Notifications
Clear all
Forum 43
10
Posts
7
Users
48
Reactions
787
Views
Topic starter
26/12/2024 12:33 pm
I think the model came out around 10 years ago but I never got it. I just found it on a US dealer's website that I had never seen before.
It's a 1935 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, Le Mans, driven by Sommer/De Sauge Destrez. It was a DNF due to co-driver health! Raymond Sommer (1906-1950) was a famous driver and won the 1932 and 33 Le Mans races with different co-drivers! I wonder why Spark made a DNF?
Then I remembered that they also did the 1932 winner so why not reuse the tooling? The rear ends on these 1930s racing Alfas were different, but these two look very similar.
This Spark seems to have weathering on the exhaust and on the pontoon fender (teardrop fender) next to it! I don't think I've seen them do that before...
I am not sure how Spark figured out the colors but I did find one view online (free to download but watermarked from the source). I assume Spark has a lot of reference material that I do not have. Red would be a natural choice, but yellow and grey? 🤔
26/12/2024 1:39 pm
Nice present. Enjoy your birthday.
Ed Davis
Inverness, Illinois, USA
26/12/2024 2:01 pm
An extremely impressive racing automobile and replica of it, Karl ! A terrific car to display and it seems many automobiles can have a bit of mystery or uncertainty surrounding them. It can be a bit risky to proclaim absolute certainty about many things automotive.
26/12/2024 3:49 pm
An excellent addition. Certainly in your black & white image, the fenders and engine cowl vents are different tones - and I detect, different to one another. Spark must have researched the project rather than randomly picking colours. I'd love to know what a DNF is. Have a great birthday.
PS I gather it is driver without co-pilot but what do the letters stand for?
David Green and Christopher Moroni reacted
26/12/2024 4:20 pm
I am not sure how Spark figured out the colors
Yes, something I'd like to know about too.... 🤔 🤔 🤨 Great looking model though! 😎
Topic starter
26/12/2024 4:22 pm
@charles-rockett Excellent question - i apologize for the TLA (three letter acronym)! When I worked in corporate America, I was always asking what does THAT stand for?
In race results, many times you see DNF at the bottom, to mean Did Not Finish! N'a pas fini en francais? NPF?? Je ne sais pas...
26/12/2024 4:48 pm
Thank-you. I do not follow racing at all and likely, if I did, I would have guessed 🤙
26/12/2024 10:28 pm
What an interesting model Karl. I have seen MCM hand built versions of this Alfa Romeo done in both blue and red. Red seems more logical for Alfa but hard to tell with black and white. Seats on the 1951 Jaguar C-Type have similar issues on models.
I believe that software can now translate black and white shadings to accurate colours so maybe Spark is taking advantage of that technology. Red or blue, it is a fine model that belongs in any Le Mans collection. I want it.
Topic starter
27/12/2024 9:41 am
@david-green Great idea - I tried 4 online AI tools to colorize B&W photos - this one seemed to be the best!
27/12/2024 6:01 pm
Nice model Karl. I would have added it but my Le Mans collection has gotten too large to make room for many DNFs and also-rans. But this isn't the first Spark to show race weathering. Spark had issued the Daytona-winning Lola T70 from 1969 as S1437. When they began a Daytona winners collection, it was reissued in a post-race condition with "duct tape" repairs and track grime as 43DA69.
Karl Schnelle and Tony Perrone reacted