While preparing this selection, I’ve had to face the question: just what is a luxury car?
In some countries, any full-size American or Canadian car is a de facto luxury car, as they’re so big, so expensive, so rare, so… I put such thoughts aside. Sure, some years Holden-assembled Chevys came with leather interiors to ‘justify’ the high price forced upon them, but – no Chevy-with-leather here. Cadillac, Lincoln, Imperial; that sort of thing.
Strictly speaking, I’ll admit I’ve fudged the definition of luxury cars a bit here. There are a couple of Chryslers and Buicks, but definitely no Mercuries. Too close to Fords during this period. But I included a Thunderbird sedan – a luxury car? Depends how you look at it. My call – it’s in!
I left out Personal Luxury Coupes as I’ll do them another time.
I deliberately omitted the Japanese and European marques from consideration this time around, to keep things manageable. The Europeans are more sports sedans anyway, which I’ll cover some other time. This time is mostly American-type luxury – with, of course, Rolls Royce;
I’ve limited this story to the fifties and sixties, with one exception. Luxury cars of the Classic era are a separate topic, and will have their day, when I finish finding them all (I know there’s a Blower Bentley around here somewhere…). I’ll put in an eighties Cadillac as well, because it’s a bit of an outlier, and something of an unusual subject, as models go.
Let’s start in 1955. I might not have a ‘55 Imperial, but here’s a Chrysler C300. I’d imagine this would have appealed to quite a different clientele than an Imperial coupe, being more of a sports coupe in comparison, and around $600 cheaper than the bigger luxury job. The kit is a fairly recent one from Moebius. Goes together really well:
For 1956 I have this lovely Lincoln. A huge step forward for the make, looking quite distinct from other FoMoCo products, and different from anything else on the road – in a good way. No, there was never a regular kit of this Lincoln, this is a resin kit produced by the sadly-missed Modelhaus company:
Back to the Chrysler 300. New body and chassis for 1957, and what a looker! But rather than swiping the grille from the Imperial as previously, this time the 300 gained its own distinct grille and hood, which would begin a 300 theme. This one’s from AMT:
Now we come to Cadillac. I’ve shown this Eldorado Biarritz before. A Lee kit from Korea, it was possibly the most difficult model I have built, due to poor quality, requiring so many repairs to brittle plastic, breaking parts and hours of reworking.
There’s quite a disconnect stylistically between the front and the rear. The rear is nice, but it’s like there are two different themes going on, changing midway through the doors. I think the ’57 front suited this rear end better. I was tempted to cut the fins off, but that would be ridiculous. Or sacrilege. Or something. But I’ve seen it done:
And of course, I have a 1959. An older American Monogram kit, it went together perfectly:
Also for 1959, here’s an Imperial at last. This is an AMT reissue of a 1959 original, so it’s pretty basic in some areas like chassis detail and depth of interior engraving, but it captures the sheer over-the-top exuberance of the Exner design. I think the grille design is too coarse, and some of the chrome is overdone, but it’s perhaps more conservative than the Cadillac for that year?
Here’s where I give a nod to the Buick, with this Frankenstein of a model. Not the design, but how I built it. A friend had a damaged 1961 Buick Invicta friction toy (remember them?) – it had been played with, of course. Hard! He’d got a resin replacement body, then had problems so sent it to me. I fitted the resin body around the original plastic interior, installed a spare Buick V8 with a stretched Chevy chassis underneath it – not correct, I now realize, but I worked with what I had. Finished – unlike some things around here:
I just had to get a 1961 Lincoln. I’ve always loved this car since a neighbour had a toy one by Tekno of Denmark. I’d never heard of the Lincoln brand until I saw David’s toy. So forty years later I hunted down the kit. I’m not quite sure what was behind me giving this a metallic pink paint job – maybe to show this car looks tasteful whatever colour you paint it? Some may disagree, but I prefer the original with the pointy grille to the squarer, boxier later models. I tension between the almost sporty front and the sober sides:
More pink! For 1962 AMT did the ‘four-hole’ Electra 225. I’m not really a fan of this design; the front end just doesn’t look right around the headlights, like there are several different themes fighting, so I changed things a little. Just a bit of lowering, a wheel swap and custom paint:
As the real car world changed, so did the models. Back in the late fifties and early sixties, whatever American car someone bought, there was pretty much bound to be a model of it, and even some pickups too. But once Detroit proliferated into compacts, and intermediates, and splintered into further market segments, something had to give. Model companies couldn’t afford to tool up for everything. Gradually kits of the less popular cars were discontinued. The luxury brands were some of the first to go. Muscle cars were what we all wanted to build! Johan persevered with Cadillacs; I think they may have had the promotional model contract, but Imperial and Lincoln’s kits disappeared around the mid-sixties.
