Thursday, May 24, 2007

Celica Safari Winner








Bizarre 1/43 Toyota Celica Twin Cam Turbo
1984 Safari Rally Winner
Björn Waldegård/Hans Thorszelius


Bizarre's rendition of this car is good, but nothing really spectacular. The rims on the front and at the back of the car are different (and exactly how Björn Waldegård's car was confugured in the Safari Rally of 1984). It even has a spare wheel inside the car.
Marlboro decals are included with the purchase of this model. You just need to put the decals yourself. A little research is needed for proper decal placements as no instructions were included. This car is made of resin material.
The quality of workmanship on Bizarre models are not consistent. Most of the time, you will find that these models are damaged (Probably during transit) or would have minor defects as decal rips. You would need to find some time to examine these cars before purchasing them.
These are handmade models and finding faults and defects are relatively common in these cars.



The Celica Twin Cam Turbo wins its debut in the Safari Rally, and fourth place in the manufacturer’s division of the WRC

Waldegård's career spans four decades; he debuted in 1962 and, after winning the Swedish Rally Championship in 1967 and '68, continued to compete at the top level until 1992 when a broken arm suffered during a crash in the 1992 Safari Rally forced his retirement. His first international victory, at the wheel of a Porsche 911, came on the 1969 Monte Carlo Rally, while his last came for Toyota on the 1990 Safari. It made him the oldest driver to win a World Rally Championship event, a record he still retains.

The Alitalia-backed Lancia team of the 1970s frequently choose between star drivers Waldegård and Italian frontrunner Sandro Munari. Waldegård and Munari came head to head in the 1976 Rallye Sanremo. Waldegård had a four-second lead over Munari entering the final stage, only to be forced to squander that advantage in keeping with the team's hopes for an 'equal' shootout. Waldegård, however, emerged as victor by four seconds, having disobeyed team orders and overtaken Munari – as a result, Waldegård left Lancia and joined Ford in late 1976.

Driving Ford Escort RS models, Waldegård won three of the world's most punishing rallies in 1977; the East African Safari Rally, the Acropolis Rally, and the RAC Rally. He was later victor in the inaugural World Rally Championship series in 1979 for Ford and Mercedes-Benz, beating Hannu Mikkola in the final round at the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire in the Ivory Coast, by finishing second behind his rival.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Safari Rally Legend








Bizarre 1/43 Nissan 240RS
Shekhar Mehta Safari Rally 1984


Bizarre just keeps doing these old rally cars. But hey, who's complaining? These cars look great. Though they're mostly resin and plastic, they are done well.
This is a replica of the car that was driven by the legendary Safari Rally driver, Shekhar Mehta. The model also comes with tobacco decals that you need to put yourself.




Chandrashekar "Shekhar" Mehta (20 June 1945–12 April 2006) was a Ugandan-born Kenyan rally driver. He won the Safari Rally a record five times (1973, 1979–1982), including four consecutively, and in 1981 finished fifth in the World Rally Championship. A Kenyan of Asian descent, he was born in 1945 to a family of plantation owners in Uganda, and began rallying behind the wheel of a BMW aged 21. In 1972 he and his family fled Idi Amin's regime to Kenya, the year before he clinched his first Safari Rally title.
He married his sometime co-driver Yvonne Pratt in 1978 after a ten year courtship, and they had one son, Vijay, in 1991.

Through the most successful period of his career he drove Datsun cars. He never managed to win any major rally abroad, although he was on the podium at the 1981 Rally Codasur, twice at the Acropolis Rally and three times at the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire. His career came to an end in 1987 after a nearly fatal crash at Rallye des Pharaons, Egypt while driving for Peugeot.

After his driving days were over he held various administrative positions at the FIA. He became president of the FIA Rally commission in 1997, and was appointed World Rally Championship commission president shortly before his death. He died in London on April 12, 2006 from liver problems, hepatitis, and illness relating to complications from an old injury

Bandama Mercedes








Minichamps 1/43 Mercedes Benz 450 SLC 5.0
Winner Rally Bandama 1979 Mikkola/Hertz


I remember seeing this Mercedes being sold as a 1/24 model kit made by Escii in one of the malls here. The quality of this model is astounding as the details are all there. The only thing missing in this model is the dirt from the rally.

Bandama Rally 1979 Hannu Mikkola driving his Mercedes 450 SLC
Mikkola's rally career spanned 31 years, starting with a Volvo PV 544 in 1963, but his most successful period was during the 1970s and 1980s. The 1970s saw Mikkola a frontrunner in many international events, usually in a Ford Escort, and 1979 he made a serious challenge at the World Rally Championship title, ultimately finishing runner-up. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.

Mikkola was joined by Swedish co-driver Arne Hertz in 1977 and the pair were very quickly a force to be reckoned with. The Mikkola/Hertz partnership lasted for thirteen years, through to the end of the 1990 season. He was partnered by Johnny Johansson for the 1991 season.

