This all started when I received for my birthday a very nice model display case to put on my bar. The problem was that I didn't have anything nice enough to display in it. So I decided to get a very nice model and to display that as the centerpiece of the bar.

First of all what car should it be. Well that part was easy. It has to be a sports car because that is where my interest in cars lies. What is the most beautiful sports car ever designed? The answer is, of course, the early sixties Series 1 Jaguar E-Type convertible. A search of the internet, ebay in particular, turned up a whole range of diecast (or these days also resin) models that would be suitable. I found out that you can pay a very high price for the ultra top end larger 1/12 scale models that wouldn't even fit in the display case. It also seemed that the 1/18 scale provided the best lineup of choices so I went with that. In the end I went with a very nice new still in manufacture green AutoArt model. Not inexpensive but, after all, I'm only buying one model, right?

Sometime later I'm sitting at home in lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic. I'm bored and wondering what to do, I look at that beautiful Jaguar and remember what fun it was to search for that model. Starting a small collection is something that I could easily do from home. Well, that was my small step into what grew into obsession. If you're an addict of harmful substances they have programs and meetings and rehab for you. But when you need that next diecast model and you need it bad there is nowhere to turn except ebay.

Fortunately for me, and it's the only thing that saved me was that my interest in classic sports cars runs primarily into those from the prime decade of the 1960's. That is when I grew up and my love for real cars began. This is where my collection started out but it has since strayed into the two adjacent decades before and after where it seems the further away you get from the prime decade the less interesting the collectible cars become, both models and real cars. At least to me. This collection is only for sports cars from the 1950's. 1960's, and 1970's.

With respect to the real sports cars I have owned as daily drivers throughout the years only three are in this collection. Since then I have preferred to enjoy modern performance and comfort features. I did take one leap into older exotic car ownership and enjoyed it greatly. But I eventually learned that, as a famous character in a '60s TV show once said, "having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting." Having a collection of beautiful model cars allows you to enjoy and admire all the cars you never owned without the responsibilities of real ownership.

So, that's the story of how my collection of over 200 model cars began. Please enjoy the photos of the beautiful model cars. I hope they help you choose which ones you might like to have in your collection.

Update: I have since added some Carney Plastics clear display cases with mirrored backs for hanging on the walls. The desk space had become completely filled up. They genuinely show off the model cars much better than the individual Greenlight cases. I plan to get more of these displayed on the desk for the other cars not yet so featured.