RACING CARS 1970's:

1970 Chaparral 2J: The most unusual Chaparral was the 2J. In addition to a powerful 700 hp engine, and a three-speed semi automatic transmission, the back of the 2J housed two 17-inch fans driven by a 45 hp snowmobile engine. The purpose of the fans was to 'suck' air from under the car to provide downforce. This gave the car tremendous gripping power and enabled greater maneuverability at all speeds. It also had ground effect Lexan-plastic skirts to keep air from leaking in, a technology that would appear in Formula One several years later. Vic Elford drove the 2J for most of the 1970 Ca-Am season, with teething problems denying him a victory. Model by MINICHAMPS 1/43	1970 Chaparral 2J: The 2J competed in the Can-Am series and often qualified at least a couple of seconds quicker than the next fastest car, but was not a success because it was plagued with mechanical problems. It ran for only one racing season in 1970 after which it was outlawed by the SCCA. Jackie Stewart drove the car initially at its first race at Watkins Glen. Jim Hall needed a driver that could handle the cornering power of the 2J, so he sought out 'Quick' Vic Elford who had established himself as one of the best endurance racers ever. Unfortunately due to pressure from McLaren, the SCCA outlawed the 2J beacuse of its potential domination. Model by MINICHAMPS 1/43	1971 Triumph TR6: Before the Jaguars, Bob Tullius made a name for himself racing Triumphs. The TR6 replaced the TR5/TR250 that Tullius had raced and made it to the SCCA National Championships in 1972-1975. It was National Champion in D Production in 1975. In 1976 it was sold to Paul Newman who won the National Championship that year as well. Powered by a 2.5L straight-six, producing 230 hp, 125 hp more than a stock TR6! The TR6 gave way at Group 44 in 1976 to the new TR7, which the team was to campaign with a V8 engine. But that is another story. Model by SOLIDO 1/43

1971 Alpine Renault A110 1800S: Alpine produced this Renault powered rally car of 1800 cc, producing 180 bhp and weighing just over 1300 pounds, into a world-beater. A 1-2-3 finish on the 1971 Monte Carlo rally, which was repeated again in 1973 by this car driven by Jean-Claude Andruet and Michele Petit. Based on a 1962 design and primarily production parts, the A110 gave way to more modern cars such as the Stratos which copied its size and rear-engine design. Model by SOLIDO 1/43	1971 Alpine Renault A110 1600S: In 1600 cc configuration, Bernard Darniche and Alain Mahe drove to 1st place in the '73 Coupes de Alpes. The A110 used a aluminium block, Renault 16 TS engine, with two Weber 45 carburetors. The engine was able to deliver 125 hp. This allowed the 1600S to reach a top speed of 130 mph. The success of the Alpine Team in 1973 led to the WRC Manufacturers' tile. Model by ELGIOR 1/43	1971 Datsun 240Z: Datsun/Nissan had a very successful outing at the 19th East African Safari Rally in 1971. In it's first entry the 240/Fairlady Z won the Over-all Victory, Class Victory, Team Victory and Manufactures Championship. Edgar Hermann and Hans Shuller finished first in this car with team cars finishing second and seventh overall. Considered to be the world's toughest rally, the East African Safari routes through Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Model by IXO 1/43

1971 Abarth 2000 Spider SE021: The Abarth-Osella SE-021 was powered by a 1981cc 4-cylinder twin-cam engine developing a quoted 265bhp, and driving through a dedicated five-speed transaxle-type gearbox. Developed for the 1972 European 2-Litre Sports Car Championship series, at the Jarama 2-Hours Derek Bell and Nanni Galli brought home their SE-021s first and second in a remarkable demonstration of Abarth's capabilities at this ferociously hard-fought level. Model by ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43

1972 Tyrell 003: The 003 won its first race in Spain and the Scotsman went on to five further victories to win his second World Championship in 1971 and Tyrrell took its first Constructors' title. Things were more difficult in 1972 with Lotus a much stronger rival and despite four wins, Stewart finished runner-up to Emerson Fittipaldi. In 1973, however, Stewart won another five victories to win his third title. This is Stewart's 1972 French GP winner. Model by QUARTZO 1/43	1972 Lotus 72D: The remarkable Lotus 72D, Fittipaldi proved virtually unstoppable in 1972 as he won five of 11 races and the F1 Drivers' Championship and Lotus the Constructors' Championship. Fittipaldi became the youngest F1 champion and held that title until Lewis Hamilton took the F1 title in 2008. Model by QUARTZO 1/43	1972 Lotus 72D: This is the British GP winner of Emerson Fitipaldi in 1972. Powered by a Ford-Cosworth DFV, 2993cc V8, coupled to a Hewland FG400, 5-speed transmission, the car produced 440 bhp. The 72 participated in 6 seasons and 74 World Championship races, with a record of 20 Grand Prix wins, 2 Drivers Championships and 3 Constructors Championship titles. Model by QUARTZO 1/18

