[SAMPSON]

Hi,i just got in this Italian made Conti car from 1948. it came from a set called Autopista. it came in 4 colors red being the most common. the body is made of zinc .i did include a photo of it with a 1937 Tippco Alder to show its size.i believe its 1/43rd scale. the car was loosely based on the Lancia Aprilia but was a fantasy model. the set was on a board with 2 street lights & a park bench in the middle, an oval roadway went around it. there was a roof over the entire set. the cars received current from the roadway & an antenna coming out of the right front of the car & going up to the roof. you can see that there is a lever which activates the steering when 1 car bumps into anther. just like the french LRcars from the late 1930s. the set was very expensive,few were sold & was produced for only 1 year.so this car or set were seldom seen to say the least.

thanks,Bernard

 

[dgersh]

Another fascinating one Bernard.

Do you have a photo of the set? (I think I've seen one at a friend's here now that I think of it...). Did it come with the two cars?

Like you say, gotta be one of the rarer ones!

Don

 

[SAMPSON]

hi Don,i dont have the set.i dont know if the set came with 2 ,3, or 4 cars.

i have more to post in the next hour.thanks,Bernard

 

[Charles*Seattle]

Oh . another good one. The more cars we see, the more ways we find of everyone basically trying to do the same thing but finding different solutions. Although the knock and push of course is a bit different. I wonder if Italy was the home to other sorts of efforts in the immediate post war years in terms of toys. In other words, not just slot cars but trains, boats and the like?
thanks again Bernard!

all my very best,

Charles