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1955 Lancia D50 Castellotti Monaco Grand Prix Diecast model by CMC in 1:18 Scale


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 This is a fine model of the 1955 Lancia D50 #30 driven by Eugenio Castellotti in the Monaco Grand Prix.  An incredibly detailed Diecast model made out of more than 1,200 parts by CMC in 1:18 Scale

Castellotti was born in Lodi, Italy. He acquired a Ferrari at the age of twenty, from a local benefactor, and began racing sports cars in 1952. That year he won the Portuguese Grand Prix, was third at Bari and second at Monaco which was run that year for sports cars. In 1953 he won the Messina 10 hours and finished third in the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico. In 1954 he signed for Lancia and again drove sports cars whilst awaiting the team's Grand Prix car. He eventually made his Grand Prix debut at Buenos Aires on 16 January 1955, for Lancia, but struggled in the warmer temperatures and crashed.  However, he finished second at Monaco

He was killed at only 26 years old during a private Ferrari test session at the Modena Autodrome.  Here he is just before the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix.




The 1955 Monaco Grand Prix

The next race for the season was held at Monaco. By now Ascari had taken his Lancia to victory in the non-championship rounds at Pau and Naples. Fangio and Ascari once again set identical qualifying times and the stage was quickly becoming set for a battle of reliability rather than speed. Stirling Moss was only one tenth behind them both in the second Mercedes.

Fangio led at the start, followed by Moss in second until half distance when Fangio was forced to retire because of transmission problems. It was on lap 80 that Mosss engine expired and Ascari inherited the lead. He was still on the same lap when his brakes failed going through the chicane and his Lancia crashed through the barriers and splashed into the harbour. He was very lucky to escape with only a broken nose. 

Eugenio Castellotti, born on October 10th, 1930, was registered as an amateur driver who raced a Ferrari in 1950. He was talented enough to manage a stunning second-place podium finish in the 1952 mega-sports-event of the Mille Miglia. From 1953 onwards, he raced sports cars solely and successfully. In the Carrera Panamericana of that year, he finished third, next only to Juan Manuel Fangio and Piero Taruffi. He also won the 1953 Italian Bergrennen (Hill-Climbing) Championship. It was small wonder that Gianni Lancia, a motorsports enthusiast, signed Eugenio Castellotti onto his Scuderia Lancia. 

The debut of Scuderia Lancia at the Spanish GP (the last event of the 1954 racing season) and again at the Argentine GP (the opener of the 1955 new season) proved to be a disaster. None of its three team cars ever crossed the finish line, and scoring points for a championship title was just out of reach.
 
The successes at the two Grands Prix in Turin and Pau that came in the wake of the Argentine F1 race were much-needed consolations, but they did not actually contribute to the fulfillment of Gianni Lancia´s Formula One dream. Still, he got some satisfaction from the fact that his drivers and machines were good to match the Mercedes in Monaco. Ascari and Fangio set up an identical lap time 1:42.1 minutes, but Fangio was the first to nail it and, therefore, gained the pole for the race. Directly behind Ascari was Stirling Moss, who was positioned at the third place and followed by Eugenio Castellotti at the forth place.

It was an eventful race, brimming with technical problems and retirements for the Mercedes, Maserati and Gordini teams. The tumultuous atmosphere climaxed with Ascari plunging into the sea in a Lancia D50.  At least this incident had nothing to do with any mechanical failure. The 1955 Monaco Grand Prix took on a nearly comic ending when everybody was astounded that Maurice Trintignant, who raced in a reliable, supercharged, but seemingly obsolete Ferrari, turned out to be the winner. He had led Eugenio Castellotti merely by 20 seconds in the 100th and final lap.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION  

    Metal precision model hand-built from 1,598 parts 
    Detachable and lockable engine hood
    Hinged adjustable screen 
    Realistic replica of the V8 engine complete with pipes and cabling 
    Metal exhaust pipes  
    Triangular steering axle with shock absorbers, front suspension with 
    wishbones, transverse leaf spring, all made of metal
    Rear suspension with De-Dion-tube, transverse leaf spring, longitudinal arms 
and inboard dampers, all made of metal  
    Radiator grille hand-made of stainless steel with metal supports
    Highly-detailed replication of the cooling system
    Highly-detailed fuel and oil circulation 
    Authentically-replicated hinged fuel caps
    Authentically-replicated hinged oil-filler cap
    Upholstered leather-covered driver seat and head rest 
    Perfectly-crafted wheels with stainless-steel spokes and nipples on an alloy rim
    Authentically-replicated central locking nuts with right-/left-handed threads 
    Elegant finish with a brilliant paint in original color
    starting number 30 printed by the tampon printing method

Special feature as accessory: Booster-Trolley with separate assist-start device

TECHNICAL DATA OF THE ORIGINAL VEHICLE

    Monoposto built on a tubular frame with free-standing wheels
    2.5-litre V8 engine as a stressed member of the chassis
    Two valves per cylinder controlled by two overhead camshafts 
    Dry sump oil lubrication 
    Mixture preparation with four Solex PII double carburettors
    Dual ignition (two plugs per cylinder) 
    Five-speed manual gearbox installed behind the driver

Bore x stroke:    73.6 x 73.1 mm 
Displacement:  2,488 cc
Maximum output: 260 HP at 8,000 rpm
Top speed: 300 Km/h (depending on ratio)
Wheelbase: 2,280 mm
Track front/rear: 1,294 / 1,330 mm
Total length: 3,570 mm
Total width: 1,600 mm
Total height: 1,001 mm
Curb weight: 620 kg