Del Prado 1/43 Mini Cooper 1967 Monte Carlo Rally

The Mini was simply perfect for rally racing right from the start, six works cars making their appearance in the 1960 Monte Carlo Rally just six months after the Mini had made its debut in the market. Private drivers entered six more of these brand-new, small but mighty performers. Back then, however, the newcomer was not yet particularly competitive, Riley/Jones finishing 23rd in the fastest Mini. A year later the small cars from Britain were not successful, either, none of the three works cars entered in the race reaching the finish line.

All this changed dramatically in 1962, when Rauno Aaltonen, the Flying Finn, entered the spectacular Rally for the first time at the wheel of a Mini Cooper. Unfortunately, this very nearly might have been his last Rally, too, with his car rolling over in an accident, landing on the roof and catching fire. Aaltonen just had a few seconds to get out before his Mini became a complete victim of the flames.
Only two other works Minis remained in the race, finishing the Rally as No 26 and 77. But two more names also appeared in the list of entrants, destined to hit the headlines in the not too distant future together with the MINI: This was the year in which Timo Mäkinen entered Monto Carlo the first time in a Mini Cooper, albeit as a private driver. And the Sunbeam Rapier finishing third overall was driven by an Irishman called Patrick Hopkirk.

Mini Coopers in the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally were driven by the Three Musketeers Aaltonen, Hopkirk and Mäkinen being joined by Simo Lampinen and Tony Fall. Entering the event with starter number 177, Rauno Aaltonen/Henry Liddon finally ended up in first place, 12 seconds faster than the Lancia finishing second. All other Mini Coopers likewise saw the chequered flag, Hopkirk finishing 6th, Fall 10th, Lampinen 15th, and Mäkinen 41st.

source: The Italian Job

Onyx 1/43 Opel Vectra Opel Team Holzer STW97 Uwe Alzen

Cararama Ford Focus WRC 2000 #3 Carlos Sainz-Luis Moya

Tomica 1/60 Mazda Demio #86 AND 1/61 Mazda Axela Sport #62

Kinsmart 1/36 Mazda RX-8 Hard Top

Development of the RX-8 can be traced to as far back as the 1995 Mazda RX-01 concept car, which featured an early iteration of the 13B-MSP engine. Naturally aspirated with side exhaust ports, this engine produced 220 hp (160 kW). As prohibited by Mazda's financial state at the time and the growing market interest in SUVs, the RX-01 never saw further development or production. However, a "skunkworks project" engineering team within Mazda kept the development of the 13B-MSP alive using MX-5 Miata chassis, eventually catching the attention of management, which at this time had come under heavy influence from Ford. Development of the 13B-MSP advanced and eventually led to the RENESIS moniker debuting along with the RX-EVOLV concept car which began to bear semblance to the production RX-8 with the "freestyle" rear suicide doors. Styling was developed via design competitions in Mazda tradition among its design studios in Japan, the US, and Europe. The project obtained official approval from management, and eventually the RX-8 concept car (design/engineering model) was produced and shown in 2001, closer resembling the production version. A near-production "reference exhibit" RX-8 was shown shortly thereafter at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, pending final approval for production. Production RX-8 closely resembles this vehicle save for minor trim details, and "job 1" began in February 2003 at Mazda's Hiroshima plant in Japan.

source:wikipedia

Kinsmart 1/36 Nissan Skyline GTR R34 Hard Top

The GT-BNR34 (R34) Skyline GT-R and GT-R V-spec models were released in January 1999. The R34 GT-R was also made to be shorter (from front to rear), and the front overhang was reduced. The valve covers were also painted glossy red, rather than dull black.

A new feature on the R34 GT-R is a 5.8" LCD multifunction display on the center of the dashboard, which shows seven different live readings of engine and vehicle statistics such as turbocharger pressure (1.2 bar max), oil and water temperature, among others. The GT-R V-spec model added two extra features to the display: intake and exhaust gas temperatures. Nismo Multi-function Displays (MFD) can be bought at an extra cost, they include a lap timer, G-Force meter and an increase in boost pressure measurement to 2 bar. The R34 GT-R was made shorter in response to customer concerns who thought the R33 was too bulky.

Like the R33, the new R34 GT-R V-Spec (Victory Specification) models come equipped with the ATTESA E-TS Pro system and an Active LSD at the rear, while standard GT-R models come with the non-Pro system and a conventional mechanical differential. The V-spec model also had firmer suspension and lower ground clearance, thanks to front and side splitters, as well as a rear carbon fiber air diffuser, designed to keep air flowing smoothly under the car.

Another special model of the R34 GT-R is the M-spec. It was similar to the V-spec, but had special "Ripple control" dampers, revised suspension set up, stiffer rear sway bar and a leather interior with heated front seats. The 'M' on the M-Spec stood for Mizuno who is the chief engineer of Nissan.

At the time of the R34's release, like the R32 and R33, Nissan released an R34 N1 model. The R34 GT-R N1 was equipped similar to the R32 and R33 N1 models — a homologation special. It was sold without ABS, air conditioning, audio equipment, rear wiper, or trunk lining. The new R34 N1 was also given the new R34 N1 engine. Only 45 R34 N1 models were produced from the factory, 12 of which were used by Nismo for Super Taikyu racing. The rest were sold to various customers, mostly racing teams and tuning garages.

source:wikipedia

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