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If the Ohio George car leaves you a bit cold in its pure and muscular form, it could be the Hills Bros car has the style you crave in your collection. The car has a more interesting look about it and a braggart's history. While Ohio George was happy to show up and win the Eliminator, the Hills Bros would put it in your face. As Mr. Bennett recounts, the Hill Bros. wrote a “Letter of Apology” to West Coast gassers who came east in the summer of 1967 only to be consistently trounced by the big red machine which clocked in at 163.3.in an 8.69 quarter mile.
Instead of the clean and crisp appearance of the Malco Gasser, the Red Baron has a bit more panache, starting with the candy apple red paint and gold trim. The fun Mr. Gasket logo on the front grille area is period perfect. Look closely and you’ll notice the windows are tinted. While the photos might indicate this should be a red tint (it’s yellow), play with the car in the light and you’ll see that the red paint reflects in the windows to create the red tint illusion. Pretty cool.
The engine on this one is a 426 blown and injected second generation hemi. As with the Malco car the detail is spectacular, from the wiring to the braided cables to the detailed filler caps. Instead of George’s basic engine, we see more hot rod style with chrome and black engine components. The front suspension is the more familiar coil over variety with yellow shock absorbers but the rear still uses a combination of leaf spring and shocks. The cockpit reveals a jet black and stainless steel interior a dash more austere than the MALCO - just a tach mounted in a glossy black panel. If your average trip is under 9 seconds, how many instruments do you need?
A gander at the rear of the car reveals more variation to the MALCO. The Deist chute pack (this time in gray with a different pull), third door locking pins and black wheelie bar structure with dual wheels is very hip and serves as additional examples of how Precision Miniatures has individualized each model.
(12/03/2005)
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