Porsche 911 Carrera (1966) x Montblanc Carrera 590 ballpoint (1971)
I wasn’t sure when I first encountered the Montblanc Carrera series of writing instruments, that they were named after the Porsche 911 Carrera. But the punched hole styling of the clip, and the colorways instantly evoked memories of pictures I’d seen in car magazines so many years ago.
Some online sources say this was an official collaboration in the 1970s and includes the later Turbo series of pens as well. For myself, finding a Tomica Limited Vintage model of the 911 Carrera in almost the exact shade of orange was super satisfying.
The 911 was an interesting milestone in my journey of learning and appreciating car designs. I was more enamored of ‘streamlined’ cars with pop up lights and the insistent placement of the 911’s headlights always felt kind of against the grain. It lead me to wish for a more aerodynamic evolution of the 911 profile (which eventually came to pass).
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The hole in the rabbit hole😄, I like it.
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Really digging these pencil/automotive parallels! Making me want to buy more pencils. Thank you!
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I really wanted the Carrera pencil but it’s hard to find a good bargain 
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I’ve seen on Pinterest that you pair it with a Tombow, but I couldn’t see the model name.
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I think it’s a Tombow SH-300 ‘New Custom’
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It’s a very cool and outdated pen at the same time… I’d love to get one if it came with a blurry bottom just like in the last pic 
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There’s some Carrera vintage sunglasses that evoke this motif.
Elvis also made this style of steel stems with machined holes very popular. He wore NeoStyle brand sunglasses.
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I can’t see the holes in the car, why are they used as representative element in other articles?
Iirc the holes come from the classic steering wheel that old Carreras used.
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There are also watch straps with this design (a watch I recently sold):
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I remember being about 6 years old, being taken into a stationery & gift store in a semi-upscale neighborhood of the town adjacent to where I lived. They had 2 standard rectangular glass display cases with about 10 shelves each and then another with an open layout, all locked. Inside were these beautifully detailed 1:43 scale diecast cars, made by Corgi of Great Britain. Across the next 8 years, I would come back to this store with saved up allowance in hand, and buy myself one of those cars. The Porsche 911 Targa was one of my early buys. I loved that car. This 1:43 scale blew away Matchbox in 1:64 scale, which had lousy detail in comparison. Anyway, the twin “bug eye” look of the Porsche 911 was very iconic for me. But I did appreciate the fold-away headlights of the 928, 944, and 968. Many years later, I test drove a used 968 for sale that really impressed me. It was so impractical… but I’d long wanted a car like this. I was prepared to deal with the lousy fuel mileage ratio… and then the insurance cost hit me like a brick. It’s one thing to afford the purchase… it’s another to afford the upkeep and all the other costs that come with it! And fate ensured I wouldn’t have it. I inquired with the seller a few days later to get service record copies he’d promised and he informed me the car was sold. Some years later, I got to know a Porsche enthusiast who told me I should be thankful I didn’t get that 968. Their reliability rating compared to the 911 is pretty lousy. I’d have been miserable.
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I got a big dose of deja vu reading your description of visiting a neighborhood store with toys displayed behind glass cases… My granny used to take me to a store with a very similar feel. Tin toys, plastic soldiers, cars and more 
When I started looking for diecast cars to photograph, I wrestled with the scale for a while. I knew I didn’t want to deal with the 1/18 and 1/24 shelf queens – I live in a modest apartment and storage and display of my existing collection of vintage toys was already taking up a lot of space. Coming down to 1/32 and 1/43… I loved the amount of detailing they offered but next to a pen or pencil, the car felt like it was taking too much focus and attention. That left the miniscule 1/64 scale – but I had the world to choose from. I have since learned a fair bit about Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Tomica, along with more niche players like Kyosho, MiniGT and more. Easily ANOTHER deep rabbit hole to fall into
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