No painting necessary here; this model was new. Ironically, I had painted the 1974 MGB that I had using spray cans of red lacquer!

I Have All My Cars Back!

Felix Wong's avatar
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I consider myself very lucky in that every car I have ever owned has been a fun and interesting one. Well, perhaps “lucky” is not the right word because each automobile purchase was a deliberate choice; I simply refuse to pay thousands of dollars for something that is no more exciting than a top-loading washing machine or a two-door vanilla-colored refrigerator. Or a Toyota Camry, for example.

So I am pleased to announce that I have reacquired all the cars I had once owned. Well, sort of. And almost.

First, the list of cars I’ve owned in my lifetime, in chronological order of purchase date:

  1. Migbee, a 1974 MGB. (Some trivia: The blurb about Migbee was the very first web page I created, back in the Stanford computer lab in 1995.)
  2. Goldie, a 1969 MGB.
  3. Portia, a 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo.
  4. Lina, a 2000 BMW Z3 2.3.
  5. Elaina, a 1991 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce.
  6. Teeter, a 2001 Audi TT Roadster Quattro.

I managed to acquire them back thanks to eBay. You see, I was able to find die-cast models of each of the above vehicles.

Some I had to disassemble, strip off the paint and paint matching colors. This was the case for Elaina, in which I had just enough of Foglio Green touch-up spray paint to cover the entire Alfa Romeo Spider 1/43 model that was originally white. To replicate Portia, I stripped a used Matchbox 1/64-scale Porsche 944 Turbo that was originally red and used white spray paint I had to touch up my Maytag washer and dryer.

Here they are. I am actually missing one, perhaps the most important one: a Pale Primrose MGB roadster to replicate Goldie. It’s just that diecast models for them cost over $40, which I feel a little silly paying for what is essentially a kid’s toy. So right now in its place is a photo of me and Goldie taken by my friend Adam Tow, who framed it and used it as a seating placeholder for his wedding reception many years ago.

The model cars with the Fiat Spider-on-canvas that Kelly gave me for my birthday.
The model cars with the Fiat Spider-on-canvas that Kelly gave me for my birthday.

I don’t have a model for Teeter either, but that is all right because I still have the actual car in the garage!

The artwork above the model cars is a canvas print that Kelly gave me on my birthday of a Fiat Spider. She knows that I admired these when I was young and was even recently half-seriously thinking about getting one, particularly after we attended Automezzi, an all-Italian car show in Northern Colorado.

“Now that I have this,” I said after she presented the rolled-up canvas to me in her car at the Holiday Twin Drive-in Theater in Fort Collins, “I don’t have to buy a real one.” Now isn’t that lucky?

I bought this used Matchbox Porsche 944 Turbo on ebay for $2.48 + shipping. I couldn't find one in white like the 944 Turbo I owned, but I solved that with white spray paint.
I bought this used Matchbox Porsche 944 Turbo on ebay for $2.48 + shipping. I couldn't find one in white like the 944 Turbo I owned, but I solved that with white spray paint.
I disassembled the 1:72 model and stripped the body using chemical paint stripper.
I disassembled the 1:72 model and stripped the body using chemical paint stripper.
I then spray painted the body with some white spray paint I had.
I then spray painted the body with some white spray paint I had.
I also found this Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce off ebay. It was white, but I had just enough custom green spray paint (exact color) that I had formerly used as touchup paint for my Alfa.
I also found this Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce off ebay. It was white, but I had just enough custom green spray paint (exact color) that I had formerly used as touchup paint for my Alfa.
Spraying the Alfa's body with primer after stripping with chemical paint stripper.
Spraying the Alfa's body with primer after stripping with chemical paint stripper.
Here's the Alfa in Foglio Green, just like mine was.
Here's the Alfa in Foglio Green, just like mine was.
No painting necessary here; this model was new. Ironically, I had painted the 1974 MGB that I had using spray cans of red lacquer!
No painting necessary here; this model was new. Ironically, I had painted the 1974 MGB that I had using spray cans of red lacquer!
A 1:28 BMW Z3 in the same Atlanta Metallic Blue that mine was. Technically this model was an earlier year than my 2000 Z3 2.3, but looks similar except for having less curvaceous rear fenders.
A 1:28 BMW Z3 in the same Atlanta Metallic Blue that mine was. Technically this model was an earlier year than my 2000 Z3 2.3, but looks similar except for having less curvaceous rear fenders.
The models of cars I had, now on a shelf in the garage. I still need one to represent Goldie, my 1969 pale primrose MGB. I also don't have an Audi TT model, but I have the real thing in the garage!
The models of cars I had, now on a shelf in the garage. I still need one to represent Goldie, my 1969 pale primrose MGB. I also don't have an Audi TT model, but I have the real thing in the garage!
Scale models of my former red 1974 MGB, yellow 1969 MGB, and white 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo.
Scale models of my former red 1974 MGB, yellow 1969 MGB, and white 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo.