13 replies to this topic

[Carlo]

Hi guys,

I need your help!

My question is about the car # 602 starting in the Mille Miglia 1953 with Fangio/Salla at the wheel.

I am looking for the colour of the front mask of this car. The photos I have about this race are only in b/w, so I cannot say if this car has the yellow, blue or other paint at the front.

Looking forward to your responses I remain

with best regards
Ciao Carlo

[dmj]

Surely it should be light blue as Argentinian national colour?

[Rob G]

I've never seen pics of any of his sports car exploits. However, many if not all of the F1 Alfas that Fangio drove had a yellow nose with a thin stripe of blue separating the yellow from the red. His F1 Maseratis were sometimes all red, sometimes red with a yellow nose and sometimes red with a blue nose tip and a band of yellow between the red and blue.

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by Rob G
His F1 Maseratis were sometimes all red, sometimes red with a yellow nose and sometimes red with a blue nose tip and a band of yellow between the red and blue.

This presumably refers to his later cars - the 4CLTs were surely blue and yellow?

[Rob G]

Originally posted by David McKinney

This presumably refers to his later cars - the 4CLTs were surely blue and yellow?

Oops, sorry, yes. You're correct. I was thinking chronologically of the years surrounding 1953.

[Patrick Italiano]

Aha,

dear guys, I'm proud of this one, and I claim to be up to TNF reputation: a definitive answer in less than 24 hours.

I knew I had somewhere a colour pic of that car.

Et voilà!



So the answer is yellow

[Frank S]

Originally posted by Rob G
I've never seen pics of any of his sports car exploits. However, many if not all of the F1 Alfas that Fangio drove had a yellow nose with a thin stripe of blue separating the yellow from the red. His F1 Maseratis were sometimes all red, sometimes red with a yellow nose and sometimes red with a blue nose tip and a band of yellow between the red and blue.

This Barchetta page refers to the latter scheme as "Argentine colors".
The 290MM car carried Fangio to a fourth in the 1956 Mille Miglia,
and Hill/Wharton, Gendebien/de Portago to third in the 1000KM of Nuerburgring, same paint job:



In the same 1000KM race, Fangio drove an 860 Monza to second, different nose paint:




Other photos from the 1000K at Bill Bean's photos

[Frank S]

How close is the No. 602 car to this one?



Phil Hill at the Monterey Historics, 16 August 2003. Program says the car is
1953 Alfa-Romeo 6C 3000, 3495cc, Chassis No. 00126

Look at the safety-wiring on the flares and fenders:

[dretceterini]

The car at Monterey is the same model Alfa as the MM car, 6c3000CM. It was built with an identical body to the car as raced in the MM and at LeMans. It was later re-bodied as a street car by Boano and given as a gift to Peron. I believe it was in the 70s when Henry Wessells got the car. In the middle 80s, he crashed the car with the Boano body and had it rebodied by Diamonte in Italy to the MM/Le Mans body style (which was originally by Colli). Many call this model a Disco Volante, but it really is not. Without checking, I don't remember how many 6c3000CMs were built; one was a spider which Fangio drove at the Supercortemaggiore GP.

[Carlo]

Thanks guys,

I am very happy about your feedback!

To be honest, I need the correct paint for a 1/43 Provence Moulage kit of the 6C 3000 CM.
The kit has decals for the MM and the LM outfit, further the different Milano-registered plates and the different painted front-maskes for each driver.

I choosed to build the car to the MM specs of Fangio/Salla, I hope you appreciate this ;)

@ Patrick, many thanks to Liege for the great photo! Hope to meet you next year again at Maastricht ;)

@ Frank, this car comes very close to the 1953 car. Btw, before #00126 was rebodied by Boano it ran at Le Mans driven by Kling and Reiss with # 22.


Ciao Carlo

[Patrick Italiano]

Carlo, I assembled that kit years ago and also chose MM #602. You owe me royalties!

While H. Wessels' car show great craftmanship, the main drawback is that, in order to use an existing windshield, they lose the typical feature of the upper corners going very far up, along the pillar lines. Compare the pics in this thread, you'll realize immediately.

[antonvrs]

Originally posted by Patrick Italiano
Carlo, I assembled that kit years ago and also chose MM #602. You owe me royalties!

While H. Wessels' car show great craftmanship, the main drawback is that, in order to use an existing windshield, they lose the typical feature of the upper corners going very far up, along the pillar lines. Compare the pics in this thread, you'll realize immediately.

I'm not so sure about the windshield- it may just be the angle of the photo. Hard to tell.
After Mr. Wessells sold this car a couple of years ago it suffered from an attempt to upgrade it, i.e. the fussy safety wiring, wide wheels in the back, general "over preparation" in my opinion. It would have been better off if they had just left it sitting outside for a while or driven it fast on some dirt roads to acquire some patina.
I'm so sick of these old Italian cars with modern super-glossy paint and glittering chrome spokes in over-polished alloy rims I could puke. So there!
Your friendly car-mudgeon,
Anton

[Carlo]

I'm so sick of these old Italian cars with modern super-glossy paint and glittering chrome spokes in over-polished alloy rims I could puke.

Ciao Carlo

[Patrick Italiano]

Originally posted by antonvrs


I'm not so sure about the windshield- it may just be the angle of the photo. Hard to tell.
After Mr. Wessells sold this car a couple of years ago it suffered from an attempt to upgrade it, i.e. the fussy safety wiring, wide wheels in the back, general "over preparation" in my opinion. It would have been better off if they had just left it sitting outside for a while or driven it fast on some dirt roads to acquire some patina.
I'm so sick of these old Italian cars with modern super-glossy paint and glittering chrome spokes in over-polished alloy rims I could puke. So there!
Your friendly car-mudgeon,
Anton

I agree with you about a sense of over-restoration - actually NOT a restoration, but a body recreation on an original chassis. But I never saw the car in the flesh, so I can tell only from pictures.

About the windshield shape, my colour pic has not the right angle to judge, but many others, including the one here below, show better the difference. On the original, the windshield top corner goes up to the full top end of the pillar.