1972 Lola T280: This was the second of approximately ten T280's made. Powered by a 3.0L Ford-Cosworth DFV engine, the car was quick, but suffered from a lack of development. Jo Bonnier, the European Lola agent entered two cars for LeMans in 1972 promoting Switzerland. Sadly, he was killed in this car during the race. Model by SOLIDO 1/43	1973 Lancia Stratos HF: Sandro Munari and Manucci were winners of the 1973 Tour de France. Using a 2418 cc, 65° dohc V6 Ferrari engine, producing 280 hp, the Stratos was a dominant rally car in the 70's. Lancia won the 1974, 1975 and 1976 championship titles, including the 1975-77 Monte Carlo rallys. Model by SOLIDO 1/43

1973 BMW 3.0 CSL: Toine Hezemans and Dieder Quester finished the 1973 LeMans 24 hours - 1st in class/11th OA in this BMW Motorsport entry. Lightwieght cars with aluminum doors and hood, the 3.0 six-cylinder grew to 3.5 and 340 to 430 hp and raced in the European Touring Car Championships as well as IMSA. The 3.0 CSL took six ETCC championships from 1973-1979. Model by SOLIDO 1/43	1975 BMW 3.5 CSL: Nicknamed the "Batmobile" due to its flared fenders and large rear wing, the 3.5 CSL was a dominant force in road racing on both sides of the Atlantic. Sam Posey and Brian Redman, but a couple of the famous names found behind the wheel of these cars, took 2nd place at the IMSA Riverside 6hr and several IMSA wins that season. Model by MINICHAMPS 1/43	1976 BMW 3.5CSL: Peter Gregg and Brian Redman took 1st place at the 24 hours of Daytona in this car. I remember watching the CSL's run at Portland International in that era and were always one of my favorites. The turn in the BMW was a rare drive outside a Porsche for Gregg. Model by MINICHAMPS 1/43

1975 Gulf-Mirage GR8: Derek Bell and Jackie Ickx drove this car to first place at Le Mans in 1975, powered by a detuned Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8. John Wyer's JW Automotive built, prepared and ran the Gulf sponsored Mirage cars at Le Mans after the GT40 and Porsche 917 culminating in the 1975 Le Mans win before the team was sold. Model by SOLIDO 1/43	1975 Gulf-Mirage GR8: This model is signed by driver Derek Bell. While this model is more accurate than the Solido, it has been almost thirty years since a mass produced version of this car was made by the French toy company. A great car with great racing pedigree, sadly under appreciated today. This car finished 5th a Le Mans in 1976. Model by SPARK 1/43	1977 Wolf Ford WR1: Winning the Canadian GP for the home team of Walter Wolf's F1 enetrprise, Jody Scheckter put the crowning achievement on a very good sophmore season for the team. A relative unknown, Scheckter finished second in the Drivers points to Lauda and Wolf fourth in the Constructor's Championship. Powered by a Cosworth DFV V8, the WR1 produced 485 bhp. Model by MINICHAMPS 1/43

RACING CARS 1980's:

1982 Aston Martin Nimrod NRA/C2: Nimrod Racing Automobiles was a partnership Robin Hamilton and chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda, Victor Gauntlett. The project was intended to build sports prototypes for the World Sportscar Championship and IMSA GT Championship using Aston engines. Eric Broadley of Lola designed the chassis powered by a 5.3L V8. Tiff Needell, Bob Evans and Geoff Lees were put out of the race by an accident, the sister car finishing 7th in Group C. Model by SPARK 1/43

1983 March 836/03: One of the most distinctive IMSA GTP cars that raced in the series, the Red Lobster sponsored car driven by David Cowart and Kneper Miller in 1984-85. It was first owned by Al Holbert to four IMSA wins in 1983 on his way to the championship. The 366 cu in Chev V8 powered car in 1983-85 raced in 28 races, with ten top 10 finishes. Model by REVELL 1/32

