Otto Bron's

Rolls-Royce Sedanca

As an addendum to last month’s sermon on photography, we are pleased to add Otto Bron’s wonderful collection of construction photos of his heavily modified Rolls-Royce Sedanca. While building a Sedanca version of Rolls-Royce’s most iconic chassis, Otto Bron has ambitiously tackled some challenging enhancements.

In addition to the usual demands presented by the Pocher Rolls-Royce (wire wheels, a forest of levers for the brake system, archaic body design depicting a rare and archaic thirties-era body style, wood dashboard, pleated leather seats, roll-up top, unusual wing and running board design) in addition to these standard torments, Mr. Bron has chosen to add brass window frames, a conversion to Torpedo fenders with side-mount spare wheels, and an assortment of brass details which, like the elaborate boot-lid supports, may never be seen by most viewers. In short, Mr. Bron has sent us a photographic record of how he has altered and enhanced nearly every assembly of his Rolls-Royce, which is all the more impressive when one notices that some of the components seem to have been painted before construction began, which suggests that he may have begun with a previously built model. Yikes. There is nothing quite like a bit of salvage work before digging into a complex model project.

Regardless of whether the components were fresh or previously used, the fact remains that little of the original parts remain. Body components have been massaged, engine doodads have been enhanced or replaced, and even the chassis shows signs of having been given attention. The thorough construction photos attest to an attention to detail that had to be applied long before there was anything resembling a model sitting on the bench. Modifications also attest to the biggest challenge facing any model builder—planning. Mr. Bron must have known before he began where he was going.

What, one might ask, does this Herculean task have to do with last month’s windy discussion of photographing models? Well, anyone who sends us 220 photos of an unfinished model has earned our tip-of-our-hat for proving our point, that photos are wonderful, especially when they show the inner workings of our favorite subject (Pocher models). When model builders have taken photos, they have created a treasure.

If Mr. Bron does nothing more with these photos, he will have assured that he has a priceless record of what went into his project. He will discover that this record of his adventure will gain value with each passing year. Geezers like yours-truly can speak from experience: too often, the photos outlast the models. The question is not whether photos are worth the effort, but how best to realize their worth.

Sending us the photos is one way to share them. Refer friends and family to Model Motorcars so that they can see what you have accomplished. For lots of folk, the world of model cars will be a revelation, and even for the most jaded, disinterested viewer, it will be illuminating. For Mr. Bron, having sent us this wonderful record of his progress may make it just a bit easier to dig down deep into his reserves of creativity and put the finishing touches on what looks to be an extraordinary model. As Grandma used to say, “there is no stopping now.” Best of all, allowing the rest of us to see this fascinating process may be just the thing that inspires us to start our next project, which, when you think about it, proves what Grandpa used to say, “Good things come in small packages.”