Volume IX, Number 2

The Ferrari P4 in Miniature
by Doug Breithaupt

If a Ferrari bias is detected in recent stories about toy race cars, it can't be denied. After David Cook's excellent story on the Ferrari 512S/M models, the earlier P4 models seemed to demand equal attention. The recent addition of examples from Champion of France and Penny of Italy sealed the deal and here is the result. If any readers are tired of Ferrari stories perhaps they will be motivated to suggest some other racing topics or better yet, actually write one up for TofTC.

The Ferrari P4 story is actually the story of the P2 and P3 models as well. Of these, the 330 P4 was the most successful and the clear favorite in the toy car arena. The P type racers were the the natural result of Ferrari's success with the 250 LM and 275 P that followed and won Le Mans in 1964. In 1965, the P2 appeared. First it was in 275 form and then became the 330. The NART team car won Le Mans after the factory racers had brake trouble. The P3 appeared in 1966 and was successful but lost Le Mans in their battle with the Ford GT40. For 1967, Ferrari introduced the P4 and while they had to settle for second at Le Mans to the Fords, a 1-2-3 finish at the 24 Hours of Daytona helped to make up for Ford's 1-2-3 finish at Le Mans in 1966. The P4 went on to win the World Manufacturers Championship in 1967.

Here are the seven small-scale P4 models of which I am aware.

330 P4 by Speedy (Mercury)	330 P4 by Speedy (Mercury) The Speedy line was primarily made up of GT racing cars already represented in Mercury's 1:43 scale line. The actual- size spare tire is a nice touch on this model. These vintage 1960's castings are crude by current standards but we love them anyway. They are solid, heavy and feel like home cooking. 330 P4 by Penny Toy (Polistil) Like Mercury, Polistil also offered a small-scale line called Penny Toys. Several, like the P4, came with yellow plastic wheels. The model has no racing numbers but is better made than the Speedy model and has better lines. These models are gaining new respect from collectors today.	330 P4 by Penny Toy (Polistil)
330 P4 by Champion	330 P4 by Champion Champion models were produced by Safir of France, which like Mercury and Polistil were best known for 1:43 scale. The Champion models carried authentic racing graphics on their plastic bodies and metal bases. I'm not sure who might have used these racing colors. 330 P4 by Hot Wheels Hot Wheels can do some very special models when they want to and the P4 is a perfect example. This is the collector version with rubber tires, authentic wheels and detailed paint. The regular line version is almost as nice. Hot Wheels seems to pay more attention to their vintage race cars and we should all be appreciative. Hot Wheels has done several other vintage Ferrari models but the P4 may be the best.	330 P4 by Hot Wheels
330 P4 by Summer	330 P4 by Summer Say what you want about Summer. Yes they are crude and cheap but if you look beyond that some have something more. Look at the body lines instead of the basic wheels or interior/base combination. At least they did a 330 P4. This model was the only P4 I had for many years and even if it was holding a place for these better models, it still deserves respect. These last two models are not in my collection but images were provided courtesy of Maarten Tys. 330 P4 by Hot Wheels (Sizzler) Sizzlers were rechargable, plastic-bodied models offered by Hot Wheels in the early 1970's. They produced a variety of models not offered in Hot Wheels' diecast line. The body shape looks good although the recent diecast version by HW shown above has far more detail.	330 P4 by Hot Wheels (Sizzler)

330 P4 by Kyosho

Kyosho has produced more small-scale Ferrari castings than any other manufacturer (at least 42 plus a transporter). Their F1, production and GT models are miniature works of art. Looking at this image, it is hard to accept that it is in 1:64 scale. This is the open-top 330 P4, making it the only small-scale example of this version of the car. It would be nice to see this model done as the #23 model that was part of the 1-2-3 Ferrari finish at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1967. This particular Kyosho model commands high prices and is currently a challenge to find.

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