The house in question took me a long time to research information about its history.
For this I thank my dear friend Tiziano Gallinella, well-known collector and author of books on Alfa Romeo modelling, for giving me the information I needed.
I'll explain right away why there's a connection with this brand. Tiziano forwarded me the news found in "Quattroruotine" from the 90s, in which, in the readers' column, a person asks what happened to the ARS, and the editorial staff responds that it was born as the only brand of Italian models in 1/43 scale. In fact, it produced the Spider, the 33, the 155 with related versions, hoping to expand the range to others such as the 164, the 75, etc. etc.
The birth of ARS Model It took place in 1991 and from other news it seems that it was founded as a joint venture between Italy and Belgium, by unknown persons, on a suggestion from Alfa Romeo regarding the production of promotional models.
Before ceasing its activity, it produced two 500s, one red and one white, in die-cast metal, practically identical to the latest Politoys Export, only with opening doors, a metal base and the tubular bumpers printed on the L version. These are produced on a budget, like the rest of the model. In fact, the rear tubular is all one piece closed with the molded material, while in front there are two vertical strips that "support" the tubular itself.
The red one has a light gray interior, while the white one has a red interior, with a black steering wheel and no dashboard. On the outside, we find the "curious" air intake grille above the gray bonnet. The headlights are painted white at the front and red-orange at the rear. The roof is painted black. The whole thing sits on a black plastic base with a plexiglass display case printed with the "ARS Model".
Anyone who has more information about this brand can write to my email.
Photos from the collections of L. Achilli and C. Mattioli.
