Diecast Of The Day: Ricko 1:18 Alfa Romeo 156 GTA

A few months ago, I went into my local hobby shop (Hub Hobby for all you Minnesota folks, if I'm not the only one, that is.) in search of a few cars. The Ricko Alfas have been on my list for awhile, partially since I love interesting looking sedans, and I figured the Italians are the only ones who make whole lines of cars beautifully (sans Fiat *cough*). I've been an Alfa fan for quite some time, so I figured an addition to my 8C was necessary. As I was shuffling my way through the high priced AutoArts, this little guy garnered my attention. Priced at $29.99, I figured it was a decent deal, so home with me it came.
Once I got the car off its base, inspection began. Overall, I was (and am) pleased. The paint finish is pretty good, with minimal flaws, the wheels appear to be correct size in ratio with the body, and the headlights and taillights are correctly cast/replicated. A neat feature, aside from all opening features, is that Ricko went the extra mile in putting all the right trim on the car, and they even painted the engine correctly.
Overall, a pretty nice replica of an oft overlooked Italian Stallion. (Yes, I know it's a sedan, but it's a performance-oriented one.)

Life After Death: Where Old Cars Go To Die: Domestics Edition

As stated with my last post, the local "pick and pull" had relatively few interesting cars this time of year, mainly due to CFC just ending. The yard was overflowing with SUVs and trucks of all shapes and sizes, but mostly those of the GM and Ford variety. The selection of trucks, vans and SUVs that were dying reminded of the typical used car lot selection--single cabs, extended cabs, leather, cloth, 2WD, 4WD, the yard had it all. Want a 1996 Chevy 1500 Z71 with leather? Want a 10 year old Toyota 4Runner without rust? Or howbout a mid 1990s Ford Explorer? Maybe you fancy an Isuzu Trooper? Or are you looking for a Dodge Caravan or Voyager? Perhaps a Windstar is more your liking.
When I arrived, the selection of cars shocked me, to say the least. One whole half of the yard was littered with Chrysler products from end to end. Intrepids, Avengers, Caravans, Durangos, Rams, Spirits, Cirrus, Neons, no matter the modern Chrysler product, this yard had a vehicle you could cannibalize if needed. The GM and Ford selections didn't fare much better, though the selection of cars in both categories were much more limited. Grand Ams and other 3.1 powered goodies accounted for most of the GM selection, with a few 1999+ thrown in for good measure. On the Ford side, Escorts and ZX2s and thier derivatives seemed to make up most of that side, while the selection of sports/sporty cars at either brand was pretty slim. I can't remember seeing any Mustangs, and I saw maybe two GM F Bodies.
Making my way through the truck section to start out, I got bored of combing through endless rows of dead Explorers and full-size Chevy trucks, so I didn't even finish the section. I did notice a few oddballs, though I managed to snap only two.
First up is a Ford Escape V6. Written on the windshield is the stock number, which signifies it as a CFC. Sort of sad, really, because these Escapes aren't even that old. Being a 2001, and only eight years old, it should've had a long life ahead of it. But, no.. the idiot owner decided it was worth $4500 towards the purchase of a new, more fuel efficient vehicle. Like what? a $35,000 Escape Hybrid that gets 5 MPG more?

Next up on the list is a bit of a shocker. Lost in all the remains of Jeep Cherokees and Grand Cherokees, I knew a piece of the modern-Jeep-pie was missing. Skipping through hoards and hoards of once trail rated machines, this Wrangler had me doing a double take. Why? Not only was it the only one in the yard, it seemed as it was saying "what the hell happened to me?" If I knew I was waiting to rot, wilting in the cold, Minnesota winter, I'd have that kinda look on my face, too.

As I mentioned above, interesting cars were far and few between, with both domestic cars I snapped being GM products. Most of the GMs in the yard were of the A body variety, with Cutlass Cieras making up the biggest portion of the "collection". While Chevy Celebritys were common cars here 10 to 15 years ago, seeing one today is a rare sight, so seeing one in the junkyard kind of sucked. What made it all the more sad is that this one was not only Eurosport, but a Eurosport wagon. The Eurosport was to the Celebrity what the STE was to the Pontiac 6000, the T Type was to the Buick Century, and the International was to the Cutlass Ciera. These cars had, for the most part, meatier tires, more standard features, and sportier body styling including upgraded alloy wheels, and different paint and trim options. These relatively small appearance changes helped the car look more towards the "nice" department, versus base models being bland, or "meh" in slang speak. In gray with red pinstriping and badging, this Celebrity was probably a relatively nice looking car in its day compared to a base wagon, or even the hubcapped CL.


