1940 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Farina

@geoff-jowett  Hi Geoff, I quite agree with your observation that the present Alfa Romeo is very closely aligned in style to the earlier Lago-Talbot.  But I personally - I emphasise this is entirely my view so you may consider, discard it as you will -  detect there is a subtle new stylistic device that appears in France and perhaps Italy in 1939 and continues into 1941 - notably with certain Rosengart.  I sense that with Figoni et Falaschi’s Delahaye 165, the engine cowl - fuselage, we may say - begins to project itself, visually speaking, aft of the wings. A metaphorical movement that will culminate in their 1946/7 Narval. Yet immediately thereafter, in various 1939 designs we see the ‘bridge’ between the wings and engine cowl rise and seem to create a horizontal ‘cylinder’ that bridges one wheel to another - rather like the front ‘wheel’ of a stem roller, with the ‘fuselage’ transecting it in a central point - with the traditional grille in cases, gone or appearing as a mere cutout hole with bars. I try to illustrate this for your consideration and hope you don't consider it all design pomposity:

@charles-rockett HA!  So long as you re-boot  yourself as needed.  😉

@chris Were it that simple !

@charles-rockett Thanks for the Cord-Alfa photos!  My 1/43 copy came in a plain white box with a label that said Fut.000 - that's it!  But it has to be the same model....

The front fender - cowl progression is something I never thought about - but it seems obvious now that you said it!  😊  A photo montage with dates of the 1/43 to illustrate would make a great post or MAR Online article (no pressure!); I can't really see the other end of your lineup.  Did you make a time-line view in 1/43?

@karl re. white boxes : these guys - model producers - have spent the best part of their lives crafting wonderful replicas of masterpieces few of us have ever heard of. Certainly for me, it would not be important if it came on a base stating Nº36 / 50 or if it were one of one thousand, as long as I had a copy to look at and think about.

In the same way, I spend the best hours of my life working for money to buy these things - preferably cheaply - so I may look at them and think about them. 

As you may know, I have limited access to my models - 75% London, the rest in a little studio  Paris - and I try to impart my thoughts as best I can, given these limitationsso the photographs do not relate specifically to the present thread.

Posted by: @charles-rockett

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But I personally - I emphasise this is entirely my view so you may consider, discard it as you will -  detect there is a subtle new stylistic device that appears in France and perhaps Italy in 1939 and continues into 1941

Fascinating, and clever insight Charles. My appreciation, or lack of it tends to the overall perspective, and in part similar to you, how each body section relates to the other. Using the 1939 Delahaye as an example, to me its perfect. Beautifully balanced, sides front and back. 

While the front fenders are more bulbous to me the mid point of the car is the dash and windscreen, balancing each half perfectly. Then features such as you so articulately describe 'flesh out' the overall perfectly balanced design.

Then there's the Toyota Yaris. Where it looks like some kid has grabbed a hunk of plasticene and gone plonk!

@geoff-jowett Indeed, Geoff, good designs all about creating balance - or imbalance, intentionally for dramatic effect. Then we have as a design colleague once put it in exactly your terms 'exuded blobs of plastic'.  Thank god for our model cars!

Posted by: @charles-rockett

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@geoff-jowett Indeed, Geoff, good designs all about creating balance - or imbalance, intentionally for dramatic effect. Then we have as a design colleague once put it in exactly your terms 'exuded blobs of plastic'.  Thank god for our model cars!

@geoff-jowett You too, best wishes to you and your family.

Another fascinating discussion and post. Than you Charles for continuing to issue very interesting and usually fresh to me information on mainly pre and post war car design.

A perhaps even more desirable version is this one by EMC, said to be race driver Nino Farina's personal car. I have #66 of 100, made in Kyiv in 2013.

@mg-harv Giovanni Farina's son: That would explain such a special body, and a useful addition to the story.  Thank you Harv'. Your EMC model is indeed very nice.