9 replies to this topic

[dmj]

A friend has Western models 1/43 Lamborghini 400 GT in very strange livery:



Apparently it is a model of car that participated at 1992 or 1993 Monte Carlo rally, Historique, I presume.
Quite strange choice of car for the event, even stranger colour choice but for some strange reason I am attracted to this model and would like to know more about it.

Bottom of car doesn't help, it actually says Ferrari 330 LMB...

[Ralf Pickel]

Just a wild guess - but might the model be just a fantasy creation ?
A few points - I would not think, that as early as 92 Audi would be a sponsor on such an event - or even a single car (even if its a Lambo).
Also - nobody would put the racing number twice on one side of a car (noteven a Lambo owner..) - nor would the rally plaque be on the side - this is usually supposed to be on front and/or rear.
Also West would probably not be there, I´d think.

Of course - the car might have existed - but I´ll have doubts.

Cheers,
Ralf

[dmj]

I have the same doubts, that's why I asked here. Audi apparently advertises A4, and that model came to market only in 1994, so if real it could be a bit later than my initial guess. West sponsorship was usual in F1 with Zakspeed in late Eighties so it is not so unbelieveable.

But model seems to be nicely and carefully done, on basis of not inexpensive Western model, so I guessed that it might be based on a real car - not that many people are messing up Western kits, AFAIK. Base plate of Ferrari 330 LMB is strange, too. I never saw a 400 GT with these small sliding windows, too... And colour scheme is quite strange by itself, isn't it? It reminds me of something but can't remember what it might be. Any recollection of green cars with red nose?

Even if it is someone's strange fantasy, I'd like to find what it is based on - any race-prepared 400 GT with sliding windows known?

Am I right at all that it is 400 GT? It seems to me that it has changed roofline but maybe I'm wrong...

Edited by dmj, 19 October 2010 - 13:24.

[Duc-Man]

Where to start?
The colour sceme:

Okay the green is different.
Benetton used some funny green like on the model at sometime I think.

The sponsor decals:
The West decal is from the time when they sponsored McLaren.
The Audi decal looks like from a current Audi DTM car and it doesn't fit the Lamborghini windscreen.
The 7 on the tail is from the old DTM in the early 90's.

The car it self is a 350 GT. The 400 GT had round twin headlights as obvious difference in the look.
The slide windows are something somebody might have done to 'upgrade' his real car. I think some Lamborghinis where modified to be more sporty after the Miura Jota appeared...

With that model: I guess somebody had some decals left over and made something up following the idea of: a model of a Lamborghini rally car? Some fool will buy it!
Hope your mate didn't pay lots of money for it.

[Hamish Robson]

The large door numbers with the "Cineltex" above look suspiciously like late 20th century WRC plates, have a look for Colin McRae's Ford Focus WRC in the 1999 event, he was number 7 that year.

This looks like a modified model. Maybe you should remove the non-standard decals and make it into a nice road car?

[hipperson]

This is my 400GT that I owned in the 70s.............pictured here last summer with the same owner as when I sold it.
Note the lights as mentioned above.



Previous to me owned by Paul McCartney

[hipperson]

And this Stephen Keens at the Chelsea show a few weeks ago....

[Mistron]

Previous to me owned by Paul McCartney

the one his wife famously 'parked' in the pond?

[dmj]

the one his wife famously 'parked' in the pond?

No, it was an Espada, IIRC.

Thank you, gentlemen, for clarifying the sources of decals, I was curious but had doubts if anything even remotely like this Lambo ever existed. It is nice model anyway and I'll suggest to my mate to make a road car ou of it.

Now I'd really like to see if any 350 GT had such sliding windows... Not a lot of them were ever entered to any kind of racing event, I presume?

Edited by dmj, 19 October 2010 - 18:02.

[hipperson]

Not heard that one ! more please

It is on a Beatles vid....when they played on top of the Apple HQ...................and for a millisecond on A Hard Days Night.