Rupert Toovey
Rupert Toovey
2 June, 2025
Opinion

Sussex Heritage: Post war motor racing inspires collectors

This week I am in the company of Toovey’s toy specialist, Chris Gale. Chris says “Many of the collectors of model and toy racing cars are inspired by personal memories of motor racing in the 1950s or the stories from the post-war era of racing.”

Toovey’s toy specialist, Chris Gale, with a Monoposto Collection limited edition 1:8 scale model of a Ferrari F500 and Amalgam limited edition 1:8 scale model of a Maserati 250F lightweight racing car.

He shows me a collection of beautifully detailed models of racing cars from this era including a Monoposto Collection limited edition 1:8 scale model of a Ferrari F500 and an Amalgam limited edition 1:8 scale model of a Maserati 250F lightweight racing car as raced at the Nürburgring in 1957.

Fangio had raced for Maserati in 1954 and returned to the team in 1957 to once again race the 250F. He arrived at Nürburgring for the German Grand Prix needing to extend his lead by six points to win the world championship. He started in pole but found himself running third behind the Ferraris of Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins. By the third lap he had regained the lead only to fall behind Hawthorn and Collins by 50 seconds due to a disastrous pitstop. It led to one of the most remarkable drives in Grand Prix history. Fangio began to set fastest lap after fastest lap and by lap 20 he was running a whole 11 seconds faster than the Ferraris ahead of him. On the penultimate lap he caught them and retook the lead finishing three seconds ahead to take the chequered flag.

Stirling Moss remarked later that the 250F was the best front-engined F1 car he ever drove.

An Amalgam limited edition 1:8 scale model of a Maserati 250F lightweight racing car, Nürburgring 1957, No. 22/50, length 52cm.
An Amalgam limited edition 1:8 scale model of a Maserati 250F lightweight racing car, Nürburgring 1957, No. 22/50, length 52cm. Credit: Toovey's

This remarkable period of motor racing together with the extraordinary quality and detail of the models contributed to the prices they realised at Toovey’s. The Amalgam limited edition 1:8 scale model of a Maserati 250F lightweight racing car, Nürburgring 1957 made £1350 and the Monoposto Collection limited edition 1:8 scale model of a Ferrari F500 racing car by Brendan Smith realised £450.

Chris concludes “Models and toys which represent this era of historic motor racing remain popular with collectors and Dinky Toys contemporary to the racing are also closely followed.”

Chris Gale is always delighted to share his expertise and passion for toys and models with collectors and specialists.

Rupert Toovey is a senior director of Toovey’s, the leading fine art auction house in West Sussex, based on the A24 at Washington -  www.tooveys.com- and a priest in the Church of England Diocese of Chichester.