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.

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.


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.