersfield.

Western Models of Redhill in Surrey tell us they have brought out a white metal 1:43rd scale model of the 1935 edition of Sir Malcolm Campbell’s LSR car “Blue Bird”, enabling its improved streamlining to be compared with this car as it was in 1933, which was the subject of an earlier model by them (see also the article in October’s Motor Sport). The model is thus of the first car to exceed 300 mph and follows other Western Models’ LSR cars, for they have miniatures of the 200 mph Sunbeam, the “Golden Arrow”, Eyston’s “Thunderbolt” and both pre-war and post-war versions of Cobb’s Napier-Railton, as well as lesser record-breakers. Bravo. However, we cannot comment on the quality of this model because no sample has been received, only that it costs £21.56 as a kit, £32.78 assembled, including VAT. — W.B.