Spark 1981 Lola T600 Le Mans

Harv, what a magnificent project. I looked at the same idea for 1955 but gave up after I was about 1/3 completed. I still have quite a few from that year. What I did do is collect a Le Mans winner for every year. I'm missing still 2013, 2016 and 2020 but have all the rest. I have 2013 but it arrived in the mail quite damaged.

Did you pick the 1981 for a specific purpose? This Lola T600 is an impressive vehicle.

@david-green Simply put, because I was there! I too have been putting together the winners and lack just a few pre-war cars, plus of course 2020. These two showed up with the Lola (1923 and 1929):

@mg-harv

Very nice models Harv. You have the fairly recent Spark issues. I got mine a little earlier. My 1923 is a Starter factory built although I also have the Altaya version. The 1929 Bentley I have by Starter and the IXO version. Your Spark models look very nice. I ended up with buying MCM models from France to fill in many of my pre-war gaps. They were expensive and since then, a few good less expensive versions have come available. 

Posted by: @david-green

I ended up with buying MCM models from France to fill in many of my pre-war gaps. They were expensive and since then, a few good less expensive versions have come available. 

I dunno - those MCMs are very, very nice!  At least from the photos... I have not coughed up the dough for one yet.

I have the MCM Lorraine. Beautiful and fragile wheels on it.

Harv, we just HAVE to see the pics of the final collection when you're done with this extremely lofty goal. Kudos to you sir!

@mg-harv

Here are a few of my MCM Le Mans Winning cars. I love these all metal hand made models. None of these were from kits.

My earliest is the same as yours, the 1925 La Lorraine Deitrich B3-6 No.5 driven by Gerard de COURCELLES and Andre ROSSIGNOL.

Mine here is a slightly different colour than yours. My research was unable to uncover an actual colour image of the original car.

Here is the 1928 Bentley 4.4 No.4 driven by Woolf BARNATO and Bernard RUBIN. 

Here is the 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 No.11 as driven by Tazio NUVOLARI and Raymond SOMMERS.

Finally the 1938 Delahaye 135 S No.15 as driven by Eugene CHABOUD and Jean TREMOUTLET.

 Note that MCM got the wheel configurations and colours correct on this one.

I've been awaiting Spark releases for the remaining gaps in my pre-WW2 Le Mans Victors, having sold off my Ixos. Here are pics of the '31 Alfa and '35 Delahaye, plus I've held onto my Autotorque '28 Bentley "Old Mother Gun".

Those Spark models look to be a significant improvement over the IXO versions. Looks like an upgrade is needed to some in my collection.

The 1928 Bentley once again raises the issue of exactly what colours and shades some of these vehicles had originally. Your Autotorque Bentley uses grey for the canvas covered bodywork instead of the green on many other models of the same vehicle. It may well be accurate. I'd love to see period colour images to show just what the originals looked like. Even early 1950s vehicles such as the 1951 Le Mans winning Jaguar C-Type have varied seat colours on the models made.

Does anyone know of accurate period coloured images for these cars? Modellers often use the restored museum examples as the basis for what they make, but these are often based on guesswork.

Harv, we have strayed a long way from your Lola T600 addition to the 1981 Le Mans grid.

You are right - which one is closer to the actual car at the time?  How do they know, or are they guessing?  Two versions of the 1933 Le Mans Alfa: Starter and Ixo.