Motor Vehicle Chronicle April 29

Richard,  Yesterday I was at a friend's home.  He recently acquired a 1:43 1958-60(?)  Mercury convertible, Candy Apple red with red and white interior and a continental kit.  Really a good looking model.     Have you seen one like that?    John in Lansing, Ill

I feel that the NEO/AE models are "state of the art" at a cost about 40% less than semi-detailed Brooklins.

I have always been a Chrysler fan, at least until FixItAgainTony took over.  My first car back in May,1962 was a 1958 Chrysler New Yorker convertible.   White with red interior.  A 102-inch wheelbase, over 220-inches long, two and a quarter ton weight with a 345HP 392CI Hemi.  Speedometer marked to 130 mph with peg somewhere pasted that.  And racing a 63 Chevy 409 on the O___ State Turnpike I had it pegged.

While in a now closed toy train shop outside of Greensboro, NC found this.  The right-hand stack second from bottom.

The only thing it has a white interior.  If I can fine a picture of a 58 with red/white trim interior will paint it to match

Block has been punched out, decked, and align bored.  Crank grooved and assembly balanced.  Heads slightly shaved and chambers polished.  Two different Isky cams etc.  Don't have anything to put it in and too old to start anything now.

My last MOPAR was  86 red Dodge TurboZ.  Lasted until blow thw engine in 2000!  In between owned one DeSoto, two Plymouths ( one a 69 cuda) and two other Dodge (one a 426 4-speed).

And oh yes, my 1:43 collection includes 20 Chryslers, 12 Dodges, 6 DeSotos, and 5 Plymouths.

Ron

I owned three Mopars:  a 1966 Charger 383 four speed, a 1967 Barracuda 383 four speed, and a 1973 Charger SE, yellow with black vinyl roof, 318! (no kidding) and four speed, ordered on the police chassis....drove it more miles than any other car I've owned.   Detroit can, if they try, build cars to last. The 1966 is the only car after 1940 I would consider "collecting".  It was a show car they actually built in quantity.  While I pick up pre-1941 Mopar models in 1/43rd, and Chysler was first with hydraulic brakes and other advances, I don't find those side valve sixes and eights exciting engines.

I've only owned one Chrysler car...a '87 LeBaron convertible. I loved it, but someone "totaled" it '98. I liked the styling of the '55-'58 models. In '59, they got kind of crazy. Some of my favorite (and costly) 1:43 models are the '56, '57 and '59 Dodge, the '55 and '56 DeSoto, and a '57 Imperial.