Once more we’re back to Chrysler with this 300H. This is an old Johan annual kit:
I have nothing prestigious for the next few years, so we’ll skip forward to my ’66 Buick Wildcat. I know I showed it recently, but it’s always popular:
One last Chrysler, this 1968 300. Another car that I love the shape of. Distinctive in a good way. And more attractive to my eyes than the Imperial:
Now at the start I mentioned an outlier of a Cadillac. Here it is, an early-eighties Coupe de Ville with a later eighties’ grille/headlight swap, which I gather is/was a popular mod. Revell has issued this as a donk (Word objects to that…) and a lowrider. Mine is kind of in between, sitting a bit high, with wheels from my spares box:
That’s it from me for this time. No idea what I’ll show you next. I’m still finding things….
As a teenager I began my collection with a 56 promo red Thunderbird Convertible. Next up an assembled 59 Cadillac Sixty Special from Johan. The front end eventually warped. My attempt at turning a 60 Chrysler into a 61 DeSoto was a questionable success. These were all 1-24 scale. Over many years, I accumulated a formidable collection of all scales .As time marched on , I turned more to 1-18 scale Diecast. Luxury cars were always my focus. Now as I try to downsize my collection, it’s difficult to sell other than on the net. I took several to a collectible shop which had no interest. Through Ebay, I finally have three 1-18 scale Diecast 61 DeSotos as well as a 61 Imperial Convertible. BUT I can’t find a 1-18 scale LeBaron. Guess you can see that this Vintage 1947 Rolls Canardly (Roll down one hill and Can ardly get up the next) has a fondness for Fabulous finned fantasies. Well, that’s my sob (definitely NOT Saab) story. So, happy collecting, I’m on to VERSAILLES in my full size Town Car Signature Limited. 😉 And yes I have several Lincoln scale models. But no VERSAILLES.
Thought I’d be hearing from you with this theme!
Ah, those warped old promos! It’s because of the type of plastic used, not styrene but acetate. Seemingly not as chemically stable as styrene, but it was commonly used for toys at the time. Doesn’t seem to matter how well you store them, it seems to be an inherent quality of the plastic. Manufacturers changed over about 1960,
I have a friend in New Mexico who restores those old warped promos. Careful heating seems to be the way to straighten them. Like a real car, some he comes across are too far gone and only good for parts. Johan had the promo contract with Cadillac for years, and their bodies were often more accurate than the other manufacturers.
I won’t ask why you wanted to turn a ’60 Chrysler into a ’61 De Soto; I do some pretty weird stuff sometimes. But I can imagine how hard a job that would be. I’m getting tired just thinking about how to approach it. Sometimes what looks an easy job turns out to be the hardest.
Great looking models. I tried to assemble model cars 10 years when I was out of work.
I got frustrated trying to put together the plastic models. I think back now, and I may give this building another try. Keep up the good work.
Great looking models. I tried to assemble model cars 10 years ago when I was out of work.
I got frustrated trying to put together the plastic models. I think back now, and I may give this building another try. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Mike. It’s odd how sometimes a comment doesn’t show up, so you post it again – sometimes it won’t let you but sometimes it comes up twice. Weird!
It can be a great hobby when life seems to have chewed you up and spat you out.
When I had to give up full-time work at 40 for health reasons (I’ve been part-time and casual until retirement), having this hobby gave me something to keep me occupied. Just remember that skill doesn’t come overnight, and everyone’s ability to pick up a new skill varies. It can be discouraging when what you picture in your mind and what’s in front of you don’t match. But don’t let that deter you from trying. My first model was a disaster. It does take patience, true, but it’s a great feeling to see what you have achieved, and greater still when others compliment it.
Great work Peter! You make some very creative colours, consistently attractive.
