Sorry, it has to be THAT colour

Sometimes, with collecting diecast cars, I'm not too fussy about colours, other times I am a fanatic. This post is about collecting down the 'fanatic' end of the spectrum. When I am a fanatic, it's always personal. Here's a perfect example.

Citroen DS23 Pallas. It had to be this green colour, and that was my problem. They don't
seem to make many in this colour (mostly you get blacks and deep maroons in DS23s). But
I've been waiting, looking, hoping, and finally I spotted one, and bought it. Why this
green? Well, there was a green DS23 Pallas in the streets where I lived for quite some time
in inner-city Sydney, and it wasbeautiful, classy and this green colour. I really loved the way
that car moved. The way it sat down so very low to the ground after being left there for
a few days. And it was magical to see it start up, rise on its hydro-pneumatic suspension
as the engine warmed, then set off majestically, never in a hurry, the rear suspension
dipping and rising slowly as the driver progressed fromfirst gear, to second and beyond.
And so I did this little Photoshop diorama of it parked in the streets of inner-city Sydney,
my stomping ground. This 1:43 model, by the way, is a really nice old one made by Norev.

Geographically, we're staying put with this next diorama. A Renault 10, also pictured outside
some terrace houses in inner-city Sydney. This time, it had to be white. No other colour would do.
And to make the same kind of rod for my back as I did with the DS Pallas, it turned out that
white Renault 10s in 1:43 scale aren't that common. You can get black & white Police 10s
at any time, but a pure white one? It was a six-month wait. This 1:43 model is by IXO.

Again, the reason for the "it must be a white one" is that the only Renault 10 I've had anything to do with was a white one, and what a wonderful car it was for its owner, Yvonne, the girlfriend of a close mate of mine. Evie's Renault 10 served her well for so many years, rarely if ever letting her down. Now, Renault 10s are never going to be collectable, and in fact I've seen all sorts of ill-informed chat by fools on forums bagging these cars, mostly on the basis of their lack of sex appeal, I presume.

Sure, Renault 10s are almost the ultimate in unexciting three-box mid 60s car designs, so there's nothing much to get excited about there. But they were the final, refined product of a line of rear-engined practical town cars which began with the 4CV Renault in the late 40s, and progressed through the Dauphines of the 50s and Renault 8s of the early 60s. With the Renault 10, they offered a fairly roomy, comfy, tractable, reliable car with light steering, a great turning circle, and terrific fuel economy.

And so there. I always wanted a Renault 10 in my cabinet, but it had to be a white one. No other colour would do. Same too for the green Citroen DS23 Pallas. 

Sometimes it's just like that, but fortunately for me, I'm only fanatical about colour occasionally. Such as with red Italian cars, they have to be red. And the DS19 Citroen did have to be blue with a white roof. And the Mini Cooper S had to be GTO Green with a white roof. And the Checker cab had to be yellow. And my French racing cars all have to be blue. But that means only a fraction of the collection has psychological baggage attached. The remainder of them I am more relaxed about, although the only black cars I like are those with lots of chrome, I must admit.