Mini goes to Monte Carlo: New Cooper rally car from GCD

Who doesn’t love a classic Mini? I have a bunch of different Mini models in my collection. The Matchbox Austin Mini Cooper 1275 S (MB765) is a particular favourite and the new Hot Wheels Austin Mini Cooper S casting is great, too.

But most three-inch Minis are quite a bit larger than true 1:64 because it’s such a small car in real life. Sizing it to standard wheels and packaging means that the various mainstream models are all closer to 1:55 scale. And if, like me, you have a collection of 1:64 rally cars, they don’t quite fit.

GreenLight has been producing 1:64 Minis (Morris Mini Cooper S) for some years and I already had their 1964 Monte Carlo and 1967 saloon-car race versions in the collection. I like them very much, but they always look slightly too big for their wheels. So, when I saw that Chinese brand, GCD was bringing out multiple Monte Carlo rally versions, I pre-ordered from Horizon Diecast.

(find GCD Mini Cooper on eBay)

The version I ordered is the #304 Mini Cooper from the 1962 event. I already had some white-roofed Coopers so decided on black this time, plus I don’t have any other models of Pat Moss’s cars. Pat Moss – Stirling’s sister – was an exceptional rally driver, with several wins and many top-10 finishes on major international rallies to her name. Monte Carlo 1962 wasn’t among them – she finished 26^th overall – but she was fifth in a Saab 96 two years later, and third in ’65.

*Pat Moss under way on the 1962 Monte Carlo Rally. Credit: Cooper Car Company*

I was in Toronto for work recently and was able to visit Horizon’s store in Markham for the first time. By chance, the GCD had just come in, so it came home in my carry-on.

The model is unlicensed, so if that’s a turn-off for you, then you’ll want to look at the upcoming Mini GT Mini Cooper that has been previewed at recent toy shows. Personally, I don’t normally buy unlicensed models, simply because most of them don’t cover cars I’m interested in, but I particularly wanted this one. Plus, GCD/DCT/Gaincorp do have licensing from several auto makers, just not in this case. For more on GCD’s models, licensed and unlicensed, I recommend my Lamley colleague Dave Kiley’s excellent YouTube channel.

Let’s take a closer look at this Mini.

First up, the packaging is good, with a clamshell plastic insert that holds the model snugly without the need for base screws. As Dave has said, this also means it doesn’t display as well in the box, but since I open everything, that’s not an issue.

Next, it rolls. Not Mini GT smoothly, but well enough, and better than the GreenLight.

All of this is good, but it’s the casting itself that impresses the most. It’s much more in proportion with the real car than the GreenLight, with less metal below the glasshouse. The stance is better, too, riding lower in a more realistic fashion. The GCD’s steel wheels are in perfect proportion with the body, and the narrower width is Mini-correct.

When you look closely, the paint finish isn’t immaculate, but it’s still decent at this price point. I’m impressed with the graphics, though, which are crisply applied, and the extra spotlights on the grille. The rally plaque on the rear seems way oversized, but in real life these were pretty large compared with the width of a Mini, and it’s probably only about 1mm too wide. To top it all off, there’s even a detailed interior.

In short: this is a fantastic model that I wholeheartedly recommend. I paid C$26 (about US$18), and although you don’t get much metal for your money, the overall quality makes it worth every cent, in my opinion.

To finish, here are some views of the GCD with a couple of other Monte Carlo Minis from my collection – the aforementioned GreenLight and a larger, three-inch Norev that represents – in a half-hearted sort of way – Rauno Aaltonen’s 1967 Monte Carlo winner.