Mikkola was runner-up again in 1980 with Ford, but switched to the new Audi team for 1981, to drive the revolutionary four wheel drive Audi Quattro. The partnership was successful from the outset: Mikkola led the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally, the Audi's first event, until an accident put him out of the event. He won the next WRC event, the Swedish Rally, convincingly but the Quattro had problems with reliability and despite another win on the RAC Rally, Mikkola only managed third in the driver's championship. He won the 1000 Lakes and RAC rallies the following year, but did not improve on third position in the championship, ultimately finishing behind Opel's Walter Röhrl and team-mate Michèle Mouton. 1983 was to be Mikkola's year. Four wins and three second places saw him and co-driver Arne Hertz finally take the World Championship title. A second place in the championship followed in 1984, behind his team-mate Stig Blomqvist, but 1985 saw him slip to 22nd in the final standings after the Audi team was overwhelmed by new Group B competition from Peugeot and Lancia.

Mikkola remained with Audi until 1987, winning the Safari Rally in a Group A Audi 200 that year, before switching to Mazda.

He remained with Mazda until entering into semi-retirement in 1991 although he continued to make sporadic appearances on international rallies until retiring completely from motorsport in 1993. Mikkola has made brief appearances since then, including re-uniting with his co-driver Gunnar Palm for the 25th anniversary run of the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally (Mikkola won the original 1970 event and the 1995 re-run) and competing in the London-Sydney Marathon 2000 Rally, re-united with his 1968 1000 Lakes Rally winning Ford Escort RS1600 and co-driven by his oldest son, Juha.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Marathon De La Route








Rai's 1/43 Mazda Cosmo Sport
4th Place 1968 Marathon de la Route
Leon Dernier/Yves Deprez/Jean-Pierre Ackermans


This model was produced by Kyosho and marketed by Rai's in Japan. This model was only available in japan and is only limited to 1,500 pieces worldwide. The No. 18 car was driven by the Belgian team while the No. 19 car was driven by the all-Japanese team.
Kyosho is known for making very good castings but I think that their paint job is mediocre. If you're buying Kyosho diecasts, check them out thoroughly for paint bubbles or small defects.

In 1968, Mazda went racing with the Cosmo. They selected one of the most grueling tests in Europe to prove the reliability of the rotary engine, the 84-hour Marathon de la Route at the legendary Nürburgring circuit in Germany. Two mostly-stock Cosmos were entered, along with 58 other cars. One major change to the cars' 10A engines was the addition of a novel side- and peripheral-port intake system: A butterfly valve switched from the side to the peripheral port as RPMs increased. The engines were limited to 130 PS to improve durability.
The cars ran together in fourth and fifth place for most of the race, but the all-Japanese car was retired with axle damage in the 82nd hour. The other car, driven by Belgians, completed the race in fourth overall. This was to be the only racing outing for the Cosmo - the next Mazda race car would be a Familia Rotary (R100).




Mazda came up with the plan to participate in motor racing to prove that the rotary engine, the world's first mass-produced engine of its kind, ensured high-performance, reliability and durability. This was when the company launched the Cosmo Sport, the first vehicle in the world powered by a multi-rotor rotary power unit. The two racing-trim Cosmo Sports were baptized at the Nordshleife, Nurburgring where the "Marathon de la Route," an 84-hour endurance event, was held on August 21, 1968.

During the event, two Porsches and a Lancia made up the top-three with two Cosmo Sports playing aggressive catching up roles. In the 81st hour, just three hours before the chequered flag, one of the Cosmo pair suffered a broken rear axle and had to retire. The other, however, endured the 84-hour challenge, and was classified fourth overall. This wonderful achievement proved that the rotary engine, a power unit unknown in the ordinary world, had enormous potential in power, reliability and durability. It signalled the beginning of Mazda's ongoing involvement in all forms of motor sports.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Land Speed Record Volkswagen








1/43 Spark Volkswagen Nardo
Land Speed Record 2002


Spark is the sister company of Bizarre who makes these resin cars. Quality has been an issue with Spark and Bizarre models as I have heard collectors complaining about the build of the car. Sometimes, the car is missing some parts like wipers, or sometimes the decals are ripped. The resin model is made in China and distributed worldwide from their Macau office.




New Record has been set. On October 14th a prototype of Volkswagen's new W12 Coupe in the final stages of development set the world speed record for distance covered in "24 hours". The 440 kW/600 bhp twelve-cylinder sports car covered 7,085.7 kilometers (4,402.8 miles) at an average speed of 295.24 km/h (183.45 mph). It thus toppled the previous record by a margin of twelve km/h (7.5 mph). In the Volkswagen W12 Coupe capable of 350 km/h (217 mph), which had not been specially prepared for the long-distance record bid, the team of drivers also set two other world records (over 5,000 kilometers and 5,000 miles) and six international vehicle class records. The class record for "12 hours" had already been broken in a trial run.
All world and class records are subject to recognition by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA); therefore the record-breaking drives on the high-speed circuit at Nardo near Lecce in southern Italy were carried out in accordance with the official FIA regulations. The aim of putting the vehicle through this grueling 24-hour ordeal was to analyze the performance potential and the robustness of the twelve-cylinder engine. As can be seen from the remarkable records and the first technical analyses of the drive unit, an ideal set of the results was achieved, exceeding the defined requirements.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Endurance Benz






