Campy Van – 1970s Retro Groove – Die Cast Metal – SOLD OUT

This little beauty has amazing details! Be sure to zoom in to see the side-view mirrors, windshield wipers, spare wheels on top, functioning rimmed wheels, and more. Classic 1/43 scale.

The Campy Van can be displayed in the case with Eddy Merckx background photo, or the van can be easily removed from the case and base.

For anyone who loved racing in the 1970s and 1980s, Campagnolo was king. Everything about Campy exuded class, elegance, and victory. With minimal competition at the time, Campy ruled the roads. The halcyon days of French components were clearly in the rearview mirror, and Japanese companies SunTour and Shimano were not yet entrenched on the racing side of the cycling ledger. Simply stated, it was a glorious time to be a fan of all things Italian.

In Italy, there was the iconic blue Campy Van, a fitted out 1972 Fiat 238 that was a fixture at races all over the continent. The van was a fan favorite magnet that countless up and coming riders lined up to be photographed with their bikes in the mid-1970s.

This die-cast model is quite a nice homage to the original one that ruled the road. I have mine sitting on my office desk. I often catch myself mindlessly rolling the car around on the desk during conference calls. It is sort of a fidget spinner for a racing enthusiast.

Die-cast model cars have a long history that is entwined with cycling. During the 1950s and 1960s, it seemed like every company that had a car in the Tour de France caravan also had a die-cast model to sell to fans. It is nice to see that this van carries the die-cast tradition. The body is metal, unlike many others today, which are entirely plastic.

It’s funny how things as simple as a toy car can transport one away to a rose-colored time when all was right in the world, Breaking Away was on the big screen, and a company from the magical land of Vicenza, Italy ruled the day.

Case Size: 7.5 W x 4 H x 3 D inches ( 19cm wide x 10cm tall x 7.5 cm deep)

Car Size: 4.5 inches long x 2.5 inches tall (includes wheels on the roof)  x 1/5 inches wide
10.5 cm long x 6.5 cm tall (includes wheels on roof) x 4 cm wide