Ecurie Ecosse

Martin was touched by his wife’s thoughtfulness, and speechless when informed of her skilful single-handed demanegement. She knew the gift would gladden his heart, and she regarded his collecting as essentially harmlessly nostalgic, and by no means obsessive. His Ecurie Ecosse transporter, paid for all those years ago by a newspaper round and odd jobs done for neighbours, had pride of place on a shelf set aside for Formula One racing cars, and rally vehicles, towering over the die-cast racing cars around it like a mother whale over her brood.  Only one of the original on which the Corgi model was based was ever made, but it was sold to a vintage car collection for an astronomical price after extensive restoration. Ecurie Ecosse was French for ‘Scottish Stable,’ a proudly independent if cash-strapped Scottish racing team of the 1950s with Le Mans-winning performances for their cars to their credit. The transporter, the mother ship of the team, was based on a Commer TS3 bus chassis, could carry three racing cars, and was equipped with a small workshop behind the driver’s seat. The Corgi model was equipped with silky smooth steering activated by a gentle downward push on the vehicle to the left or right, and lifelike suspension operated by tiny concealed springs. It had a sliding door which opened to reveal a detailed workshop within, and a spring mechanism that permitted the top deck to be raised and lowered. It was a faithful replica kept in immaculate condition by Martin, who had furnished his display with an elaborate stage-set of a pit stop, all built to scale, complete with tire racks, tools, painted plastic figures of mechanics in overalls, and a small crowd of onlookers.

Over the years, Martin had shown his collection to interested visitors, but as he aged, he took less and less interest in it until Eric, a young renovator hired to update the family’s bathroom, had offered to do the renovation for a reduced fee in return for the transporter. Martin knew that all of his model cars had appreciated in value over the years, and that serious collectors would pay hundreds of dollars over the internet for rarities like his sixty-year-old die-cast toys, no longer made but in mint condition, paying large sums for even the original cardboard boxes each had come in.  He balked, however, at parting with the Ecurie Ecosse, even though the young man was prepared to forfeit half the cost of the renovation as the price for the transporter and its accessories. But Eric was persuasive, and showed Martin photos of his own growing collection of die-cast vehicles. He had specialized in racing cars and had several German and French models that convinced Martin he would give the transporter a happy home. He even invited Martin to come and see it in the new studio he was building to display them in the attic of his own beautifully-restored house. Michelle said she hoped her husband knew what he was doing. Martin nodded his confident assurance.