Interview with Sergio Goldvarg

Very nice Kelly. You did a nice job of interviewing Sergio. Sergio is a very talented man and very humble. It was a pleasure meeting him and getting to know him.

Posted by: @bob-jackman

Very nice Kelly. You did a nice job of interviewing Sergio. Sergio is a very talented man and very humble. It was a pleasure meeting him and getting to know him.

Bob;

I am pleased for you that you got to meet Sergio; he indeed seems like a lovely person.  It is so nice to see such a person so involved and making such a valuable contribution to our hobby.  I hope to meet him some day myself.

Posted by: @bob-jackman

Very nice Kelly. You did a nice job of interviewing Sergio. Sergio is a very talented man and very humble. It was a pleasure meeting him and getting to know him.

I`m once again taken by how Kelly always seems to radiate such a positive and charming presence

@john-barry, she's a nice balance for me as I come across negative and without social grace...os so she tells me!! 😯 

In my talks with Sergio I found out he is creating a museum for his vast collection. The permits are going through and it may be completed in a year or two. At this point I'm not sure if his plans are to open it to the public - I got the impression it might be an invitation-only type deal.

A little correction though. While I like all the Goldvargs and have one of each casting (so far), it was probably Neo/American Excellence that jumped on the 1960s-1970s American car bandwagon earlier. Remember all those Cadillacs, Lincolns, Chryslers, Pontiacs, Buicks, etc.?

I watched part of the interview at the show and have been waiting to see the entire interview. Thank you Kelly (interview) and John (camera person) for this. 

Harv, I agree with your comments regarding Neo models and have a ton of them in my collection. I'm working on collecting as many or more Goldvargs.

I would have loved to question him about how he connected with the Asian producers of his models.  How many trips to Guangzhou China he had to make to form a business relationship with the producers.   And how he deals with the prototypes and the corrections of details he finds unacceptable.   How many back and forth shipments until he is is satisfied and volume production can begin.   How long does it take from proposing a model to an actual prototype.   Does he have to provide the producers photos of these cars,  dimensions,  color charts,  etc or are they able to obtain these necessary  images themselves.   Which auto manufactures are the easiest to deal with concerning licensing.   All perhaps proprietary information but I am not planning to go into competition,  just an MBA's inquiring mind of someone who spent his career in the auto industry.  Loved his story about John Norbert's Autofanatics as I used to often visit there on business trips to the San Fernando Valley. 

@bob-jackman @mg-harv Great interview, Kuvakes!  Hard to believe the 'new' resin Goldvargs have been out since 2017.  Five years already.  Of course, he also had his white metal range (were there 12?) made in Argentina and then England from 1990-2000.   Neo from what I have read started in 2009 in the Netherlands...

@karl Got my first Neo in June 2008 Karl. Actually it was the Mercedes 300B Pinin Farina coupe like the one Dick Browne posted here, introducing us to the brand. Here's an image from the Budig website. I was unaware of Neo prior to Dick's posting, but bought the Mercedes soon after. So maybe 2007 or 2008 is when Neo began?

Perhaps Christian can get the MCW folks to put their history (incl. Neo, BoS, CMF, and all the specials done for Spark and PCT) into hobbydb before all the details are lost or forgotten?

@john-quilter 

I like your questions, and have wondered about the business aspects of our model producers.  I am another MBA who is curious about these things, and also has no interest in getting into this business. However, I will finally buy a Goldvarg model, or two, this year.

Wonderful interview with Sergio Goldvarg with many thanks to Kelly for a relaxed interview technique.

I collected several white metal Goldvargs in the early days with I ended up trading to a friend. His current much lighter models are really accurate and I must add a few to my collection. I am not in the main, a collector of American cars but that has not stopped me from accumulating a significant number.

I found the below images of Sergio from his Argentina days with two of his models, and his wife..

@ed-davis Jeez, sure are a lot of MBAs around here (Univ. of TN '79)

@john-quilter I actually asked him several of those questions. He said it takes about 8 months from inception to delivery of a completed model. He works with three different factories, and partners with them based on the specific needs of each model. Automodello uses some of the same manufacturing resources that he does. He’s also juggling rising shipping rates and has to balance between cargo ship and air freight to ensure a regular flow of models.

I also asked him if he had any concerns about announcing new models while they’re still early in development (as some other makers are very tight-lipped). He said he shares his news early and often for two reasons - one, he’s excited as a collector to let others know what’s coming; and two, he appreciates the early feedback from discerning collectors so he can adjust the details, like getting the window openings and rooflines just right, and decide on final colors.

Above all, in talking with Sergio, what really comes across is his genuine love and enthusiasm for what he does. I feel we are lucky to have someone like him in this new golden age of resin cast excellence.