Miedecke Sierra

[Esses]

Just bought a 1/43 Andrew Miedecke Sierra by Trax (actually made in Portugal) & it is left-hand drive. I have memories of the Miedecke/Oxo Sierra being right-hand drive, certainly the Johnson/Bowe Sierras were. Can anyone enlighten me?
Admin, now you've done the Shell Sierra, how about the Brock/Mobil version?

[brchi17]

I've got a feeling that the Miedecke car is a LHD because his OXO car was a 2nd hand car that he got from Europe, which actually was LHD (i'd have to check the video to be 100% sure). Dick's Sierra's were all RHD (apart from his very first one) because they were all Australian made.
An interesting point is that it was Dick who put a 9 inch diff under them & solved their problem with breaking diffs.
cheers.

[Graeme]

The red Miedecke/Smith 1987 Bathurst car was RHD as was the white Miedecke/Soper 1988 car, and as I recall he drove for Brock's Mobil Sierra team in 1989 and 1990, also RHD cars.

[Esses]

Thanks, guys, that clears that up. I would've preferred a DJ car or the Brock version (which was a code 3 so all the rarer) but there's no way I can justify $90-00 for a 1/43 model. The Oxo job is a little unusual, which suits me.
In my Xmas stocking is a Vectra (Murphy/Ingall) from Bathurst (2.0l) '98 & one of the impressive things about it is that it is RHD where virtually every other model Vectra is LHD. That's detail.

[Graeme]

Steve,

I don't think I could consider buying a model if something as obvious as the steering wheel on the incorrect side was part of the deal.

For instance, how would you feel if the Biante Johnson Sierra had been produced with a left side tiller.... it's not really a "detail" thing; it sounds more like simple cost-cutting to me.

[Graeme]

Oops, I made a boo-boo in relation to Miedecke in 1989.

Sorry Steve, that was the year of Formula Sierra racing and I tuned out somewhat.

Andrew Miedecke was still running his white RHD Sierra in the 1989 ATCC with commercial support from Motorcraft (Ford), Kenwood, Yokohama and Blast Dynamics.

He was partnered at Bathurst by Charlie O'Brien in 1989 and again in 1990, the latter year when both were driving the second of Brock's Mobil Sierras.

I forgot that Brad Jones was Peter Brock's sidekick in the 1989 ATCC races, and replaced by Miedecke in the 1990 series.

As I recall, Miedecke was often praised for his privateer performance ( especially at the 1987 Bathurst event ) whilst always operating on a shoestring budget.
I suppose the 'money well' eventually ran dry in 1989/90.

[Esses]

Thanks, Graeme, Miedecke was one of my favourite drivers precisely because he did so well on a shoestring. As for the LHD/RHD thing, it's all very well to knock back a model IF you know the detail in advance, which I didn't, which is why I asked the question in the first place. Being wrong devalues it a little in my eyes, but it still looks good on my racing shelf & as it was made back in 1990 I'll make allowances. Nobody's perfect, least of all Trax, but they still do make the widest range of 1/43 Aust. cars on the market, spanning in the current catalogue 1950-78.

[Graeme]

That's fair enough Steve; if you want a model of a specific car and that's the only one you can get, then you don't have any real choice.... it's that or nothing.

I wouldn't be concerned about the 'devalued' aspect as I gather that all of the Trax Sierra models would have been similarly built with the LHD interior.

[SWRT]

I've got the Bowe and Johnson 1/43 Trax Sierras.
Also have the #7 1987 Texico and code 3 Brock ATCC Sierras as well.The Miedeke is the next trax 1/43 for me to get.

[Esses]

SWRT, you're a fanatic. Have a look at the "Wuerth" Sierra on this site if you want to see a great model. There's one in a local model shop here & it slaughters Trax for detail: inside, outside, underneath, everywhere.
I nearly bought it first, but that would destroy the basic premise of my collection: Built, sold or raced in Oz.