Trevor Wright Duesenberg 3 Litre GP 1921 Hand Made & Painted White Metal Model
1921 Duesenberg 183 (Cubic inches - or 3 litres) Grand Prix 1:43 scale white metal model by Trevor Wright (TW).
Gloss white painted body with gloss dark blue painted chassis and cockpit surrounds, suspension and seats, silver front radiator surround and grille, water, and fuel caps, and side exit exhsust, grey interior and dashboard, blue seats, silver 3-spoke steering wheel with brown rim. The static model sits on cast bare metal wire wheels and treaded rubber tyres (larger rear diameter) with detailed brake drums. Underneath is a detailed base with embossed “TW” logo .
Building racing cars became the predominant focus of the lives of German immigrants Fred and August Duesenberg from 1912 on. For the 1912 Indianapolis, they entered a 226-cubic inch Mason against the giant engines of larger American and European manufacturers. Still the Mason cars gained attention, which reflected on the Duesenberg. At Brighton Beach, they came in first and second placed followed by four Mercers and two Stutzes! They gave the usual four-cylinder engine up when, finally able to function independently after some corporate changes, the Duesenberg brothers made eight-cylinder engines which would be competitive in the 183 cubic inch formula just officially adopted. The single overhead-cam engine proved both durable and powerful. It entered a variety of races after they announced the 183 cubic inch limit for the 1920 season at the conclusion of the 1919 Indianapolis race.
In 1921, Duesenberg finished in second, fourth, sixth, and eighth at place Indianapolis. The greatest achievement of this model was on July 25 when the Duesenberg brothers sent four 183 cubic-inch cars equipped with four-wheel brakes, a unique feature for any race car at the time, to France to compete in the first post-war French Grand Prix Race on the roads of Le Mans. Three cars were driven by Jimmy Murphy (the overall winner), Joe Boyer, and Albert Guyot. This was one of the proudest achievements in American racing. It was not until the 1960s when an American won an important international race overseas (Phil Hill, Ferrari). And it was not until 1967 when an American driving an American-made car won an international race (Le Mans, 1967, Ford GT 40 Mark IV, Dan Gurney and A. J. Foyt).
Trevor Wright
Responding to the needs of amateur builders, Trevor Wright’s TW range has contributed to the revival of the craft side of the industry, whereby he has developed simple artisan examples produced in his own home. Wasn’t that where the early pioneers came in?
Trevor’s childhood recollections are not so much of Dinky Toys to start with, but of military figures. He recalls that soon after the Second World War, his parents took him to the renowned Hamleys toy shop in Regents Street, and he fell in love with the Skybirds range of soldiers. They were all made to 1:72 scale; a six foot man then becomes 1”. Skybirds had originally started manufacture in the 1930s.
In due course, Trevor’s most treasured possessions became his Dinky Toys, but as he approached entry into National Service, his toys were all packed away, and largely forgotten about. However, he does recall a visit to Ireland with Royal Air Force colleagues, and spotting a Dinky Toys military Quad field gun set, and with heavy encouragement from his friends, he bought it for 12/6d.
On returning to ‘civvy street’ Trevor took his experience in Air Traffic Control from Germany to Gatwick, and finally switched to the commercial operator, British United Airways, followed by British Caledonian Airways.
Come 1969, Trevor had begun selling military Dinky Toys, and he recalls being contacted by the Army who were seeking a wider range of military recognition models. In the training room at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, tables were laid out with sand, and he recognised dozens of Denzil Skinner’s tanks of all nations. Trevor agreed to supply the army with chipped Dinky military vehicles, which they then sprayed all over with desert sand paint.
In due course, he found that he had amassed a considerable collection. He had discovered the model car press, replied to 3 advertisements, and realised that there was money to be made from prudent purchasing. He borrowed £200 from his father, and with this backing, in six months had built up a 5 page list, and repaid the loan. His trading included regular advertisements in Modellers’ World magazine, and the swapping of 45 RPM records with a French dealer in French Dinky Toys.
Trevor soon became friends with dealer Bryan Garfield Jones, and together they would visit the Windsor swapmeet, where he met Mike and Sue Richardson. As Bryan’s range of Motorkits took off, Trevor was able to supply him with a few diecast models from European makers to be used as patterns for his white metal ranges. These included the Tekno MGA coupe, Volvo PV544, and others.
During the 1970s Trevor was writing regularly for Modellers’ World, and Model Collector, on military vehicles, his first love.
By 1980 he decided that he wanted to make models for his own collection. He then set about teaching himself to cast using rubber moulds, and passed on much of his knowledge to friend Ian Law, founder of PP Copy Models, making replicas of earlier toys. Retirement from his job as an aviation overseas manager arrived in 1986, and Trevor began his creative work with a number of 1:76 scale trucks, including the Canadian pattern Chevrolet, calling them Military Motors. A few years later, he was approached by Chris Fruin, of London Toy Soldiers, asking if he would make a range of soldiers for him. Trevor switched to 1:32 scale, and at his request, focussed on the Royal Medical Corps, creating a number of boxed sets of figures in action, all depicting First World War poses. These included rather large military vehicles, such as tanks, ambulances, etc.
Post retirement business blossomed, and a strong association was built up with London Toy Soldiers. Unfortunately, in 1993, financial difficulties caused Chris Fruin’s business to close down, leaving Trevor with many unsold kits.
However, another love for Trevor, came to the rescue. At a Kempton Park toy fair his interest in racing cars, led him to spot that the Dinky 23 series and Crescent ranges omitted some important historic cars, such as the Ferrari Squalo, and Alfa Romeo Bimotore.
Using his innovative approach, he first took moulds from existing castings, and then adapted them, with plasticene, cardboard, paper clips, and matchsticks and in true ‘Blue Peter’ fashion, any other materials that would create the desired effect. This provided the masters, from which moulds could then be used to cast new models in white metal. And so a Ferrari Squallo was born, and 5 were sold very quickly!
Through the 1990s, and with the assistance of publicity in journals such as Classic & Sports Car, Trevor realised that 1:43 scale was the universally recognised scale for model cars, and in 2000 talked with Mike and Sue Richardson about their views on him reproducing copies of some of the cars they had modelled in their ranges. Using their original as a pattern, he first made the Squire.
Further exposure in Octane magazine, and Rev Counter, the journal of the Austin Healey club, led Trevor to create new subjects of cars never before modelled, including the range of Healeys made by the Healey Motor Company.
A few famous people have models in their collections made from Trevor’s kits, including the late American singer Frankie Laine, David Coulthard and Sir Stirling Moss.
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