Fiat 130hp French Grand Prix 1907

The object of this build was to make the model as the Fiat raced in 1907 rather than as it appears now in the Italian museum. It is on this museum exhibit that the Pocher kit is based and it is very different.

Apart from the car being painted entirely red, including the radiator surround and front wheels there are many other differences between the exhibit and the original car.
Other changes to the kit included replacing the 'plastic wood with real wood, floor boards and steering wheel rim and re-modelling the dash board to accurately represent the original.. it was red and not wooden as in the kit. Many plastic parts have been re made in brass and metal and the radiator grill was also remade replacing the plastic item supplied.

The seats where re-covered in leather and all of the straps and buckles have been scratch built. The side 'doors', for want of a better word are canvas on the original and the fabric supplied with the kit is far to thick to ever look convincing. I replaced these with silk as it hangs and folds in a much more realistic 'scale' manner. The engine, being very simplistic in the kit was enhanced using many scratch built parts

The tires on the original were white natural India rubber, as indeed all tires where at the turn of the last century. Carbon black was yet to be added to the rubber in 1907 so the tires supplied with the kit are incorrect (being black) but are correct for the museum vehicle. Model Motorcars ( www.modelmotorcars.com) produce many high quality after market parts for Pocher kits and their extensive range includes a replacement set of white tires for the Fiat so these were used to replace the supplied tires.

This model now represents accurately the 130 hp car in which Nazzaro won the 1907 French Grand Prix