For a country with a great love of fast cars, it is a shame there are so many traffic jams in Italy — but then again, that statement is true of many other countries, too. It will come as no surprise when I tell you that the idea for this diorama came to me in a traffic jam here in Sydney. I wasn't in a back alley stuck behind a marching band at the time, but somehow my traffic jam turned into this 1960s Italian-themed diorama.
Behind our tuba and trombone players, the first car is a Starline model of a
Fiat 1500 (driven by Marcello Mastroiani). Behind him is Claudia Cardinale
in a Lancia Fulvia Sport (model by Starline) and in the distance is a Lancia
Fulvia Coupe (model by Norev).
I really like the look of this Fiat 1500, so perky and stylish
in an early 60s way. As a child we lived a few doors away
from Fiat Australia's sales manager, and he was always
bringing home new Fiats to drive, including this one.
I guess that is where my soft spot for 1960s-era Fiats comes
from. This model is made by the excellent German company
Starline, whose models are modestly priced and cover all sorts
of unusual and lesser-known Italian cars and motorcycles.
This Lancia Fulvia Coupe is made by Norev.
And this Lancia Fulvia Sport 1968 is also by Starline, and it's
a model I value a lot, as it was given to me as a gift by a
fellow diecast collector, Johan Grinbergs, from Sweden, a
man with a wonderful passion for red Italian cars
