Sometimes the things I like are just so esoteric and awful that there simply isn’t a kit of a particular subject. I know, it seems weird, but it’s true. However, sometimes I get lucky, and there will be a pre-built replica of the object of my desire/dismay! This is most true when it comes to cars, and particularly European cars!
One perfect example of an unsurprisingly unkitted subject is the Renault 14. While Renault has made a lot of successful (in Europe, at least) cars, the pear-like 14 is not one of them. It’s ugly, weird and shockingly corpulent in the wrong places. Thankfully, French die-cast maker Solido did it’s patriotic best to bring this loser to life, and my version the Solido Cougar version, is the weird dime-store el-cheapo version.
Check out this almost Christmas-coloured abomination of automotive styling quality control at the link below. Just think; now you have something to ask Santa for! You’re welcome!
I do like French cars myself for their strangeness. The 21 is one of my fav French cars but I like this too- rather interesting shape and the suspension seems to sit quite high. The bright green on your Solido version actually kind of works with the bright orange interior- amps up the awkward shape!
Oh dear …
Maybe they realised they were screwed from that start so they tried to
intercept the inevitable. Otherwise the marketing manager should look for a new job …
Hey ! That was the design of the mid 70’s ! Almost one million were produced ( and sold also ! ). Only a few have survived because anti-rust treatment was not good before the 90’s…
Hey, I actually owned one of those, it did all right for three years when I traded it for a Citroen BX. The 14 actually had some good ideas in it and was more spacious than it looked, ideal for a growing family. The car’s power was fairly normal for a family car in the 80s in the UK, rust was also normal at the time, in fact my 14 had no visible rust when I sold it, far better than the Austin Maestro I had before it. It was also more reliable than the Maestro (not difficult, the Maestro was easily the worst car I ever had). Driving dynamics of the 14 were fairly numb although better than the 16 I also had, turn the wheel quickly in the wet in the 16 and it would keep going in a straight line, the 14 was better than that.
