A family affair: Father and son combinations in motor racing and the models available

The early years – BRM, Lotus
Graham Hill was the man most people would associate as Formula One’s charismatic ambassador or just ‘Mr Motor Racing’. He had to work hard at getting into F1, and once there he continued to work hard to remain at or near the top during the competitive part of his career when he was driving for British Racing Motors or Team Lotus. To this day he remains the only man to have won the F1 World Championship, Indy 500 and Le Mans 24 Hours...

The models
Corgi Toys released a 1/43 scale diecast model (Ref 156A) of the Lotus 11 in 1958. The model as raced by Hill was not available, but the original can be easily modified to make a fair representation of Hill’s ‘Yellow Peril’ first race car.

SMTS (UK) makes a super white metal Lotus 12 F1 car (Ref RL94) that Hill raced at his 1958 Monaco debut. The 1959 Lotus 16 is also available from SMTS and MAE in white metal in the same scale.

Scalextric (Ref MM64) released a generic version 1/32 scale slot car in the late 1950s, which can be easily modified. Roxy and Atlantis issued 1/24 scale friction-drive versions in the early 1960s.

Corgi Toys released a fair variety of BRM P25 diecast models (Ref 152). Although generic, only small details like the correct race numbers can turn a model into a specific version. ISA and Politoys in Italy also released non-specific models in the early 1960s.

Corgi released a version of the Equipe Endeavour first-time victory E-Type from April 1961; this was also made by Italian company Best Models in 1/43 scale, also including several other versions from that era. A white metal version was also made by SMTS (Ref 275), and a white metal kit of the type P48 BRM was produced by John Day in its Circuit Series Historic Racing Cars in 1/43 scale (Ref CS30)...

PICTURED ABOVE TOP A Corgi Lotus 11, modified to represent Hill’s race car.
TOP Best Models’ 1/43 scale E-Type Oulton Park winner.

This is an extract from the article 'Father and son - Graham and Damon Hill' first published in Diecast Collector's March 2012 issue.