Progressing through the GM section older cars became more and more common, with rust hulk G bodies making up most of the inventory. Big GMs are a rare sight here, both on the street, and in the yard, as I found out by this lone specimen of Oldsmobile 98 coupe. Being the curious fellow I am, I poked around this beast and found that the original wire hubcaps were intact, and inside the relatively clean--for a junkyard--interior. Being so complete, this yard finding made me a bit sad. At least it wasn't candy painted and thrown up on 26s like so many kids would find "tight" or "cool" today.

Moving onto the Ford section didn't yield too many surprises, however. There were only two cars I found worth photographing out of the whole 200+ car lot. I skipped the Windstars, and more than half of the Taurii and Escorts got no glance from me. I was nonchalantly wandering through the corpses of America's Best Selling wreck, when in the corner, something caught my eye. I noticed the subtle lip kit, and unique alloys, so I moved in for a closer inspection. I found a Taurus SHO in the yard. This 1994 model was not a CFC, so I'm led to believe it had a rough life to end up here. The body seemed to be in great shape, with no rust, and no crash damage. Methinks it suffers a grenaded transmission. One too many burnouts, perhaps?

The only other car I shot in the Ford section was this Mercury Capri. Suffering for marketing screw-up, these underpowered convertibles didn't sell very well in the US. The back seat was too cramped for a four year old, the engine wheezed at mountain altitudes, and the top was a chore to open and close. But, I still like em. I'd never own one, but I do think they were, and still are nice cars from their era. This example was one of two or three I've seen in the yard throughout my four or five times visiting, so they are slowly disappearing from our roads. Maybe I should shoot the next one I see parked. Just maybe.

Life after Death: Where Old Cars Go To Die: Imports Edition

As a car enthusiast, I have mixed emotions about going to junkyards, especially since rare cars can be found in shoddy condition. Even more sad than a rare car that bit the dust, is seeing perfectly good vehicles with no body damage in the yard. Such was the case at my visit to a local "pick and pull", in the Twin Cities area.
Since Cash for Clunkers, or CARS, hit, yards are filling up fast with unwanted, clean, damage-free "clunkers" that the government deemed "worthless". Moreover, it's the consumers who traded their decent, often low mileage cars and trucks in for a new "fuel efficient" car who are worthless.
Peering upon the rows and rows of clunked, and barely recognizable Chevy and GMC fullsize trucks and tucked amidst the corpses of what once was America's top selling vehicle, the Ford F-150, gems were to be had. And I'm not talking about the cars on my "guilty pleasures" list either. Yes, there were Montero Sports there, and Explorers were there in droves, but that's not the point.
I came to this junkyard, like I do the others, hunting for photogenic material, and I found a few vehicles that piqued my interest.Sitting on death row in the "Foreign" section of the yard, Camries and Corollas sat out in the Minnesota air, rusting to their death along with Subarus and the occasional 10 year old Maxima. Though most of the Japanese cars bored me to death, there were two cars that caught my attention. One was a 1985 Mark II Toyota Supra. Unlike the majority of the Japanese cars in the yard, the Supra had seemingly no real crash damage, but it did have some rust. Maybe it had engine problems, or maybe the owner was too stupid to baby it. What ever the reason, here it lay, on death row, rotting, fading, wilting in the soon-to-be harsh Minnesota winter.

German cars were also present at the yard, with CFC'd Audis and BMWs making up the bulk of inventory here at this pick and pull. Scattered throughout the hoards and hoards of twisted remains of once-luxurious Audi 100s, 90s, V8 Quattros, and BMW E34s, a select two cars got my attention enough that pictures were warranted. The first is a VW Quantum wagon. It seemed to be in great shape given its age, and how many miles it had (85k), so I think this car was accepted from a charity, or a car someone donated through their website. Quite a shame, really.

Next up, in the sea of dead, rotting cars, I was surprised to see an E28 in here. Well, in this case stunned is the more appropriate word. Sitting in a row of malnourished, and badly beaten and weather-worn Mercedes and Audis, this E28 had me almost on the verge of tears. Maybe. The black paint still looked decent, the tan leather was immaculate, including the dashboard and shifter, which is quite a shock in junkyard dogs. To make the matter even more tear inducing, three of the four BBS-type alloys were sitting behind the car relatively scuff-free. What pains me most is this wasn't a CFC victim, either.It's as if the owner woke up one day and said "To hell with this old car, I want a new one."