I’m curious, do you pursue or accept, commissioned work? Your work would look very cool in museums. Or as part of lobby, or interactive displays, and presentations.
Can of worms, Daniel!
I have never built professionally. Compared to what I have seen in person at shows, the quality of my builds just isn’t up there. Oh they catch the eye for sure, but paint flaws are my nemesis.
Once I did a build for a friend, so not exactly a commission. He asked if I would do one for him. I was happy to, but I found it so hard to cope with mentally. Paint flaws which I knew were there, and would have been ‘good enough’ for me – I felt I couldn’t let them pass. Dust specks: wet sand, repaint. This side. That side. Oh, there’s another one. Perfection became my enemy. I began to hate that build. Time blew out. I got the job done, but I couldn’t build anything else for about a month afterward. Just too stressful. I’m probably too sensitive; he was thrilled with the model, but if building for a friend is this tiring, commissions would be out of the question.
My town’s art group puts on displays of their work in the lobby of the local council offices. I’ve been several times told my work should be there, but I’m not in the group; I’m rather reclusive and avoid meetings and crowds. Social interaction has always been hard for me. Guess that’s why I’ve built so many models!
Thank you for your thorough, and candid reply Peter. I sincerely appreciate it, and can relate. It does become more pressured doing work for others, rather than your personal enjoyment. And we are our own biggest critic, of the quality of our work. I am quite picky with most creative work I do, and can see, your best work is extremely well done. I am always pleased to know, some creative people can enjoy their passion without it being paid, professional work. As there is less pressure to meet other’s demands. Talent and creativity is being pushed harder than ever, in some professional fields. Not worth the stress, if you don’t have to.
You do amazing work Peter! Thank you very much, for sharing so much already.
Thanks Peter, more beautiful models. Being an on/off model builder myself (just building up to a last push on a 1:35 Tamiya Char B1 bis tank) I can really appreciate the quality of your work, larger scale cars are so unforgiving.
Thank you, Ed. Unforgiving indeed!
As I was saying to Daniel, my main problem is dust in the paint. It’s very windy where I live, and we’re on top of a hill. I can lay down what seems a perfect paint job, only to find dust in the paint when it dries. Wet sand, repeat. Now on a military subject like that tank you could maybe pass off a speck of grit as ‘weathering’ maybe. It might well even go unnoticed. But not on a glossy paint job! And not in this scale. And some guys use automotive custom paints topped with a 2k clear coat and polish that out!
I have a 1/8 scale E-type kit out in the shed. Some time when I’m feeling brave I’ll tackle it. My main dread is putting down a good enough paint job!
I love these! My model building days were in the 70s, and you are right about big luxury cars being rarely found in kits.
I recall building that 62 Chrysler by JoHan. I think I painted mine navy blue.
Thanks JPC.
I think the change in modelling subjects during the sixties came about as manufacturers realized who was building their models and just how they were building them. It wasn’t just kids wanting a model of Dad’s new car, but the cars they saw on the street and at shows. New cars became 3-in-1 kits, with custom and racing versions. For a while customs were popular, and hot rods, but the action on new full-size cars faded. There were always plenty of drag subjects. By the time the seventies came along, even big Fords and Plymouths had disappeared. MPC did the big Chevy through till ’76, but nobody did the downsized GM cars.
Nowadays there are some European Mercedes and BMW kits, though they tend to be the sportier cars. Fujimi does a Lexus LS. That’s about it.
A striking collection of extravagant vehicles. Very nice! The Imperial in particular looks crazy in a good way. I do enjoy your colour choices, Peter.
Yep, American luxury cars of this era sure are extravagant. It seems amazing now that people just took this extravagance for granted.
As for the Imperial, I did a fair bit of research for this one, checking out interior and exterior colours. The variety was amazing. That chrome band across the roof, with the different colours fore and aft: that was one factory choice. I figured ‘my’ Imperial had a conservative buyer, so went for a more understated colour scheme.
Nice models.
You are good at chrome trim.
And you made a model that did not make it to the market: The 1961 Lincoln Continental 4-door hardtop.
Thanks. Yeah, that Lincoln. That was an error by AMT, they made the kit’s body as a hardtop. Apparently for 1962 they redid the body and put the pillar in, making the ’61 a one-year oddity.