Minichamps 1/43 Mercedes 300 SEL 6.8
24 Hours Spa-Francorchamps 1971
Heyer/Schickentanz


Finally, the wait is over for Mercedes endurance racing fans. Minichamps finally released this Mercedes in 1/43 scale and everything was done really well. They did justice to the car this time by replicating it right. The grills, the door handles, the decal placing and wheels are all done well. This diecast will bring nostalgia in your veins as it clearly depicts the cars of the late 60's and early 70's. Minichamps must really love this car as they again, milked the casting, to make similar versions of this car. Still, having said all that, I think that this car is a must have for all Mercedes-Benz afficionados. This car won the Minichamps diecast of the year award in 2006.




In 1971, Mercedes-Benz AMG was preparing for its racing debut in the 24-hour endurance race at Belgium 's Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The Mercedes-AMG team had prepared a Mercedes 300 SEL 6.9 for the event but it was severely damaged during practice just two weeks before race day.
Instead of Mercedes-AMG 's racing career being cut short, this signaled the beginning of the Mercedes-AMG success story. The completely demolished car was painstakingly taken apart and reassembled. The new drivers, Hans Heyer and Clemens Schickentanz, had barely enough time for a test drive. But the rest is history: Heyer and Schickentanz won their class and came in second overall.

Monday, July 31, 2006

Close 2nd






Ebbro 1/43 Porsche 908L Le Mans 1969
Hans Herrmann / Gerard Larrousse


A lot of Ebbro Porsches have been released in the past year, and they still plan to build more Porsches in the future. I love Ebbro's rendition of these Old School Porsche Machines. The detail on these cars are incredible. The 908L is longer than the usual sports prototype. This car is a replica of Hans Hermann's 1969 Le Mans Machine. Though he only managed to get 2nd place, he came back the following year to win the prestigious Le Mans race driving the famous red and white Porsche 917K.





In 1966 Hans Hermann returned to Porsche for a comeback in the World Sportscar Championship, as Porsche started a serious effort there. Following several podium finishes with the still underpowered 2 Liter Porsche 906 and later models, he won the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona in a 907 as well as the Sebring 12 Hours again, now together with Swiss Jo Siffert. The overall win of the 1000km Nürburgring always eluded him, even though Herrmann had taken part in each of these races at the Nürburgring since they were introduced in 1953, and had finished second three times in a row from 1968 to 1970, behind team mates Jo Siffert and/or Vic Elford.

Herrmann missed the win in the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Porsche 908 by only 120 Meters, but it was him who finally scored the long-awaited first overall victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours for Porsche in 1970. In heavy rain, he and his team mate Richard Attwood survived with their red and white Porsche 917K #23 as the best of only 7 finishers.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Audi Quattro Rally Car Part 2






Minichamps 1/43 Audi Quattro Sport S1
Rallye San remo 1985 Winner
Rohrl/Geistdorfer


A relatively new release by Minichamps. The detail on this car is excellent (as usual). This is the same Audi as Stig Blomqvist's Akropolis Rally Audi Quattro, except of course, the foglights and minor modifications in the car.
Most of the Minichamps Audi Short wheelbase models are already sold out everywhere. Some stores still carry them but they command a premium on the price.




Walter Röhrl (born March 7, 1947 in Regensburg) is a German rally and racing driver, with famous victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW. At age 16, he started to serve at the former archbishopric of Regensburg, and soon became a driver who covered about 120,000 km annually with a cleric onboard. Being also active in sports like skiing, he was invited to drive his first rally in 1968.

Röhrl was a World Rally Championship favourite during the 1970s and 1980s, winning the Monte Carlo Rally four times on four different brands. His Fiat 131 Abarth carried him to the 1980 title, but it was arguably his equivalent success in 1982 that impressed most of all, with Röhrl fending off audacious four-wheel drive opposition to take the title, by virtue of consistency, in his increasingly outmoded Opel Ascona 400.

In 1983, he almost won again with a 2WD Lancia Rally, before finally moving to the 4WD Audi Quattro which were made in his home state of Bavaria. He did compete only in selected events, though, and scored only 14 WRC victories in his career.
Röhrl was also successful in road racing events, and called "Genius on Wheels" by Niki Lauda. In a early 1990s 24 Hours Nürburgring race which saw fog and heavy rain in the night, he did hardly slow down, anticipating the corners by timing. The race was interrupted for hours, though.

Several magazines and other drives pronounced him "best rallye driver ever" or similar. In recent years, he is the senior test driver for Porsche road cars, notably setting quick laptimes for them testing round the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife.