Collections

I recently cleaned 60-plus cars in two hours. Among these were a Ferrari 550 Maranello, a Porsche 911 Turbo circa 1987, a Dodge Viper GTS, and a purple Chevrolet Corvette. There was also a very beat-up Ford F-150 and a Mitsubishi Fuso fire truck. I am talking, of course, about my personal collection of scale model cars, ranging from Buragos and Maistos to the more ubiquitous Matchbox and Hot Wheels.

It’s a hobby I’ve recently taken up once again since, now that I have a son, I can turn it over to him when he reaches the age where he’ll understand that these are not made to be ingested, dropped off the roof, or exploded with fireworks. Rather, that they are meant to be admired for their art; static, pristine, safely ensconced in a glass case.

I think miniature car collecting is something all enthusiasts take up in varying degrees. One lady I know who works at a car manufacturer has a collection of Minis numbering in the hundreds. If you’ve ever been to the Manila International Auto Show or the CAMPI Motorshows you’ve seen her collection on display. While my collection is admittedly skewed towards the Italian and German exotics and pale in numbers compared to the hard-core collectors, I’m quite happy with it. Right now there are actually more cars in my cabinet than there is space to properly display them. One of these days I really have to have a display case made.

I don’t know how other collectors got started, but mine started at my 11th birthday. I remember it clearly because my father’s birthday gift to me was that Turbo. I had no idea what a Porsche was until I tore off the gift wrap and beheld the two door sports car with the whale tail spoiler. That was the very first Matchbox I treasured.

While I’d go on to acquire (and subsequently lose) dozens of other cars, trucks, helicopters, and a few tanks, I was pleasantly surprised several months ago to re-discover the Turbo in a box that had been gathering dust in my closet for years. It had been in that box along with several dozen other cars, the few that had survived the attrition period when one moves house, annual New Year’s Eve cleanings, and other minor events that conspire to whittle down one’s possessions to only what’s needed and visible.

In college, the very first car that I bought using my very first writer’s check from the now-defunct Automotion magazine was the Dodge Viper GTS. Blue with white racing stripes, of course. It captured my imagination the moment I received my subscription copy of Car & Driver with that car on the cover. While the chances are low that I will ever get to own a real GTS, I could content myself with the 1:24 scale model by Burago. Opening the hood revealed the V10 in all its mechanical splendor, and peering inside cockpit gave an idea as to its purist intentions.

In subsequent years, as I collected books and magazines about exotic cars I had this irrational need to acquire scale models of most of the cars that were featured. One of the minor issues was that, to this day, the casual collector will be hard-pressed to find a single scale model manufacturer who can do a complete run of a brand’s cars in the same size. Thus, my collection is composed of odd sizes ranging from 1:24 to 1:18 and 1:48.

Which is why, to give credit where it is due, I have to thank Shell for its marketing genius. The petroleum brand has long been aggressive with its Ferrari tie-up, hawking anything from scale models to keychains. While the quality of the models isn’t as polished as the more premium brands, at least they have nearly all the great cars of the marque in a uniform size and color. Yes, I have almost all of them, and yes, my first instinct is to fuel up at a Shell station even though I drive just a normal Japanese sedan.

I don’t know if I have any particular preference with regards to the size of the car. A 1:18 usually has more intricate detail than a 1:24, but takes up more space. On the other hand, a 1:48 will usually have a fixed hood and doors, but then again it’s obviously compact, which means you can pack more of them on a shelf. Not to mention the fact that they’re quite inexpensive.

Even so there are variations in sizes among brands. Whenever I venture into a store to buy a few I’m perplexed at the discrepancy in sizes among Tomica, Matchbox and Hot Wheels. Not to be obsessive-compulsive about it, but they really force you to choose between this size or that size. Inevitably you end up choosing one size, but since the other brand might have a car that you really like then you have to get that one too. Now, since it won’t look right if the collection has an odd ratio of odd-sized cars then you have to buy the whole run from each brand! Which, come to think of it, is probably the original intent of these manufacturers...

On my most recent visit, I was torn between a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, a Nissan 370Z, and a Mazda RX-8 from Tomica; and a Dodge Challenge, a Ford Mustang, and a BMW Z4 from Matchbox. Just to end all my internal debate about the matter I ended up buying all six of them.

It should be noted that I was not alone in this experience, as another father was intensely lobbying for his son to go with Matchbox instead of Hot Wheels. As I walked away I noted how I would conceal these cars from my son until he was old enough to appreciate them properly along with the more vintage scale models in my collection. My wife noted that it was a thinly veiled excuse to buy them for myself, but then I told her that sooner or later I would need someone to take over the tedious job of cleaning them one by one. Or finally having that display case made.

Still.. some cars are made for admiring, and others are made for smashing. I went back to the store, and bought a Hot Wheels Camaro with flame decals. One day it will end up as a small pile of mangled plastic and metal, the sacrificial lamb to preserve the rest in all their shining glory.

Here are some of your Backseat Driver reactions from last week’s Riding Small by Lester Dizon (with an answer provided by the columnist himself)…

There you go again referencing some obscure “international law” allowing motorcycle lane sharing below 40-kph. Even if you could specify this so-called “international law”, it holds no water here in the Philippines. LTO ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER AHS-2008-015, SECTION IX (Miscellaneous Traffic Rules), Subsection C clearly states:

“A driver/rider shall observe the rule on one lane per one vehicle only. Lane splitting is prohibited along a road or a highway. Motorcycles or scooters shall not be operated on sidewalks.”

Lester, you’d be doing everyone a bigger service if you stop peddling these myths about none-existent special privileges for two-wheel drivers; and just focus on how you can contribute to educating all motorists on road courtesy and safety – for everyone. – amang

Riding a motorcycle is convenient if you’re in a province or town but if you’re in Manila, you’d be lucky if you got home safely. The risk of accident in a motorcycle is high compared to four wheeled vehicles. – ryu_33

Thanks Amang for stating AHS-2008-15 Section XI. This was a directive written by LTO Chief Alberto H. Suansing but it should be considered as a traffic rule rather than a law, because laws need to be passed by Congress and signed by the President. Asst. Sec. Suansing initially wanted to minimize motorcycle accidents with this directive but after consulting with motorcycle groups, he was considering to amend it but he was assigned to the LTFRB. In fact, LTO’s Engineer Joel Donato, who’s also a rider, asked me to specify what you call the “obscure” 40-kph lane-splitting rule that so they could adapt it into our traffic laws. Now that Asst. Sec. Suansing is back at the LTO, we’ll work on it again.

BTW, the 40-kph lane-splitting law originated in California and was later adapted by several nations. Tokyo and other key cities have adapted this law because of the heavy traffic in their areas. I’m “peddling” it to our traffic authorities because the local conditions dictate it and I’m hoping that local motorcyclists can be educated. Thanks for your comments. – lesterdizon