Diecast of the Day: UT Models Ford Expedition XLT

So, by now you should know I collect scale models of mundane cars I like (sorta like my list of guilty pleasure cars), and this Expedition was one model I couldn't pass up. When I was younger, I got a blue UT Eddie Bauer in London for £20-£30, but over the years, UT's glue and adhesive kind of gave way, and it started falling apart. I attributed this to the fact that I mishandled it alot as a youth, playing with it like I would a Hot Wheels car. But, some 10 years later, I have acquired myself another UT Models Ford Expedition. This time my acquisition is the teal over gray XLT model you see here. While not a top-of-the-line Eddie Bauer, I like this trim line almost as much.
Replicated here are four opening doors (which are fragile, and due to age they don't close all the way after being opened), the steerable front wheels with correctly replicated cheesy-looking Ford truck steering wheel, and the 17" plated aluminum wheels. The badges seem photo-etched, too, which is a trait many models in this UT's price range ($30-$60 typically) don't even offer. While detail is great for a model of this age, fit and finish is hit or miss. Typically, UT buyers either buy because they're a fan of that particular car, or they buy in hopes of making a quick eBuck. I snatched this example at quite reasonable $35 and am perfectly happy with it. If you want to see more options/colors the UT Expedition is available in, head over to eBay and start lookin

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Austin Cooper S

I seem to have discovered a sweet spot for noteworthy, classic vehicles, usually of the British variety not far from my house. Infact, it's a 10 minute or so bike ride. More on that later.
What you have infront of you is an original Mini Cooper S. Unlike the modern BMW interpretations, this little guy lives up to its "Mini" nameplate. Despite the new one being labeled as a compact car, the original Austin Cooper was quite the compact car. Weighing in at between 1360 and 1512 lbs, the Cooper and Cooper S were 1/3 the weight of their new "counterpart", but were often better handlers, though not quite as fast in a straight line; that can be fixed with a VTEC Honda engine swap, but I prefer not. I like the 1275CC SU carburated engine that came with them, and see no need to drop a modern motor in one.

Much like the "spirit" of the new Mini, the original had quite a history in motorsports. Drivers raced them in various events including circuit racing, and most notably, rally racing. It was during rallies that John Cooper became synonomous with Mini and motorsport, and helped bring the little tiger on the map for good. Ever since 1962, when the Mini first won a rally race, car enthusiasts, and racing enthusiasts aliked have both adored, and admired the little car. The original shape was carried on throught model year 2000, when BMW's version replaced it. Even though there are still JCW (John Cooper Works) Minis still being made, they lack the agility, handling, and fun-to-drive factor of the original. Oh, and this will make greenies happy: the original Mini can get 45 MPG at 55-60 MPH. Try that with a new BMW incarnate. You can't, unless you get a gutless MiniD which is available everywhere but here.

Diecast of the Day: Maisto Ford Torino Talladega

Okay, so one is kind of a lame piece, but I figure I'd show it anyway. It's Maisto's replica of a "restored" Ford Torino Talladega. I've had this car for quite some time, now, maybe 8 or 9 years, and its wear is beginning to show in its presentation. The glue, like in true Maisto fashion, has come loose around some key elements of the diecast. The first problem is the seat; the front bench seatback has come undone, presenting a look of an unfinished interior. The second major downfall, and again, I attribute this to its age, rather than quality itself, is the sagging or broken suspension. This allows the vehicle to have a prominent lean, representative or broken or worn leaf springs in an actual vehicle. The least minor defect that comes with age is paint finish. While Maisto never really had AMAZING paintjobs, they weren't horrible, either. As this example of their 1:18 Ford Torino Talladega is 8 or 9 years old, the paint is beginning to show its age. There are scratches and pits not visible from afar, but apparent on close inspection. While it doesn't bug me that much, it does add to the feel of an 'aged diecast'. I'd like to think of this as a replica of a twenty foot car, in restoration speak. The model looks great from afar, but upon closer looking, it appears to have some faults. In truly restored fashion, a Presidential Blue '69 Torino Talledega (199 made) would bring about $90,000 give or take in excellent condition according to NADA. A car in this condition would likely fetch $35,500 to $42,900 depending on options and mileage.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ferrari F430

You know, I'm not really a fan of modern Ferraris, so this shoot was more of an exercise in lighting and weather conditions, really. The clouds were perfect for shooting a monotone subject, in this case the F430. While I'm not gonna lie and say the car sucks, it is far from my favorite. But I take what I'm given, so I'm not complaining.

The F430 was introduced in 2005 to replace the sexier (or even more bland depending on color/wheels/options) 360 Modena. The headlights on the F430 look wierd, the wheel spokes are too thin, and the wheels as a whole look cheap. The detailing is lame, and it seems as if Ferrari had the 360's replacement styled in a hurry. But, the sound one of these thing makes is godlike.

As the F1 tranny scoots through the gears, the V8 wails to extremes, producing a sound like no other, often giving car geeks, and onlookers, the chills. The brakes do good wonders when stopping from 65-70 MPH in the rain, too, as I observed by this F430s driver. As evidenced by Jeremy Clarkson's review on various Top Gear episodes, the F430 will bring out the hoon in its driver. Not that it's appropriate for the street, but hey. Plus, you'll good playing Schuey while cutting up traffic.

One can only hope the 458 Italia is as good.