WIN AN AMT ’36 FORD COUPE / ROADSTER

With winter now upon us, the shorter days mean lots more time spent indoors — as an alternative to vegging out in front of the TV, how about applying your skills to building a few car models? Just to give you some incentive, this month we’ll look at a few from AMT’S range of 1:25 scale model kits. So, forget about those highpriced tailormade car models for the moment, uncap your polystyrene glue, break out your modelmakers’ paintbrushes and get stuck in. First up is this 1936 Ford V8. This model can be customized to suit your own motoring tastes, and can be built as either a coupe or roadster. Additionally, with two roof options — chopped or stock height — modelmakers have the option of constructing this Ford as fully stock, as a custom car or a fullblown vintage dragracer. If the latter is your choice, you can choose to fit a Pontiac 389 V8 into the model rather than the standard flathead — both engines are supplied with the kit. Want something a little more classic rather than vintage? How about this good-looking splitscreen ’63 Corvette Stingray? Once again, this 1:25 scale kit allows you to choose your own version of the car — stock, street custom or drag gasser. For those opting for the latter, the kit includes a ‘Rat’s Nest’ 7.4litre (454ci) V8 topped with triple carbs, a blower, prelettered dragracing slicks and a sheet of retrostyled decals. Thanks to the good guys at Toymod — the NZ AMT distributor — we’re giving one lucky reader the chance to while away a few winter evenings putting together their own AMT ’36 Ford coupe / roadster model kit — just answer the following question:

Q:

Good enough to eat? By 1936, Ford cars included items made from an organic product that could also be turned into milk. Can you name that unusual product? Toenterthiscompetition,headto:classiccar.co.nz/ competitions—competitionclosesjuly20,2015. Amtmodelkitsareavailablefromallgoodtoyand hobbyshops.contacttoymodltd(pobox18263, Auckland,ph.095270122/fax095270144)to findyourclosestretailer.

While furry beasts with sharp claws are perhaps the most popular animalbased names to be used by automakers, birds (of the feathered variety) have also lent their names to quite a few cars — either via mythical (as in Thunderbird) or just madeup monikers. Either way, can you identify these bird- related models?

Another one from Mcklein’s wonderful catalogue of largeformat superblyillustrated titles, this covers the classic late ’60s period of racing sports cars, from Abarth to Shelby’s Cobra Daytona coupé and everything in-between.

With 402 large pages — the book comes in a slipcase — there’s a short but interesting description of the history and racing career of each of the 54 featured models (in English and German) by Wilfried Muller who, incidentally, lives in Whangarei. This is set off by probably the best range of images you’ll ever see of these cars.

Indeed, it’s the photographs that make the book so special. As you’d expect from the title, there are lots of fascinating detailed shots of engines, suspension, flimsy bodywork, strange attempts to fit in the compulsory luggage containers and sparse cockpits. There are plenty of excellent racing shots too, while the large page size means you can really appreciate the quality of the images. Perhaps best of all are the garage scenes, with teams of cars being prepared in what would now be regarded as very primitive conditions — but the Ford garage at Le Mans always seemed to have had crates of Coca Cola stacked high!

Expect the obvious choices — Ford GT40, Ferrari 330P4 and Porsche 908 — but how about the Serenissima Torpedo, a manic Abarth with a V8 motor mounted behind the rear axle, and featherweight hillclimb cars like the BMW Monti and Ferrari 212E Montagna? Three Chaparrals are also included, along with cars from Alpine, Maserati, Lola- Aston, Lotus and more. The

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