They Never Come Out at Night:
Bauer’s 1:18 Bugatti Type 41 Royale “Esders”

If you’re ever seeking a good kick in the pants, stroll into the Schlumpf Museum in Mulhouse, France, locate the Bugatti Type 41 Royale “Esders” roadster, and pronounce to the throngs of adoring Bugattiste that the car isn’t a “real” Royale. You may or may not actually get punted, but you can count on being shown l’épaule froide. That’s “the cold shoulder” - and the reason for the treatment goes back to the pride and passion of the Schlumpf brothers.

First, the prelude: The original design for the Esders roadster was penned by Jean Bugatti and built for one obviously wealthy Dr. Armand Esders, on the second of six Type 41 “Royale” chassis to emerge from Ettore Bugatti’s factory. 

Sharp Swords

Espada is Spanish for “Sword”, and the creased, crisp styling of the so-named Lamborghini car made a strong case for such an edgy moniker on this Marcello Gandini (for Bertone) design.

World Class

It’s fashionable right about now to cast stones at The General, but there’s no denying that one of the cars that GM got right - way right - is the Cadillac CTS. Now in its second, equally successful generation, the car’s become a flagship for all that still bodes well for Detroit.

DOPPLER WOULD HAVE BEEN grinning from ear to ear, as it were. The sound was a turbo howl that bounced off the dry hills at Laguna, found its throat in the sandy corners of the roadway, and arrived in furious full surround. Someone had uncorked something hellacious, and it was Headed. This. Way. 

Just Desserts

CMC’s riotously good Ferrari 250 SWB Berlinetta is something of a classic among 1:18 model car collectors. That has something to do with familiarity; even the staunchest American muscle collector has a soft spot for the real SWB’s shape, vicious performance, and legendary exhaust note. But it sure doesn’t hurt that CMC did a hell of a job bringing both the countenance and the content of the nearly-priceless Ferrari out in grand style.

Peter Brock had it all figured out in late 1966. He’d just penned a deal with Toyota to develop its sleek 2000GT as a race car, and had set up shop to do the necessary work almost as soon as he’d touched down from Japan. One minor problem - the cars never showed. It took a clandestine call from a friend to clue Brock in: he’d been one-upped by his old boss, Carroll Shelby, who had persuaded Toyota to give him the deal, instead.