Then and Then - Matching Pre-War and Post-War Classics by Doug Breithaupt

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At the 2002 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance a pre-war car again won the prestigious 'Best of Show' award. For years, classic cars have been identified as distinctive cars made prior to World War II. The Classic Car Club does not allow post-WWII cars to belong. At the same time, many post-WWII cars are easily as rare as some of their pre-war ancestors, and as valuable. Depending on your age, you may have fond memories of these new classics from the 1950's, '60's or even '70's.

The models below are all collector cars today. Which would you prefer to have as a full-size car, the pre-war or post-war model? Is the '59 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz as desirable to you as the '31 V16 Cabriolet? How about a '55 Mercedes-Benz 300SL or a '28 SSK? Even models like the '64 Ford Falcon have their fans. In making these matches I have tried to include some of the marques like Hudson and Packard that are seldom seen in 1:64 scale. Matching colors made it even more of a challenge for my collection. Let me know which of these classics you would park in your garage if you could (doug@breithaupts.com) and I will share your responses next month.

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz by Racing Champions 1931 Cadillac V16 Cabriolet by Racing Champions 1964 Ford Falcon Sedan by Buby 1914 Ford Model T Sedan by Efsi 1972 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit by Ertl 1930 Rolls Royce Roadster by Hot Wheels

1951 Hudson Hornet by Racing Champions 1910 Hudson by High Speed 1953 Packard Caribbean Convertible by Racing Champions 1938 Packard Coupe Roadster by Tomica 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL by Siku 1928 Mercedes-Benz SSK by Siku