1:18 Opel Commodore A Steinmetz – Haxhe/Toussaint – 24H Spa 1970

Description

About the Car

The Opel Commodore was produced by Opel from 1967 to 1982 as an executive car.  It was based on the Rekord C as a faster up-market version.  It had either a 2.2L 6-cylinder or 2.5L 6-cylinder engine.  It came in either a 2-door or 4-door coupe or a 2-door fastback coupe.  A sportier model was introduced in 1970 with a 2.5L engine, fuel injection and 150hp, giving the car a top speed of 122mph.  Steinmetz, a car tuning company, prepared the car for a career in motorsports with a 2.8L 6-cylinder engine.

Jean-Louis Haxhe, born in 1945, a Belgian race car driver and Philippe Toussaint, also a Belgian race car driver entered the 24H Spa in 1970, but their car did not finish.

The 24 Hours of Spa was first held in 1924 as an endurance race at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium.  One year after the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans, Jules de Their and Henri Langlois Van Ophem created the Spa 24 Hours. The race was run on a 15 km (9.3 mile) circuit on public roads, now it is a 7.004 km (4.352 mile) circuit.  It is currently held as an event under the Blancpain Endurance Series.

About the Brand

Opel, Opel Automobile GmbH, is a German automobile manufacturer, tracing its roots to a sewing machine manufacturer founded by Adam Opel in 1862.  It manufactured bicycles in 1886 and its first car in 1899.  General Motors had a majority stake starting in 1929 and full control in 1931.  A predecessor to Stellantis, PSA Group owned the company from 2017-2021 when it became a subsidiary of Stellantis.  Still headquartered in Russelsheim am Main the company designs, engineers and manufactures Opel-branded vehicles and parts.

About the Manufacturer

Minichamps was founded in 1990 as a die-cast car producer in Aachen, Germany under the name of Paul’s Model Art GmbH.   The original company was the Danhausen, a trade company that made 1:43 scale models and sold them over the counter and mail order.  From 1971 to 1993 the company published the famous Danhausen World Model Car Book.  Danhausen was owned by the grandsons of Emma Danhausen – Hans Peter and Paul Gunter Lang.  There was a dispute between the brothers in the late 1980’s.  That is when Paul formed the Paul’s Model Art.  Diecast models were made more for the adult clientele and holding their value was a big question that needed to be answered.  Minichamps’ excellent quality has been noticed by Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, Opel, and BMW.