1985 Lancia-Ferrari LC2: Lancia's effort in the World Sportscar Championship from 1983 to 1986, powered by Ferrari turbocharged V8 engines of 2.6 or 3.0L. Reliability hampered the LC2's efforts for race wins. At Le Mans in '85, Bob Wollek and Alessandro Nannini led the race early, reliability issues again forced the team to drop out of the lead and finished 4th. Model by IXO 1/43	1985 Lancia-Ferrari LC2: Finishing seventh at LeMans in 1985, Henri Pescarolo and Mauro Baldi. In the first couple of years of the Group C, the LC2 was the only serious threat to Porsche's domination. Two championship races were won by the LC2 and in its three years of activity Lancia finished second in the World Championship behind Porsche. The LC2 remains as the only Italian car ever constructed for Group C racing. Model by IXO 1/43	1989 Aston Martin AMR1: Aston Martin and Ecurie Ecosse partnered together under the name Protech to campaign in Group 6 prototype racing, build 5 chassis powered by 5.3L AM V8 engines which were subsequently enlarged to 6.0L and produced 600 hp. Brian Redman, Michael Roe and Costas Los drove Chassis#AMR1 02 to 11th place at Le Mans in 1989. The car was uncompetitive and by the end of the season, Protech was gone. Model by SPARK 1/43

RACING CARS 1990's on:

1989 Sauber C9 Mercedes-Benz : The Team Sauber entry driven by Jochen Mass, Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens won Le Mans in 1989, with team cars also in 2nd and 5th positions. After two years of trying, the C9 dominated Group C racing in '89, winning all but one race. Its all-alloy, turbo-charged 5.0L V8 engine produces 720 bhp and a top speed of over 240 mph. The Silver Arrows of Merceds reborn! Model by IXO 1/43	1992 Toyota Celica GT-4WD: 1992 Monte Carlo Rally winner with Luis Moya and Carlos Sainz. Sainz holds the WRC records for most career starts, podium finishes and points. The Toyota Celica GT-Four is a high performance model of the Celica liftback, with a turbocharged 3S-GTE engine, and full-time AWD. It was created to compete in the World Rally Championship, whose regulations dictate that a manufacturer must build road-going versions of the vehicle in sufficient numbers. Carlos Sainz won the 1992 World Rally Championship. Model by TROFEU 1/43	1992 Toyota Celica GT-4WD: Rallye de Portugal 1992, this Toyota Europe entered machine driven by Markku Alen finished 4th. The Celica GT-Four ST165 made its World Rally Championship (WRC) debut in the 1988. Toyota's most successful rally car, it won the WRC Driver's Championship in 1992, and the WRC Manufacturer's and Driver's Championships in 1993 and 1994. Model by TROFEU 1/43

1995 McLaren F1 GTR: Yannick Dalmas, Masanori Sekiya and JJ Lehto drove this car to 1st place at Le Mans in 1995. The F1 features a 6.1-litre BMW S70 60° V12 engine and it was conceived as an exercise by designer Gordon Murray in creating what its designers hoped would be considered the ultimate road car. The GTR is the custom built racing version, of which 28 were built and this is one of 9 built in 1995. Model by IXO 1/43

1995 McLaren F1 GTR: Mark Blundell, Ray Bellm and Maurizio Sandro Sala finished 4th at Le Mans in 1995, 3rd in class behind two other F1 GTR's, including the race winner to the left. 1995 was the total domination year of Le Mans by GT1 cars. Competing in the BPR Global GT Series, the McLaren introduced a modified engine management system that increased power output however, air-restrictors mandated by racing regulations reduced the power back to 600 hp. Model by IXO 1/43

1996 Vauxhall Vectra: Driven by 1995 BTCC Champion John Cleland, the Vectra never had the same success as its predecessor the Cavalier. Cleland who is undisputably one of the best touring car racers ever, brought the team the best result in 1998 with the Vectra. The 2.5L V6 powered car was very successful in the DTM however, being able to use a different aero package giving more grip. Model by ONYX 1/43	1996 Opel Vectra: Masahiro Hasemi drove for HKS Opel Team Japan in the 1996 Japanese Touring Car Chamiponship. He won the Japanese Touring Car Championship in 1989, 1991 and 1992 (I have not found results from the '96 season.) The Vectra was also known as a Holden Vectra in Australia and Chevy Vectra in Mexico. Model by ONYX 1/43	2000 AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM: Thomas Jager drove this car in the revived 2000 DTM Championship, supporting teammate and series champion Bernd Schneider. These were highly modified, V8 powered, tube frame, carbon fiber silhouette bodied racers (although the roof and roof pillars do originate from the production car). The engine power is limited to 470 hp. Model by AUTOART 1/43

