Röd, Rot, Rouge

Three very different cars, all with a common connection through their colour.  Two of them – the Volvo and Alpine – are very recent OttOmobile releases, whilst the third of the trio arrived in late 2022.

OttOmobile Volvo 850 R Sedan - 1996 (OT427)

Designed by the legendary and long-serving Volvo designer, Jan Wilsgaard, the 850 was introduced as a saloon in 1991 and estate in 1993, both remaining in production until 1996. The 850 brought with it a host of engineering features that were new to Volvo production, including front-wheel-drive, with a transverse 5-cylinder engine, and integrated side impact protection system (SIPS). Introduced in 1996, the 850 R was a late series successor to the T-5R marketed in a limited range of paint colours and an extensive list of trim upgrades that included a rear spoiler on the saloon to match the estate version’s.

Displaying all of these idiosyncrasies, OttOmobile’s model includes the spoiler-mounted third brake light and darkened rear light clusters, together with usual Volvo details, such as the headlight wipers, all in fine detail. A heavyweight saloon version that will probably appeal first and foremost to Volvo model car collectors it, at last, also complements OttOmobile’s equally excellent cream yellow 850 T5-R Estate (OT310) released back late 2019.

OttOmobile Mercedes-Benz W126 560 SEC AMG - 1986 (OT995)

Predating AMG’s amalgamation into the Mercedes-Benz Group, this substantially upgraded version of the 560 SEC coupé is a stunner. AMG put extensive work into its modification of the 50 or so examples it produced. Modifications that included a revamped 6.0-litre engine, delivering 380bhp, combined with extensive interior and external upgrading that included wide-body and aero kits, together with special wheel rims that dramatically enhanced the already very meaningful coupé body line.

OttOmobile’s high-quality modelling is exactingly highlighted by just how good the AMG colour coordinated trim – particularly on the front end – is depicted in very high definition. This is another of those models that appeals as much as a model for its own sake as it is of the car itself.

OttOmobile Alpine GTA Le Mans  - 1991 (OT969)

Alluring as it was, the AMG 560 SEC coupé was roundly pipped to the post this month by the third of our models in red.

The Alpine GTA (Gran Tourisme Alpine) was produced between 1984 and 1991, before being replaced in turn by the A610. As the ‘ultimate’ version GTA launched in 1990, the ‘Le Mans’ was immediately recognisable thanks to its lines being enhanced with a body-kit derived from one that was reported to have been proposed by a German tuner. That body-kit included a single-piece panel that combined widened front wheel arches and a nose section, which rehoused the front indicators from the front wings into the bumper. The panel work extended around the body with matching rear wheel arches, sills and rear bumper and a finishing touch of BBS style wheels by ACT. As with the AMG 560 SEC, all these characteristics are authentically replicated to make a very endearing model indeed.