Transport Modelling Books

David Wright turns to his personal collecting interest of some 40 years, British sports cars.

Research identified a vast number of both small and large manufacturers of sporting cars, many in kit form, some of which, although made for the road, were made in very small numbers. Defining what is a sports or sporting car was a real challenge, and David has emphasized that this book is a personal record, thus his definitions relating to style, performance, function and age of the real cars are wholly his alone. 

David focuses on linking the miniature exapmles, mostly in 1:43 scale, with the real thing. His source material is his own collection of over 800 models and those of a number of serious collectors around the world, resulting in a reference work depicting the complete range of British sporting cars throughout the 20th century. This work combines historical summaries of 81 manufacturers with over 1000 pictures of models common and rare, with a listing of each model.

For David the journey has continued from white metal to resin. His research has taken new turns, including translation from hand written text, and the quest has reached as far as Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Romania, Russia and the United States. David's 35 years collecting and kit building experience is again brought to the task, resulting in the personal stories of 180 pattern makers, mould makers, casters, builders, producers and retailers. From the founding artisans of France and Italy, to the emerging east European businesses, and finally to the big players in China, the fortunes of the resin model transport industry unfold. From a newly researched store of over 1400 images, David has selected many colour pictures never seen before. This is an insight into the evolution of small one man businesses, the sometimes cut throat world of kit makers, and the influence of new technology on drawing new talent into the industry. David's conclusion is that there is a bright future for high quality, accurate model replicas emerging around the world. Combined with its companion volume, it is a biography of almost all who have produced in the field.