2001 Bentley EXP Speed 8: In 2001 Bentley returned to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race, after a gap of 73 years, Eric van de Poele, Andy Wallace, Butch Leitzinger, finished in 3rd place. The Bentley has a strong resemblance to and shares some technology with the Audi R8C, using the engine from the Audi R8, a 3.6 litre turbocharged V8. Debuting in 2001, the car finally won in 2003 before the project was cancelled. Model by IXO 1/43	2001 Bentley EXP Speed 8: In 2002, the team placed 4th at LeMans, The Speed 8 finally won LeMans in 2003 driven by Rinaldo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Guy Smith. This car finished 2nd, piloted by Mark Blundell, David Brabham and Johnny Herbert. Following Le Mans the Bentley program ended, and the Speed 8s were never raced again. This is a limited edition signed by Andy Wallace, one of my favorites from the Jaguar/TWR team. Model by AUTO BARN 1/43

2004 Williams FW26 F1: Designed for the 2004 Formula One season, by Patrick Head, Gavin Fisher and Antonia Terzi. It was driven by Ralf Schumacher and Juan-Pablo Montoya and proved to be one of the most attention grabing cars of the season. The FW26 was powered by a BMW 3.0 V10 engine, one of the most powerful in F1 at the time. The car did not live up to expectations, only taking one win and one pole during the season. Model by SCALEXTRIC 1/32	2006 Hendricks Monte Carlo: I had the opportunity to drive this car at Texas Motor Speedway in the Spring of 2007. I did 30 laps in one of the 600 hp NASCAR style stock cars as part of the Richard Petty Driving Experience. I had never driven anything with that much weight and horsepower that fast. My fastest lap on the 1.5 mile oval was an average of over 153 mph. Fun!, Fun!, Fun! Model by ACTION 1/24	2005 Aston Martin DBR9: Based on the Aston Martin DB9 road car, the DBR9 retains the chassis, and the cylinder block and heads of the road car's 6.0L - V12 engine, producing 600 bhp. All the body panels are constructed from carbon fibre composite (except the roof) to minimize the weight of the car. This car was driven to 1st place in the GT1 class at Sebring in 1995, by David Brabham, D Turner and S Ortelli. Model by IXO 1/43

2006 Aston Martin DBR9: Antonio Garcia & Richard Lyons drove this Team Modena car to a 2nd in GT1 class, 9th OA at the 1000 km of Spa. The name DBR9 is derived from the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning DBR1 car, named for then-owner David Brown, which not only won the 24 Hour race in 1959 but also the World Sportscar title. Model by IXO 1/43	2006 Aston Martin DBR9: 4th in GT1, 11th OA at 1000 km of Spa in 2006 were Peter Hardman, Christian Vann & Jamie Campbell-Walker in the second Team Modena car. Up until 2008, the Aston Martin DBR9 was run by three factory teams and also sold to customers for private use in various racing series, such as the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, FIA GT Championship, and FFSA GT Championship. Model by IXO 1/43	2008 Aston Martin DBR9: LeMans 2008, a 16th place finish and 4th in GT1 class, driven by Karl Wendlinger, Andrea Piccini, Heinz Harald Frentzen in 007. The other team car won the GT1 class at LeMans in 2008, making the second consecutive year Aston Martin has won its class at the Sarthe circuit. For Gulf Oil it marked the 40th anniversary of their LeMans win by a Gulf sponsored GT40. Model by SPARK 1/43

2007 Audi R10 TDI: Powered by its 5.5 litre V12 TDI DPF twin-turbo, mid-engined, longitudinally mounted aluminium diesel engine which produces around 700 hp, the R10 is the first diesel powered car to win Le Mans. First in 2006, 2007 and again in 2008. This is the winning 2007 car driven by Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner. Model by IXO 1/43

2009 Aston Martin DBR1-2: A 4th place finish at Le Mans in 2009, for Jan Charouz, Tomas Enge and Stefan Mücke in what is also known as the Lola Aston Martin B09/60. Aston Martin's internal name for the car, DBR1-2, refers to the specific DBR1 chassis which won six races in 1959 en route to clinching the World Sportscar Championship as well as that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. It uses the same racing prepared 6.0 L V12 engine from the Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 car. Competing in the Le Mans series, this car took first place overall. Model by SPARK 1/43

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