24j and 527 Alfa Romeo '1900 Super Sprint'(1959-1963)

I have decided to create this topic as Richard has created the Topic for the British example of this little model. The following is what I wrote in the 185 Alfa Romeo 1900 'Super Sprint' Topic: A fine 'gaggle' of Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprints! It looks as if you are still 'on the hunt' for the red version with concave hubs! Not many of these have been sold in recent years, at least through Vectis, only five since 1999 with 12 blue examples boxed and unboxed during the same period so the red must be harder to find As can be seen below, my collection of Alfas is limited to the two versions from Liverpool and just the one 527/24j from France. I am also including the differences with their base plates. em]One thing is surprising is the unusual short production run for the British model of three years, with the French model being produced for four years, although the Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint came out in a period when longevity in production became the exception rather than the norm. With both factories sharing the mould/die, production costs would no doubt have been shared and a slightly longer production period could have resulted in a greater profit in the long-term.[/i] One thing is interesting though - the difference in the location of the inverted commas with the British and French models on the packaging. Thank you for creating this Topic, Richard. I wonder if there are any variations out there? I wonder why with the French version, the red model is less common than the blue version? Finally, I have changed the subject title which on the original PDF File has this: --24j and 527 Alfa Romeo 1900 S coup (1959-1963) to the title used by Meccano France, -24j/527 Alfa Romeo '1900 Super Sprint' (1959-1963) Anyway, here are a few pictures of the French model with plated ridged (convex) hubs, so I hope Richard and others can add some more pictures to this Topic. Bruce (150) 20160913/976/1516

Hi Bruce and Richard, looking at this one and the British counterpart, the French product wins as a model in my opinion. The balanced position of the wheels gives the French Dinky a much smoother an realistic looks than the British one, which, because of the introduced suspension and 'fingertip steering', had to be placed higher on its wheels, which moreover are positioned too recessed inside the body, a problem seen very frequently on British cars after ca. 1960 in my view.By the way, please, feel free to change the French subject titles correctly. I made this French list shortly after the introduction of the new website in a very high tempo and - as there are not many French Dinky Toys and French catalogues in my collection - I had to rely in first instance on secondary sources, like Roulet etc., which deviate more than once from the official French references. Anyway, it helped creating very quickly a more systematic structure of the forum discussions ... Kind regards, Jan