* History of the Mexican Superfine Turbines! *

In late March, 2004 a posting on the Redlines Online bulletin board announced the discovery of the first Mexican Superfine Turbine. The owner lives in Oaxaca, Mexico and received it as a gift from a relative who has had it since childhood.


Mexican Superfine Turbine #1
The distinguishing characteristics of the Mexican SFT include:
1. White Interior
2. Unusual shade of yellow/orange enamel paint
3. Capped wheels in front

A great deal of debate ensued regarding the origin of the piece and whether it was a fake.

The concensus of the "Its Real" side is that it is a "CIPSA" made car. Supporting their contention, they cited the existence of a few other redline castings in odd enamel colors and with similarly stark white interiors.

The "Its Fake" side cited the absence of any previous history of these variations and further pointed out what they believe to be the questionable condition of the rivets holding the car together.

After carefully studying the posted photos and considering the facts, I concluded that it was probably real.

About a month later, the piece was listed for sale on eBay. The auction ran seven days and closed at a high bid of $3,550.69. Although I was the high bidder, my bid did not meet the seller's reserve, so the car remains in possession of the seller.

Ironically, within two weeks, a similar Superfine Turbine was offered on eBay with no reserve, also from a Mexican seller!




Mexican Superfine Turbine #2 Auction Photo

The second one appeared to be identical to the first one in all three of the unique characteristics. However, the condition of the piece was substantially worse than the first one. The paint showed more chips and wear and the turbine engine was missing. On the other hand, the front wheels were not collapsed.

The auction for the Mexican Superfine Turbine #2 ran for seven days and closed at a high bid of $837.26. I was the high bidder.




The box containing Mexican SFT #2

Payment was made and the box from Mexico arrived on May 27th. The first Mexican SFT in the United States.



Mexican Superfine Turbine #2, with a donor motor set in place

The car was received as expected. The yellow one in the back is the typical HK lemon yellow color, for comparison.
See Page 2 for further discussions on the authenticity and unique characteristics of the #2 Mexican SFT.

As fate would have it, not a week later, on June 4, a third one shows up on eBay, and this one is still in the original package.



Mexican Superfine Turbine #3 Auction Photo

"Numero Tres" has all the redeeming characteristics and the package tells the story. Only a portion of the white oval CIPSA logo
remains but the back of the card reveals all.


Auction Photo of the card back

The auction for "Numero Tres" ran for seven days and closed at a high bid of $5900.00. Once again, I was the high bidder.
Payment was made and it arrived from Mexico on June 30, 2004.




Mexican Superfine Turbine #3 As Received


The fourth CIPSA Superfine Turbine came to light in November 2005, in a new color; enamel green.




CIPSA Superfine Turbine #4, "El Verde" re-discovered by Redline Collector, Juan Miguel Alcantar of Guadalajara, Mexico

The owner, Juan Miguel Alcantar de Alba of Guadalajara had it in his collection.
He recalls having received it in a trade with another local 1/64th scale diecast collector about five years ago.
Only recently, did he question the white interior, noticing that his copy of Tomarts only listed black interiors.
He searched the web for more information, came across this website and contacted me to inquire about its authenticity as a CIPSA made piece.


The fifth known CIPSA Superfine Turbine came to light in April 2006. It came from a Mexican seller directly to a private
collector in New York City. The brown enamel is a new color for the SFT. That color is also known on two Rocket Bye Babys.



CIPSA Superfine Turbine #5


Follow these links for more pictures of the known CIPSA Superfine Turbines.

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[ Monograph ] [ Mexican SFT #1 ] [ Mexican SFT #2 ] [ Mexican SFT #3 ] [ Mexican SFT #4 ] [ Mexican SFT #5 ]

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