Lancia D50 car, 1955 GP Pau #10 Eugenio Castellotti

Runner-up at the 1955 Pau GP, young Eugenio Castellotti, finished an excellent second behind veteran Jean Behra in the Maserati 250F.

CMC has recreated this Lancia D50 with number 10 as an authentic, meticulously detailed, precise model. Pay attention to stylistic details characteristic of this legendary D50: the bonnet features 3 instead of 5 air vents on each side, and the oil radiators have been modified for the radiator.

Eugenio Castellotti was the youngest driver of Scuderia Lancia. Along with Ascari and Villoresi, he joined the newly established Grand Prix racing team in 1954. Due to numerous design delays in implementing the D50 project, the team did not participate in races until the last race of the 1954 season. As a result, team members divided their time between Scuderia Lancia missions and other races. Ascari won the 1954 Mille Miglia, Villoresi competed in Portugal, and Castellotti finished third in the Tourist Trophy. However, the highly anticipated debut of the Lancia D50 did not end in success. It appeared that the D50 was neither technically mature nor sufficiently reliable to race in long-distance Grand Prix at that time.

The heatwave accompanying the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix was a torment for both man and machine. Once again, none of the Scuderia Lancia cars finished the race, and the entire team was disheartened. Nevertheless, for the proud Gianni Lancia, giving up was out of the question. Successful performances of the Lancia D50 in subsequent Grands Prix in Turin and Pau provided much-needed hope to turn around the costly Formula 1 project.

The Pau Grand Prix is an annual motor race held in the French Pyrenees. It was not part of the Formula 1 World Championship. In 1955, the race took place on April 11, covering 110 laps with a total distance of 303.84 km. Mercedes team did not participate, as their focus was on the Monaco race. Ferrari also did not appear in Pau. Their crushing defeat in the previous race in Turin remained too painful.

Leading the Lancia D50 with number 6, two-time world champion Alberto Ascari secured pole position. Unfortunately, on the last two laps before the finish, he was struck by the misfortune of a brake linkage failure. Veteran Jean Behra led the race to the very end in his Maserati 250F with number 14. Talented Castellotti finished his #10 Lancia D50 in second place, just a minute behind winner Jean Behra. Roberto Mieres took third in a Maserati 250F, and Luigi Villoresi, driving a Lancia D50 with number 8, finished fourth. Due to time lost on repairs, Alberto Ascari finished only fifth.

Information about Classic Model Cars (CMC)

Stylish products combined with the highest quality finish give us the synonym of the German brand Classic Model Cars. This is a true homage to handcrafted products that impress with their unique elegance and luxury.

CMC is one of the leading brands producing miniature vintage cars. The company creates classic and collector’s models using authentic materials and fabrics.

Since 1995, CMC has had its own manufacturing facility with highly qualified engineers and workers in China. After months of research, they produce a variety of classic car models, assembled by hand from over 1800 individual parts. The manufactory uses high-quality materials to fully preserve the “faithfulness to the original” of each vehicle model.

The manufactory focuses on all major and popular collector scales: 1:12, 1:18, 1:24, 1:43. The first model produced by the company was in 1:24 scale — the iconic Mercedes-Benz SSK from 1930. Built in 1995, it has won many prestigious awards.

Each element is carefully assembled by hand. Instruments on the dashboard are mounted separately. The seats are covered with fabric or leather. The flooring is laid inside and in the trunk. The replicas replicate the smallest details in accordance with the original plans of the vehicle.