Bburago 1:24 Ferrari 275 GTB coupe

I may not be the biggest Ferrari fan out there but I do appreciate a nice Ferrari and those classic front-engine, rear wheel drive models really spark my interest: the 365 Daytona’s, the 250 GTO, the 250 GT California Spider, and this 275 GTB coupe.

The 275 was a revolutionary step for Ferrari models in the 1960’s as the typical front-engine, rear-wheel drive V-12 platform went for a slight update: the 4-speed manual is now mounted to the rear differential as a transaxle to better distribute weight from the massive V-12 up front for better handling, and in the GTB/4 models the 3.3L V-12 gets dual overhead cams from single units to produce 300 horsepower.  The Pininfarina-styled bodies are gorgeous and draw inspiration from the 250 GTO in coupe form with long hood, short deck, round headlights, round grille, and round taillights with slight lip spoiler.  The 275 is considered one of the rarest group of Ferrari models and the most beautiful with most of the platform components shifted to the next-generation 365 Daytona.

Bburago is not one of the highly-regarded diecast manufacturers at the moment, but back in the day when the italy-built versions were made they had some unique characteristics and while most of them are easy to come by today on the second-hand market a few rare versions make an appearance like this 275 GTB.  I got my version that was on display for a while so it racked up some dust and cracked one of the headlight covers, yet it still remained with its original display base.  After a thorough cleaning, adding some detail, and removing the front headlight covers the 275 now looks just as good as new.  The front has a long hood design with round headlights in chrome housing and the details look better with the headlight covers removed, though I did have to glue and add silver to the tab mounts to hide the holes where they were originally supported, the yellow Ferrari badge, the chrome side bumpers, details to the side marker lights, and the eggcrate grille where one of the slots was pushed in so I pushed it back out.

The beauty continues to the sides with front fender vents and the Pininfarina badge, the additional silver trim details added, the rear quarter panel vents on the roof, the chrome wiper blades on the windshield, and the perfect wire wheels in chrome on rubber tires, though adding silver to the center caps helps hide the black snap-in axle.  The rear has the detailed ducklid rear spoiler that ends to the flat rear valence panel with round taillights and separate chrome prancing horse logo, along with an Euro license plate in black, the chrome rear bumper, and chrome quad exhaust tips.  All this in a nice sky blue with tan interior and this is one beautiful model!  As usual Bburago models put in a lot of detail in the base components underneath with separate components:  the engine and rear transaxle are separate chrome components and the multi-muffler exhaust system, in which one side was hanging down when I got it yet it easily snapped back into place.  The control arms stand out as separate pieces and even the spare tire well is visible at the rear.  Open the hood and its clear the engine block is fully visible and loaded with details:  the chrome 12 carbs, the dual overhead cam covers with FERRARI stamped on them, the exhaust headers in chrome, the battery,  the three resovoir brake fluid containers, the oil filters just ahead of the engine, and the slanted front radiator.  Only the missing drive belt and radiator hose connections are downsides of a rather complete engine compartment.

Inside the interior has a combination of tan and gray colors with more separate components and it was also at this time that I found out the orange Sharpie used add amber color to the signal lights on some models works perfect for wood trim as I made the 3-spoke steering wheel really stand out from the previous black with wood rim and chrome spokes.  The dashboard with gauges and side controls are all stickers, the pedals detailed in silver, the shifter is connected to a visible chrome gate along with a chrome center console bin with prancing horse stamped into the console, tan front bucket seats, a faux rear seat, and even the door panels have separate window crank handles.  Again not the best in details but then again these early Bburago models have a charm of their own and this classic 275 GTB coupe perfectly replicates the beauty of the real car.