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**Christophe** · 11-03-2019, 01:17 AM

Next, a Dutch brand if I am not mistaken, the Best Box/Efsi 1960's F1 race car models. The Best Box ones are the original models. The Efsi castings are similar except for the fatter tires, and the added rear wings (super fragile, so often missing) and front spoilers. The car modeled are Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus, Honda, B.R.M., Brabham and Cooper (the Cooper was replaced by the McLaren in the Efsi series).

**Christophe** · 11-03-2019, 01:28 AM

Pilen, a Spanish brand. This is a series of late 1970's F1 racers, 12 in total (6 duplicates with different liveries). The car modeled are Wolf WR7, Brabham BT48, Ferrari 312 T4, Ligier JS11, Lotus 80, and McLaren M28. I am missing the Brabham and the Lotus.

**Christophe** · 11-03-2019, 01:40 AM

Polistil, an Italian brand and probably the most prolific provider of F1 racers in this scale. They started by releasing 9 F1 models from the 1974 season, the B.R.M. P201, McLaren M23, Ferrari 312 B3, Brabham BT44, Tyrrell 007, Lotus 72 (renamed JPS 2T on the base), Hesketh 308, Shadow DN3 (mistakenly named DN4 on the base), and Lola T370. These are beautiful and pretty accurate models that were shamelessly copied later on by various Hong Kong brands.

**Christophe** · 11-03-2019, 01:50 AM

Polistil continued with models from the 1980's. I think there are 18 in total, but I am not sure. Again, these are pretty accurate reproductions of the original F1 cars. The only downside is that they used stickers on their models instead of tampos, and these did not age well.

**Christophe** · 11-03-2019, 01:58 AM

Next, an Elf promotion series. 6 F1 cars that were at one point sponsored by the French oil company Elf. The car modeled are Matra, Renault, Tyrrell and Ligier. I am missing two, a Renault and a Ligier.

**pegers** · 11-03-2019, 10:32 AM

great collection,pictures and information...an all around great post.

**Christophe** · 11-04-2019, 12:28 AM

Thanks Dan.

Here is another Spanish brand, Guisval. They did a few 1960's racers, some cheap copies of Penny Polistil, but also a few original castings. Unfortunately, I don't have any of these. What I have is 3 models based on actual F1 from the late 1980's and early 1990's, a Ferrari, a Lotus Judd, and a McLaren Honda. If I am not mistaken, there are 3 other models, a Jordan Peugeot, a Benetton, and another more recent McLaren.

**Christophe** · 11-04-2019, 01:57 AM

And now a German brand, West Germany to be precise, Gama. I discovered it by chance on the internet and I managed to get my grubby hands on 6 cars. I only know of 5 different models, two Ferraris, a Cooper Maserati, a McLaren Ford and a Lola Climax, but there seems to be 6 altogether. I noticed variations in the models, some sporting different wheels, some with visible rivets or not, different colors, etc. I know very little about this brand, so if there are any specialists out there please enlighten me.

**WebeStang64** · 11-04-2019, 01:05 PM

Love them all. Those early torpedo style ones are to die for.

**Guntownal** · 11-04-2019, 08:27 PM

**jt3** · 11-04-2019, 08:58 PM

Originally posted by Christophe View Post

Next, the Best Box/Efsi 1960's F1 race car models. The Best Box ones are the original models. The Efsi castings are similar except for the fatter tires, and the added rear wings (super fragile, so often missing) and front spoilers. The car modeled are Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus, Honda, B.R.M., Brabham and Cooper (the Cooper was replaced by the McLaren in the Efsi series).

My McLaren has been...customized...by a previous owner.

**jt3** · 11-04-2019, 09:02 PM

Originally posted by pegers View Post

great collection,pictures and information...an all around great post.

x2!

**jt3** · 11-04-2019, 09:10 PM

Originally posted by Christophe View Post

And now a German brand, West Germany to be precise, Gama. I discovered it by chance on the internet and I managed to get my grubby hands on 6 cars. I only know of 5 different models, two Ferraris, a Cooper Maserati, a McLaren Ford and a Lola Climax, but there seems to be 6 altogether. I noticed variations in the models, some sporting different wheels, some with visible rivets or not, different colors, etc. I know very little about this brand, so if there are any specialists out there please enlighten me.

I told myself a long time ago I needed to draw some lines...my collection was getting waaaay out of hand. So no more open wheelers, and I sold off those I had...the only one I now regret was an early Majorette.

Funny how this hobby draws a person right back in...

It started by looking at Zee, then learning that the first 8 models they did were covered by Mego (Jet Wheels), then those were originally done by Polistil of Italy for their Penny series. I have learned of Redondo of Spain covering some of the same models. And then there's Remco, and the reason for the current Featured Car...for just this very subject.

Prior to learning all of this, I made an exception for the Mini Dinky open wheelers...which were contracted from Best Box, whose models became EFSI (and later Holland Oto). So then I had to at least look at the Best Box / EFSI models, which means some of those came home with me...

Yet another name the Pennys were sold under...AHM

**Christophe** · 11-04-2019, 11:03 PM

Like Wes said, the Italian-made Pennys (from the brand Politoys, later on renamed Polistil) are the original ones and they have been copied by many brands from Hong Kong, Spain, etc. I had many of them when I was a kid and I am slowly rebuilding the whole collection. Guntownal showed a nice assortment of them in a previous post. There are 15 Formula 1 models altogether: B.R.M. V8, Lola Climax, Lotus Climax, Ferrari, Brabham, Cooper Maserati, Eagle Tig, B.R.M. H16, Ferrari 36 V, Honda V12, Brabham Repco, McLaren Ford, McLaren Serenissima, Eagle Weslake 12 cyl., and Lotus B.R.M. H16.

The last one is an example of a copy, a Redondo (from Spain). It's a Lotus Climax with a Ferrari sticker on it :-)

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