Following on from what might be called the saga of Doug's Dunlops, I wonder if the resident Auto Union experts can shed a little light on exactly which C-Type A-U CMC has based its lovely 1:18 replica.

As Peter Vann's nice 'GP Race and Record Cars' books shows that, in 1980, the freshly-rebodied Deutches Museum C-Type had a water pipe - essentially the 'top hose' - running from behind the fuel tank, outside (but flush with) the body. This car also had diverging stub exhausts with horizontally cut off ends. The same features are seen in the car's second restoration, when it was photographed unpainted - and rather incongruously - in the ghost town of Bodie, California in 1995.

The recent CMC model seems to be based on a second complete C-Type, photographed for the book on the Brooklands banking. This car has the same Dunlop tyres (excepting the goofy tread pattern mistake found on the model's front tyres) and the water pipe running through the fuel tank, to emerge at the driver's elbow.

My questions are:

1) when - and why - did Auto Union change that water pipe run; and

2) is the car the CMC model is obviously based on one of the C & G replicas - and, if so, which one?

(I ask if CMC equals confusing model cars for several reasons: the W125 model has the correct 1937 tyres, but seems to be fitted with the bi-metallic, vented drum brakes fitted to the later W154. This swap was actually carried out by Colin Crabbe on Neil Corner's W125, when he had the incomplete W154 to hand, and later reversed when the W154 was completed and the W125 sold on - so what's going on with the model?)

Ha - do you think we should ask the manufacturer direct perhaps............?

As someone that has worked in the models industry, I must say that msot manufacturers just don't care. Close enough will do. How many people in the world really know or care; most of thse miniatures are purchased by children and young adults.

Even when it comes to the VERY expensive (read $300 or more) hand made miniatures and kits there are things that are wrong. The companies just don't spend the time on research.

There are many miniatures that are not as good what CMC is producing which cost 10 times as much money.

Personally, I KNOW that some of the scratch-built miniatures I make for myself are off. It's rather hard to make an accurate model of an obscure, non existant car when you have been searching 10 years for photos, and can only find one or two photos and nothing showing it's dimensions. I rather have a model of an "etceterini" that I love that is a bit off than not have it at all.

Best done in German, to judge from the English found in the little booklet that came with the model. Didn't you like the bonnet-latch tweezers and the silken polishing cloth - nice finishing touches, both!

Finally.....cmc will produce the maserati 250 F .....
For (not many) details check the cmc homepage
Go to section "in preparation"
good thing is that i have a cmc dealer here in australia who offers the cars cheaper than in germany

for everybody located in australia....he's da man

(link doesn't work sometimes....don't know why....maybe googlesearch for www.diecastmodels.net helps
cheers marty