[Closed] Question...Do you collect...

Interesting question! I'm a huge Mario fan so if models of cars he drove....

... is a choice, I'll buy it. My reason is my desire to support a favorite driver. For me, that even supersedes a chance to buy a race winner.

It Matters to Me.

For any given race car, I'd rather have a winner than a loser, I'd rather have a car from a significant European or North American race than one that wasn't.

So I have cars from endurance racing.... LeMans, Targa Florio, Mille Miglia, Nurburgring, Daytona and Sebring. Laguna Seca, Riverside, Road America and Watkins Glen are also big favorites. I would also include any of the races in the CanAm and TransAm, Indy 500, and any F1 race although Monaco is especially nice.

Drivers are also important. Dan Gurney, Mark Donohue, Jim Hall, Fangio, Stirling Moss, Niki Lauda, Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme and Jim Clark. Did I leave out Mario ? Yup. Sorry Marty.

That's a very interesting question. I think most people collect cars that were successful, so that means not very many DNF cars. However there are some cars that are very desirable that never finished a race.

One that I would like to have is any of the Lola Coupes that John Surtees drove. Also the Ford GT40s that ran at Le Mans in 1964.

Manufacturers are less likely to produce these cars for the reason that winning cars are the most popular. However, I'm glad that some, like the CMC Maserati, the Spark Cheetah and the Fujimi Ferrari Breadvan are coming. And I hope they are more successful in sales than they were at the track.

Always prefer a winner or finisher over any DNF.... unless.....

the DNF is the only version of a car I really want a model of.

while a winner is always nice, I usually buy based on livery first, results second.

2 good examples...
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I like the history of motor racing, therefore the DNF's are quite salient.

I've changed my opinion about only buying winning cars and if someone ever makes a 1:18 Chaparral 2D, I think I'd rather
have the Daytona car which didn't finish:

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than the Nurburgring winning car. Just aesthetics.

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I think like most, it just depends on a variety of factors...

While I like to collect a 1st place car or at least a car that finished, that requirement isn't set in stone. I purchase racing models for a number reasons including race performance, driver, historical significance to me or a manufacturer I like, and sometimes just based on the design or technological aspects that went into making the model or what that model represents.

Depending on what I'm trying to accomplish with my display, I may need the DNF or higher finish cars to complete the display. A 1-2-3 finish could make for a great display or diorama, as would a starting lineup of different makes and models from a certain race. Sometimes I just like the livery or markings better on the DNF or higher place cars so that's what I buy.

Bill, Mario stands alone as the only driver who has won the premier race in every...

... major series. He has won Sebring, Daytona 500, Indy 500, and Monaco. Of course, you already knew that! 🙂

Mario Andretti Is An Incredible Driver

No doubt. He has done amazing things that we mere mortals can only dream about. Being co-elected "Driver of the Century" in 2000 with A.J. Foyt by the Associated Press only comes close to capturing the width and depth of his extraordinary career.

But after years and years of hearing him tell why not winning that year's Indy 500 was somebody else's fault, I just wanted to yell at the TV, "Hey Andretti, grow a pair !".

He would have had more class IMHO if he'd just said, "That's racing." and left to tend to his wounds behind closed doors and away from microphones.

You never hear Dan Gurney complain and he is surely America's greatest driver.

Call me foolish, but I'm going to try debating against two automotive historians ...

... of the caliber of Bill Bennett and Paul Normand! Foolish, indeed! That's almost being in a hatchet fight and without a hatchet! But in this case, I do have a pretty big hatchet with the race record of Mario Andretti! Also, one would have to define "greatest." Is it based on subjective criteria or accomplishments?

No one would dispute the skills Dan Gurney and that he was a great American driver. So were Phil Hill and AJ Foyt. However, based on accomplishments, it is my assertion that Mario was the greatest American driver ever.

Mario has won virtually every major race of the major autoracing series. No other driver has equaled his feats.

F1, Monaco
Indycar, Indy 500
NASCAR, Daytona 500
World Sports Cars, Sebring
Pikes Peak

The only major race win missing from his r?sum? is LeMans.

Mario was a F1 World Champion and also won the Champ Car Championship four times.

Marty, You're Absolutely Right.

But this conversation started talking about our parameters for collecting diecasts. And I basically implied I don't specifically collect cars because Mario Andretti drove them.

Do I have Andretti cars ? Yep : Brawner Hawk, Porsche 956, Ferrari 312PB, Viceroy-sponsored USAC car, GT40 Mk IV and probably some others I've forgotten. But I didn't get them because of Mario.

His greatness isn't in question. He just isn't one of my favorite drivers. Tha's all.