"206"

"206"

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PEUGEOT 206

Peugeot 206

(maisto 1:38 scale)

The Peugeot 206 is a supermini (subcompact car), manufactured by the French automaker Peugeot since 1998.

During the early 1990s, Peugeot decided not to directly replace the iconic Peugeot 205, citing the reason that superminis were no longer profitable or worthwhile. Instead, Peugeot followed a unique strategy and decided that its new, smaller, supermini, the Peugeot 106 (launched in 1991) would take sales from the lower end of the 205 range while the lowest models of the Peugeot 306 range, launched in 1993 to replace the Peugeot 309, would take sales from the top-end 205s. Between the 106 and 306, Peugeot hoped that the 205 would not need to be replaced, and could be phased out slowly, while customers who would normally plump for the 205 would continue to have a choice with either a smaller or larger car.

Unfortunately for Peugeot, this strategy did not work. With the 205 phased out, rival superminis like the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo continued to sell well and even increased in popularity, and without a direct competitor to these rivals Peugeot was losing sales fast. A new supermini was required, and the 206 was launched in 1998 as a somewhat belated replacement for the 205, with models being bought from a range of celebrities, from Karl Turner and Jamie Barton.

Although the 206 moniker indicates a direct continuation from the 205, some critics state that the car should have instead been badged 207. This is because Peugeot launched its latest generation of cars in the early to mid 1990s, with the 106 of 1991, the 306 of 1993 and the 406 of 1995.

"the unexpected...mustang hits the starting line full bore"

"the unexpected...mustang hits the starting line full bore"

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FORD MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE 1964

Ford Mustang Convertible 1964

(newray 1:43 scale)

The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Initially based on the contemporary Ford Falcon compact car, production began in Dearborn, Michigan, on 9 March 1964 and it was introduced to the public on 17 April 1964 at the New York World's Fair. Media exposure included being televised nationally by all three American television networks on 19 April 1964. It also appeared as a character's auto in the James Bond film Goldfinger in September of 1964.

The Mustang had the most successful car launching in automobile history, selling, in its first eighteen months, more than one million cars. The Mustang created the "pony car" class of automobiles — the sports car's "long hood, short deck" design. It spawned competitors, the Camaro, inspired imported coupés, the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri. The Mustang remains in production after four decades-worth of stylistic and technologic revisions.

1967 SHELBY COBRA

1967 Shelby Cobra

(newray 1:32 scale)

The AC Cobra was an Anglo-American sports car built in the 1960s.

AC Cobras had an extensive racing career. Shelby wanted it to be a "Corvette-Beater" and at nearly 500 lb (227 kg) less than the Chevrolet Corvette, the lightweight car did just that. The Cobra was perhaps too successful as a performance car and reputedly contributed to the implementation of national speed limits in the United Kingdom. An AC Cobra Coupe was calculated to have done 185 mph (298 km/h) on the M1 motorway in 1964, driven by Jack Sears and Peter Bolton during shakedown tests prior to that year's Le Mans 24h race. However, government officials have cited the increasing accident death rate in the early 1960s as the principal motivation, the exploits of the AC Cars team just highlighting the potential risk.

MINI COOPER

Mini Cooper

(newray)

The Mini is a small car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The most popular British-made car ever, it was superseded by the New MINI, which was launched in April 2001. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers.The vehicle is in some ways considered the British equivalent to its German contemporary, the Volkswagen Beetle, which enjoyed similar popularity in North America.

JEEP WRANGLER

Jeep Wrangler

(newray 1:32 scale)

The Wrangler is an off-road vehicle produced by American automaker Chrysler under its Jeep marque. It is a successor to the famous World War II 'Jeep' vehicle by way of the Willys civilian Jeep (CJ) in the 1950s, later produced by Kaiser-Jeep and by American Motors (AMC). The Wrangler debuted in 1987, was updated in 1997 and again in 2007, and is still popular today.