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Automodello 1:43 1962 Ford Mustang I Concept
(click on a photo below to enlarge) Although Hot Wheels issued a basic 1:64 scale replica in 2010, the 1962 Ford Mustang I concept has rarely been offered as a scale model. Enter Automodello, a scale model company specializing in oddball automotive replicas, including the Phantom Corsair, the Bricklin SV1, the Fitch Phoenix, and the Intermeccanica Italia. The small firm is now producing two cast-resin versions of the Mustang I: a larger 1:24-scale model, and a more attainable 1:43-scale model shown here.
Although the Mustang I concept received minor
updates in interior trim and wheel/tire packages throughout its life,
Automodello’s scale replica represents the 1962 Mustang I as it currently
sits at The Henry Ford Museum in Michigan. As such, the model boasts an
all-blue interior, a standard-issue 1962 Michigan license plate, and
chrome-clad styled steel wheels, which are wrapped in gold-labeled
Firestone tires. The level of detail evident in Automodello’s 1962 Mustang
I concept is astounding, especially for a model that measures no more than
three-and-a-half inches long. The resin casting exhibits crisp panel
lines, and the nose-high stance is true to the real Mustang 1. The
off-white paint has a glossy luster and is evenly applied, while the
metallic blue triple-stripe is applied crisply along the length of the
car. Look closely, and you can find photo-etched galloping horse emblems,
along with tiny “FORD” lettering on the nose and tail, and “MUSTANG”
letters placed around the cowl. Depending on how hard you squint, you
might even make out the Mustang lettering in the blue emblem placed
between the bucket seats.
It’s possible to make out the rivets molded into the
scalloped seat backs, while the large red, green, and yellow warning lamps
in the instrument cluster are also visible. Much like the real Mustang 1,
Automodello’s Mustang boasts door handle assemblies cantilevered from the
door panels, and a careful peek through the dashboard’s grab handle
reveals a tiny red fire extinguisher mounted in the passenger footwell.
For Mustang geeks, Automodello’s homage to the 1962 Mustang I may be
perfect. We’d argue it’s close to perfection. Our example arrived with a
few small bits of debris stuck to the car’s rear decklid and fascia, which Detail-obsessed “rivet counters” might object to Automodello’s method of painting the seat rivets, which makes the seats appear to have silver – not blue – insert bands, but a more apparent issue on our example is the driver’s side chrome beltline trim, which fails to extend all the way to the base of the roll bar pillar. Minor gripes, perhaps, but given how Automodello’s Mustang I is virtually spot-on in every other regard, these few flaws are subsequently more conspicuous.
Predictably, a high-detail model of an obscure
subject isn’t exactly inexpensive. Standard-issue copies of Automodello’s
1:43 1962 Ford Mustang I carry a MSRP of $119.95, and production will be
limited to 995 copies. Those seeking something more collectible can pony
up an extra $75 for one of the 95 Tribute Edition copies, which are
hand-signed by Dan Gurney, who
1962 Ford Mustang I Concept
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Originally formed as the COBRA Club in 1972. Established as a Region of SAAC in 1975. One of the oldest SAAC Regions in the United States |