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 Picasso, Baboons and Model Cars

You never know what you will get in your inbox. Recently, a lady, who could probably care less about model cars, emailed me with a tough question:

"I am researching a Picasso sculpture... which has a head formed of two toy cars. I need to find out what model of car these are. It has been suggested that they are Fiat. The sculpture was made in 1951 so they must pre date that. I'd be really grateful if you could help."

My immediate reaction was that my experience with late 40's and early 50's European cars was minimal. I would have to tell the lady I didn't have a clue. However, she attached a picture of the sculpture. 

Bang. I think I have that car for sale on my web site! I don't see two cars, but I surely see one and it appears to me to have only one difference--a split windshield. Could it be that the windshield is from the second toy car to which she referred?

See what you think. Is it my 1949 French Dyna Panhard?--CEY       

Edsels and Mount Woebegone 

I once had the pleasure of dining with Tom Bonsall, noted automotive historian. He has done extensive research on the history of the Edsel. Ford's Edsel was such a big flop that for many years the word "Edsel" was synonymous with the word "failure." 

During that dinner I broached a subject with Tom that I had wondered about for several years. A friend had told me once that Ford canceled the Edsel only months after its introduction in the late summer of 1957 and that a three-year guarantee of production was fulfilled to prevent lawsuits by newly signed Edsel dealers. I asked Tom about this. His reply surprised me, "Not exactly," he responded, " the Edsel was killed by management before the first one ever sold!" He explained further that the Edsel never had a proper chance. Management had split and fought bitterly over the Edsel throughout the fifties with both sides in the end having had their day. 

As a kid I remember checking out my Dad's car magazines eager for the issue when I could finally see the new Edsel. Finally, it debuted and was on all the magazine covers in living color. There weren't any Edsel dealers really close to home (We spent the summers in Pennsylvania. Long story.) and it was weeks after introduction day that my Dad figured out where we could go to see the new Edsel. It was a trip through the mountains. I had very high hopes for a promo. The day was a bit disappointing. When we arrived, the carpenters were still hammering away at the dealership structure and there were only a couple of cars on hand and no promos. 

As a kid I had no idea where that dealership was. Sometime in the mid-nineties I went to Pottsville, PA, to a Wednesday evening auction and arrived early to secure a motel room. I found one and looked down the steep hill and ancient lightning struck me. There it was--a well-used and now vacated Ford dealership. I am sure that in the late summer of 1957 that it was a brand new Edsel dealership. I had seen this building in its infancy but had missed its entire business life to find it aging and declining. Time passes by too quickly on Mount Woebegone.--CEY 

More Reminiscence   

Harold Stepp Photo

It's been a bit more than a year now that Sam Miller, friend of so many modelers and collectors, left us behind. The above display is representative of this man's great creativity. If you look to the upper right hand corner you will see a flying 51 Studebaker. Sam was the first to realize that 51 Studebakers took to the air as beautifully as they did to the road. We are sad for ourselves for the great loss, but pictures like this are warming to our hearts. Thanks to Harold Stepp and Paul Ownbey for providing it. 

Morris Minor Guidebook Just Published

Some cars have charm and mystique that others fail to achieve. The Morris Minor is just such a car. Over the years the Morris Minor has etched itself into the minds of most knowledgeable auto enthusiasts. 

Cars that achieve this status are always great subjects for being modeled for the toy market and for model collectors. 

Virgil Christianson is an American journalist who has long been a model collector. He collects various kinds of models with the Morris Minor being a favorite subject. He has composed The Morris Minor in Miniature, A Collector's Guide, in paperback format. It is not a price guide.

This great little book provides a bit of introduction to the subject and then gets to the heart of the matter. It provides full-page reviews of various models as well as a bit about the companies that produced them. Good black and white photos accompany each model review. The pages are ordered chronologically beginning with models made contemporaneously with the actual car.

Four pages in the center of the book are devoted to color photos of Morris Minors. The book contains thirty-six pages neatly done. The book ends with the author's experiences of almost owning a Morris Minor.  The final page is an excellent index for reference purposes.

All in all this is great little book both for the serious collector and the casual Morris Minor enthusiast.--CEY 

Suggested retail price is $9.25. 

Virgil Christianson, Klosterstieg 6,  20149 Hamburg, Germany.

Tel/Fax +49 40 450 09 43

Quantity discounts available for US retailers.