CLASSIC AMERICAN CARS FROM DANBURY MINT

There’s an attractive diecast vehicle series rolling out from Danbury Mint at the moment. The stars of the Classics of the Open Road are mostly US cars and trucks to 1:24 scale, though the odd interloper has been included, such as a Porsche 934. This is a double-oddity actually, as it was a track racer rather than a roadster, and is made to the bigger 1:18 scale.

Look out for the four-page brochure (top two pictures), which is available as a free pullout in some model magazines. It gives you a good feel for what’s available, though the prices may be a bit steep for some to swallow, at £109.80 GBP each for the 1:24 vehicles. But for keen diecast collectors, the more unusual subjects could make a purchase worthwhile.

SMN reckons the bright yellow 1937 Studebaker Pickup is a winner (“more than 200 parts”, says Danbury), and among the cars, the 1956 Packard Caribbean (bottom) is a handsome beast, with a tri-tone colour scheme, unusual even for the splendidly chrome-bedecked high-Americana designs of the 1950s.

Visit Danbury Mint US here, or UK here.