I can’t say I have ever read anywhere that 1967 was the swan song year of freedom in American automotive design. But I think of ’67 as the last year that manufacturers were not required to incorporate engineering or design elements into their products to satisfy legislation. I have driven, owned and loved several cars made in that year. I can compare each one of them to the successor models and recite changes that diminished style, performance and individuality. I do welcome many of the changes that the federal government mandated. But I can recall being offended by the losses in performance. I had the pleasure of driving a 1967 Pontiac LeMans, 1966 Pontiac Bonneville Coupe, and in stark contrast, a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. They were all great in their own way. My favorite versions of two of my favorite cars were made in 1967 – The Jaguar E-Type Coupe and the Corvette Stingray.

Three cars are delivered in the Ertl set: the Pontiac Firebird 400, Chevy Camaro SS 396 and the Shelby GT 350. The epitome of muscle in 1967, these cars all have a place in history for their performance and style. No doubt there were countless showdowns between these cars on the streets of the USA. These models are 1/43 scale. I am used to this model size but I am not used to the detail that I found in these models. It was tempting to leave them in the package because they are pretty tightly wired on to the base. But I persevered and took them out one by one. My efforts were rewarded by a cut on my finger and a close up look at chassis detail that is excellent. The suspension works! The details are all there: frame rails, leaf springs, rear axle, floor pan, engine, front "A" arms and tie rod linkages, dual exhausts. Most of the 1/43-scale models that I have feature base detail that is molded into a one-piece plate that is screwed to the body of the car. I like the Ertl treatment a lot better.

The Pontiac Firebird 400 was my dream car when it was introduced. I can still remember the posters I got from my Uncle Al that showed the Pontiac lineup for 1967. This, the debut version of the long-lived ‘Bird, is black with redlined rubber tires and factory mags. The details are great – chrome outlines on the windows, finely molded windshield wipers, well painted grill details with clear headlights, silver door handles, wheel openings and rear quarter "vent" trim. The emblems and badges are all done with micro-fine tampos that cannot be read with the naked eye (not mine anyway) but under 15-power magnification reveal crisp lettering and accurate colors. The number plates are quite detailed and well applied to the front and rear bumpers.

One look at the Camaro SS 396 provides an instant reminder of why it continues to be so popular. It has a simple, clean design. The car has enough power and some to spare. The interior is easy to see in this model – the convertible top is down. The front seat backs flip forward and backward. The console, window winders and dash details are painted silver. There is also a gearshift knob. The paint job is a nice turquoise metallic. The L35 SS 396 factory option includes special hood and ornaments, front header panel paint stripes, underhood insulation, special nylon red stripe tires, 14x6 wheels, suspension features, fender SS emblems and SS emblems on radiator grille and gas filler cap; with 325-hp Turbo-Jet 396-cid engine. The only thing that cannot be compared to a real car on this model is the engine and engine compartment. It’s the only thing that you can’t see. The rest of the details are there and some are amazingly small.

I think someone is eventually going to contact and challenge me to admit that, when it comes to Ford Mustangs, I am in denial. I have repeatedly claimed to dislike them in this column and yet I repeatedly write them up and lend a kind view to them. I guess this comes in part from my attempt at journalistic objectivity. My claim of dislike comes in part from the desire to keep harmony in my home. You see my wife is really the Mustang hater in the family. I pretty much go along. Well to some extent I don’t like Mustangs – there was a pretty bad stretch there in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s where they really did lose all that a Mustang stood for when they first appeared in ’64. And after all, the Mustang did rise from the parentage of a Ford Falcon...

The theme continues with a set that contains no less than three of the late great muscle cars produced near the end of the high performance era.

I have a friend that owned the Nova SS 396. This model exactly captures his car. Jerry’s car was Forest Green just like this one. He sold it to get money to go to school and has mentioned several times how much he wishes he still had "that car". When you think about the combination of a small, lightweight car combined with the SS 396 option package certainly do not leave any question about the real purpose of this car. I don’t think this car was built to go to the grocery store. That is, of course unless your grocery store is only a quarter of a mile away… This model has some impressive details – much like the others I have described. It lacks the side mirrors. The vinyl top is very well done and looks real even though it is painted on.

I read a lot of opinions predicting the demise of our hobby. Stark claims that it will go the way of sports card collecting. Pessimistic tales of the disappearance of die cast vehicles. I am here to tell you that it is not going to happen. I should be quick to point out that there are some aspects of die cast collecting that are going to change. But disappear, no. In the future we can expect to see:

• Better subjects
• Larger variety of subjects
• Greater numbers of a particular casting
• Stable prices
• Wider availability

The biggest change will be for Hot Wheels collectors. I think that we might expect to feel an easing of scalping, although it will never completely go away. Other brands are not resold to the same extent and so have not been as badly affected by opportunistic dealers. Mattel has a higher priced line of collectibles for adults, but it may not necessarily get the attention needed to sustain sales. Even though they have shown that they know how to make excellent products, they do not seem to be reaching their core collector segment which has, until now been more interested in cheaper products.

My advice for the rest of the year and moving forward is pretty simple. Most have heard it before. And it is a simple maxim: "Buy what you like." Let's face it - long after the fun of being first on your block to have the complete set of XYZ-series vehicles has faded you might have misspent your money if they do not give you any pleasure. Some of the most impressive collections I have seen are those that reflect the owners interest and taste and not the total output of a particular manufacturer. I have concentrated a good part of my collecting energy on putting together a large assembly of Jaguars, Volvos and VW Beetles. I think that I get the most pleasure from these collections overall. The finds happen in the most unexpected places, consist of items that I might not have known even existed, and are much more varied than my single brand, series oriented collections. And there is a little more to them in the sense that I can either relate a story to the piece itself, or the particular vehicle represents a memory of times that I might have enjoyed with such a car. These are the things that are going to mean the most to me 20 years down the road, more than anything that has to do with real or perceived rarity. More than whether or not I have every single darned catalog numbered item from this manufacturer or that. And anyway, just when you think you have them all, another one is added to the list and off you go again!