Marcello Gandini

Silver RRA.

Base code: R26

The Alfa Romeo Carabo is a concept car first shown at the 1968 Paris Motor Show. It was designed by Marcello Gandini, working for the Bertone design studio. The Carabo name is derived from the Carabidae beetles, as evoked by the car's iridescent green and orange coloring.

It was never intended for production but was fully functional and showcased features never expressed in any other car design of its day, including its wedge design and scissor doors.

The prototype was built on the chassis of an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale (chassis No. 750.33.109.), which features a mid-mounted 2.0 L V8 engine mated to a 6-speed Colotti manual transmission. The Carabo engine made 230 bhp (172 kW; 233 PS) at 8,800 rpm and 200 N⋅m (148 lbf⋅ft) of torque at 7,000 rpm. This allowed it to be able to reach a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

Born as a concept car to be presented at the '67 Expo in Montreal, the Alfa Romeo Montreal had an unexpected success and, after a few years, was produced in less than 4000 exemplares.

The X 1/9 is derived from the concept car "Runabout" designed by Marcello Gandini for Bertone and destined for Autobianchi. The project was instead acquired by Fiat who decided to put it into production.

The "5 speed" version included some changes to make the car commercially viable in the United States. The car was fitted with a more powerful engine than the previous series and the bumpers were more prominent, in compliance with US standards. 

The Lamborghini Countach was produced in several variants including the original LP400, equipped with the engine of the Miura, and subsequents LP 400S, 500S LP, LP Turbo, 5000QV and the 25th Anniversary version. This iconic Lamborghini comes from the Countach-Prototype (called 500LP) that was presented at the 1971 Geneva motor show.

Official Marketing Text:

• Limited Edition of 199 pieces
• Bespoke Models can be built to the owner's specification
• Each model hand-built and assembled by a small team of craftsmen
• 1:8 scale model, over 50 cms/20 inches long
• Made using the finest quality materials
• Over 4000 hours to develop the model
• Over 400 hours to build each model
• Thousands of precisely engineered parts: castings, photo-etchings and CNC machined metal components

Together with the Miura, the Countach represents the backbone of the Lamborghini legend. Designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone, the Countach was unique in its design and its ability to leave everybody speechless. The name was originally a joke, a Piedmontese exclamation of astonishment, but after Gandini consulted with test driver and mechanic Bob Wallace, the name stayed and a legend was born. The Countach was the first production car to incorporate scissor doors and it also popularised the ‘cab forward’ design concept, where the passenger compartment would be pushed forward to accommodate a larger rear-mounted engine.

The LP400 was the first generation of Countach and was armed with a 4 litre V12 that produced 370 horsepower. The engine was mounted lengthways, giving the Countach its full name of LP (Longitudinale Posteriore). Little had altered from the final form of the prototype. The styling had become more aggressive as the car required large air scoops and vents to keep it from overheating and the conventional headlights were installed but, overall, the shape remained sleek. In total, 151 LP400s were built between 1974 and 1978.

Note: This is a 'Kerbside' model and does not feature moving parts.

The Lamborghini Countach is limited to just 199 pieces.

Official Marketing Text:

• Limited Edition of 199 pieces
• Bespoke Models can be built to the owner's specification
• Available in a Giallo Fly and Rosso exterior paint scheme
• Each model hand-built and assembled by a small team of craftsmen
• 1:8 scale model, over 50 cms/20 inches long
• Made using the finest quality materials
• Over 4000 hours to develop the model
• Over 400 hours to build each model
• Thousands of precisely engineered parts: castings, photo-etchings and CNC machined metal components

Together with the Miura, the Countach represents the backbone of the Lamborghini legend. Designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone, the Countach was unique in its design and its ability to leave everybody speechless. The name was originally a joke, a Piedmontese exclamation of astonishment, but after Gandini consulted with test driver and mechanic Bob Wallace, the name stayed and a legend was born. The Countach was the first production car to incorporate scissor doors and it also popularised the ‘cab forward’ design concept, where the passenger compartment would be pushed forward to accommodate a larger rear-mounted engine.

The LP400 was the first generation of Countach and was armed with a 4 litre V12 that produced 370 horsepower. The engine was mounted lengthways, giving the Countach its full name of LP (Longitudinale Posteriore). Little had altered from the final form of the prototype. The styling had become more aggressive as the car required large air scoops and vents to keep it from overheating and the conventional headlights were installed but, overall, the shape remained sleek. In total, 151 LP400s were built between 1974 and 1978.

