Uncanny resemblance?

[Steve Bryant]

Hi all. Merry Christmas.  I was looking at a toy I was given for Christmas about 60 years ago and was immediately taken with the similarity of it to a well known twin cam race car. The toy is basically a caricature of the real car it was patterned after, but it bears an uncanny resemblance to the Twin cam. What do you think?
Cheers,
Stephen

  Schuco-Studio-1050-Mercedes-Grand-Prix-4.jpg (Size: 188.8 KB / Downloads: 365)

  festivalofspeed1935austinseventwincam.jpg (Size: 96.96 KB / Downloads: 366)

[Henry Harris]

Hi all. Merry Christmas.  I was looking at a toy I was given for Christmas about 60 years ago and was immediately taken with the similarity of it to a well known twin cam race car. The toy is basically a caricature of the real car it was patterned after, but it bears an uncanny resemblance to the Twin cam. What do you think?
Cheers,
Stephen

The Schuco toy car was/is modelled after the 1934 Mercedes Benz W25.
I'd re-phrase the question. 
Was the Austin Twin-Cam inspired by the W25?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqIurHDNKTw

[Steve Bryant]

Quite possibly.  The proportions of the Schuco toy mimic the Twin Cam much better than its full size Mercedes counterpart I think.
Stephen

[Howard Wright]

Hi Steve

The proportions might suit the twin cam but not the eight port exhaust manifold ?.

Cheers

Howard

[falcott]

The classic "chicken and egg" question.

[Nick Lettington]

To be fair, aren't most racing cars of a similar era somewhat similar? If you had a caricature F1 car of today and a car from a lower class, they'd be pretty similar.... I always thought my Silverstone was rather like the D type Jag but it's creator assured me it was inspired by the knobbly Listers. 

Thst said, your toy does look very much like the Seven.... perhaps someone was experimenting with a 4-8-1 exhaust manifold? [Insert winking emoji]