'Upgrade to accuracy'

There’s a modern trend which I know an awful lot of purists dislike, and that’s the omission of period-correct sponsorship from collectibles. This is a topic that grates with me also, and we see it most in regards to tobacco sponsorship, which would have been prominent in period but is now being airbrushed out of history. I feel it’s wrong to alter the motor racing past in this way.

Logos are huge parts of racing history and suddenly an Ayrton Senna replica helmet with just a red and white square front and centre where the Marlboro logo would have sat just looks wrong.

A by-product of this is that it’s opened a new niche in the collectible market, where fans with the skills now make high-quality sticker sets to replace the missing logos. A great example is a recent issue of Michael Schumacher’s official 1:2-scale helmet from the 2000 Japanese GP. With the tobacco decals omitted it’s just a red helmet for £170. With proper decals applied its value practically doubles.

Some model makers now include the decal set within the pack, which is a great idea. But there’s also a lot of opportunity to get things wrong. Take the ‘Taxi for Senna’ model, one of the most popular die-casts produced. I’ve seen so many reproductions that have the Camel branding missing or wrong. At the 1991 British GP, Williams ran the ‘Old Joe’ Camel logo, not the actual wording ‘Camel’. So be sure to check your decal sets are correct before you slide them on.

It’s a similar story with anything related to Stirling Moss’s Mercedes 300 SLR ‘722’. Many models and artworks of the car include a four-spoke steering wheel, but Moss always insisted on a three-spoke. Anything reproduced with a four-spoke wheel is incorrect. Before buying or upgrading, make sure you have an accurate snapshot of history.

Andrew Francis is director at The Signature Store
thesignaturestore.co.uk