Great collection of your hard work.. Very nice
Thanks Tom.
Nice collection!
These 1/24 American classics have been parked in their garage far too long; need a good wash.
Thanks Paul. My ones that aren’t on display are packed away in boxes, but still seem to accumulate dust. Cleaning them can be such a chore with small pieces that could come off or break.
All lovely, but your Mopars are particularly well picked and executed! That yellow Chrysler is giving out some serious Tintin vibes.
Ha! I do have that yellow, and a white top is easy!
It’s funny, as a kid I was a Ford fan (Dad had Fords), but now I find myself leaning mopre toward Mopar for their late-sixties/early-seventies shapes, colours and graphics. Which I’m always willing to enhance, true, but they hardly need it.
In this batch, the Chrysler 300s are my favorites. I love the green 1957. The brown on the 1968 is a classic Chrysler color.
Thanks also for your discussion on why mainstream plastic models shifted to mostly muscle and show cars and away from more conventional cars. I recall this happening during my late adolescence and it was one more reason why I grew more interested in model planes than cars as the cars began to seem less relatable to me.
Great work, Peter.
Jeff, that’s just my take on the matter of kit subjects, but I could well imagine kids’ model interests following the same pattern as real cars. And since any business is in business to make money, it figures that you wouldn’t want to left with an inventory of unsold kits if a subject proved not to be popular. If kits of luxury cars didn’t sell, you’d yank them from the range and run more of something else through those machines.
Having said that, AMT did go through a series of financial hiccups over the years, more that I can remember. The amount of detail in their kits rose and fell too, though I couldn’t say whether that was cause or effect. Some of their old-tool kits from the sixties are awesome while others are disappointingly simple to the modern builder.
Glad you love that green ’57. For a while there AMT did a range of pre-painted kits. I also have this red one. I think (memory) the green one is is the prepainted one; the paint’s better!
Johan still did higher end cars as promos through the ’70s, but I don’t think most of them were ever available as kits. I have a ’75? Olds Cutlass and a couple of Eldorados from ’75-’76.
While I definitely miss some of those resin companies, it looks like the 3D printing folks are starting to fill that niche. I haven’t investigated what’s available too much (don’t need any more projects!!) but I know there is a 1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst available. One of the cool things is that once the design is created it can be printed in whatever scale you want.
Yeah, I have a ’75 Cutlass and a ’76 Eldo. Johan kits weren’t often seen down here. I’ve seen photos of their ’77-9 (?) de Ville promos, though I’ve never heard of them being available as kits. You’d think it would have been easy enough to grab a set of pieces and put them in a box instead of fitting them together, but there’s probably some arcane workflow reason why they didn’t do that.
I’ve heard talk of that 3D 300 Hurst. A friend sent me a resin non-Hurst one about ten years ago, really rough. Every now and then I fill a few more pinholes – that’s one thing I won’t miss with 3D!
Great display of talent,patience,time and model car subjects. Thanks for sharing. Not an annual or promo, but are you aware of the sticks and slicks series models from the creative mind of Harry bradley? I had the connestoga wagon, unbuilt for 50 years. Have yet to see another.
Thanks Doug. I’ve heard of Harry Bradley, but I’m not aware of that series. There was a lot of weird stuff on store shelves back in those days, either from some of the smaller US companies (Pyro, Lindberg, Palmer…) or from some of the Japanese manufacturers whose products were starting to appear in the West. Monogram had a series designed by Tom Daniel, some of which still get re-released. Most were rather extreme customs and rods, but there was a Groovy Grader – yeah, an actual road grader with pipes and slicks and such. No I didn’t buy it. And the Jinks Express – a rodded armored truck. I got a few of those kits later, but they weren’t a main interest.
I’m playing catch-up. Only now saw this post. Dived on it immediately. Not disappointed. Great stuff, as always. Fun to pore over.
Thanks. Shame I didn’t have an Olds 98, but Oldsmobile kits have never been common. Image problem? Here’s the best I could come up with for you, a ’66 442 convertible with wire wheel covers.
You are a kind and gifted man.
She is a beaut. Signature style, too, I see. Which is top-notch.
My high-five emoji guy goes [here]. Thank you, Mr. W.