This picture was all I had to go on but the price for the four models was very low, with little apparent interest from anyone on Ebay a few days ago. Looking at the Studebaker, Chevrolet and Jaguar, I suspected some repainting. Quite good repainting, maybe, but still that I would perhaps only find the Ford to be original. I might well have moved on and left them to the restorer community but I was also intrigued by the Studebaker which might have been a nice example of the 211M edition so set a fairly high bid limit as that one would worth it alone.
I won the auction for a very modest £38 including postage and wondered what would arrive in the post.
The Studebaker was in superb condition but it's not the 211M! Something much more special!
The base is the 211S base which might seem very dodgy but I knew about a small number of models that had been made. They were a batch of 211 bodies that were painted in the 211M colour scheme but for which the M base and friction motors were no long available, production having being discontinued. The 211S was the first 'S' model by some considerable time and there would have been the new bases in early 1960 so the odd compilation is understandable, although one might have expected an interior and suspension to be provided too. I haven't take one of these apart but it must be the case that there is a different method for retaining the axle than applies in the usual 211S base. Peering through the window I can see the support pillars for an interior and twin prongs for suspension wires are present and I think a small addition has been made to limit the movement of the axles.
There really are not many of these around. It is entirely original and a genuine rarity.
As if that wasn't enough of a delight, the Jaguar was not a repaint but a scarce dull, deeper red variation of the 213S model which is already scarce with smooth wheels, the vast majority having shaped wheels. The 213S was released in March 1961 and shaped wheels were fitted to new issues from July 1961 so these smooth wheels will have only been fitted during the first few months of production, probably just the first batch issued.
The duller red shade I had not encountered before but it is quite distinctly different. This particular model needs a bell for the roof architecture but it is otherwise excellent, with an original aerial and door transfers intact.
The Chevrolet Impala is not some child's attempt at a two-tone version but what I guess is the result of the model being left in bright sunshine for a long time. It has some casting flaws but is otherwise as near-pristine as the other models in this collection of models which clearly were not much played with, if at all. There's not much I can do about the paintwork, unfortunately, but maybe someone would like a pink and salmon version!
Finally there is the early edition of the Ford Zephyr Estate. This has lovely paintwork but the windows have suffered - not from the usual exterior marks and scratches models often pick up but these marks are inside! There is a piece of white plastic about the size of the rear seat base which is free to rattle about and generally cause trouble. I've no idea how that got in there, with no route through to the inside from the base or wheel arches for something of those dimensions. So I have to assume that this made its way inside during production.
So, an odd collection indeed, but every one is interesting in its own way, as so often is the case with Corgis. They are all available to buy, although prices for the Studebaker and Jaguar will be high as they form part of my own collection now and you'll need to pay what I would have to pay for another!
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