The Lamborghini Countach is limited to just 199 pieces.

Official Marketing Text:

• Limited Edition of 199 pieces
• Bespoke Models can be built to the owner's specification
• Available in a Giallo Fly and Rosso exterior paint scheme
• Each model hand-built and assembled by a small team of craftsmen
• 1:8 scale model, over 50 cms/20 inches long
• Made using the finest quality materials
• Over 4000 hours to develop the model
• Over 400 hours to build each model
• Thousands of precisely engineered parts: castings, photo-etchings and CNC machined metal components

Together with the Miura, the Countach represents the backbone of the Lamborghini legend. Designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone, the Countach was unique in its design and its ability to leave everybody speechless. The name was originally a joke, a Piedmontese exclamation of astonishment, but after Gandini consulted with test driver and mechanic Bob Wallace, the name stayed and a legend was born. The Countach was the first production car to incorporate scissor doors and it also popularised the ‘cab forward’ design concept, where the passenger compartment would be pushed forward to accommodate a larger rear-mounted engine.

The LP400 was the first generation of Countach and was armed with a 4 litre V12 that produced 370 horsepower. The engine was mounted lengthways, giving the Countach its full name of LP (Longitudinale Posteriore). Little had altered from the final form of the prototype. The styling had become more aggressive as the car required large air scoops and vents to keep it from overheating and the conventional headlights were installed but, overall, the shape remained sleek. In total, 151 LP400s were built between 1974 and 1978.

The Lamborghini Countach is limited to just 199 pieces.

HW 1991 - Collector # 123 - Lamborghini Diablo - Red - UH Wheels - Blue Card with Brown Back & Speed Points

Baseplate copyright 1990. 

Baseplate copyright 1990.

HW 1995 - Collector # 227 - Lamborghini Diablo - Yellow - 5 Spokes - USA Blue Card

The Lamborghini Diablo is a high-performance mid-engined sports car that was built by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1990 and 2001. It was the first Lamborghini capable of attaining a top speed in excess of 200 M.P.H. After the end of its production run in 2001, the Diablo was replaced by the Lamborghini Murciélago. Diablo is "devil" in Spanish.

At a time when the company was financed by the Swiss-based Mimran brothers, Lamborghini began development of what was codenamed Project 132 in June 1985 as a replacement for the Countach model. The brief stated that its top speed had to be at least 195 M.P.H.

The design of the car was contracted to Marcello Gandini, who had designed its two predecessors. When Chrysler bought the company in 1987, providing money to complete its development, its management was uncomfortable with Gandini’s designs and commissioned its design team in Detroit to execute a third extensive redesign, smoothing out the trademark sharp edges and corners of Gandini's original design, and leaving him famously unimpressed. In fact, Gandini was so disappointed with the "softened" shape that he would later realize his original design in the Cizeta-Moroder V16T.

The car became known as the Diablo, carrying on Lamborghini's tradition of naming its cars after breeds of fighting bull. The Diablo was named after a ferocious bull raised by the Duke of Veragua in the 19th century, famous for fighting an epic battle with 'El Chicorro' in Madrid on July 11, 1869.

Baseplate copyright 1990.

Casting # MB232

*actual scale = 1/59

The Lamborghini Marzal was a prototype concept car presented by Lamborghini at the 1967 Geneva Motor Show.

Designed by Marcello Gandini of Bertone, it was created to supply Ferruccio Lamborghini with a true four-seater car for his lineup which already included the 400GT 2+2 and the Miura. It was distinguished by amply glazed gullwing-doors and an equally amply louvered rear window. Propulsion was by a 2L 175 bhp (130 kW) in-line six engine, actually a split-in-half version of Lamborghini's 4L V12, mated to a five speed transmission.

The Marzal remained a one-off, though the general shape and many of the ideas would go on to be used in the Espada. The Marzal design probably found wider recognition as a die-cast model, with both Dinky and Matchbox making scale models, albeit in other colours such as orange livery, although the original show car was painted in silver. This car was publicly driven only once by Princess Grace and her husband as the Monaco Grand-Prix pace car the same year it was designed.

The Marzal made a second public appearance at the 1996 Concours Italiano in Monterey, California in honor of Carrozzeria Bertone. The Athon was also exhibited at this time. The Marzal was located for long time in the Bertone Design Study Museum, and it was sold in auction at Villa d'Este (Italy) on 21 May 2011, for the highest bidder of 1,350,000 Euros, approximately 2 million dollars.