Some more work done:
Lotus 97T (1/20th)
97t-1 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
97t-2 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
97t-3 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
LOTUS 97T
The Lotus 97T was a Formula One racing car designed by Gérard Ducarouge and built by Team Lotus. A development of the Lotus 95T of 1984, it was designed for the 1985 Formula One season by French engineer Gérard Ducarouge. The 97T was powered by the turbocharged 1.5L Renault engine which produced up to approximately 800 bhp. The 97T was of a generally simple design, it used elements from the defunct Lotus 96T Indycar project in the aerodynamics with another piece of Lotus design: an early form of bargeboards. These were placed between the front wheels and the side pods improving airflow around the side of the car. Ducarouge also got around the ban on the 'winglets' seen on the rear wings of the 1984 cars by placing them instead on the rear edges of the side pods.
Lotus' major coup for 1985 was signing rising star Ayrton Senna from the Toleman team to replace long time team driver Nigel Mansell who had signed with Williams. Senna, the first driver signed to the team since the death of Colin Chapman, partnered Italian Elio De Angelis who had finished third in the previous season's drivers' championship and had had many promising results with the 95T.
The 97T proved competitive during the season, taking 8 poles, 7 with Senna and 1 with De Angelis, and 3 wins. Senna's first was a brilliant performance in the Portuguese Grand Prix where he won by over a minute in monsoon conditions. His second came in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, held in wet/dry conditions. De Angelis added a third win (his 2nd and last win in F1, both for Lotus) at the San Marino Grand Prix after original winner Alain Prost (McLaren) was disqualified an hour after the race finished due to his out of fuel McLaren-TAG being 2 kg underweight.
The 97T while fast, was mechanically unreliable. The car had the best chassis of any car that competed during that season; it had the best braking and turning capabilities and it also had the best designed suspension of that year; although its aerodynamics were inferior to that of McLaren's car that year. As a result of having the best chassis, it performed best on slow and tight circuits like Monaco, Montreal, Detroit and Adelaide, although the Renault engine had reliability issues and was down on power compared to the competitors of BMW and Honda engines, but about on par with the Ferrari and Porsche units. Senna in particular had a run of bad luck mid-season, including a huge crash in the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard, where he went off at almost 200 mph (322 km/h) going into the Courbe de Signes at the end of the 1.8 km long Mistral Straight; and he retired many times while leading which cost him a possible chance at the world championship. Eventually, Lotus finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship, albeit tied on points with Williams who finished in third place owing to their greater number of race victories.
In total the Lotus 97T scored three victories, two second places and four third places. The car also achieved eight pole positions and three fastest laps.
Toyota Celica Rally Car (1/24th)
celica-1 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
celica-2 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
celica-3 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
CASTROL CELICA GT-FOUR
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. These vehicles are referred to as "homologation special vehicles".
In 1993 Auriol switched from Lancia to Toyota, and won his first event for the team, the Monte Carlo Rally and finished 3rd in the Driver’s Championship in the car shown here. Juha Kankkunen, also in a Toyota, won the Driver’s Championship with Toyota claiming the Manufacturer’s title.
Corolla Rally Car (1/24th)
corolla-1 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
corolla-2 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
corolla-3 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
TOYOTA COROLLA WRC 1999
The Corolla E110 was the eighth generation of cars sold by Toyota under the Corolla nameplate.
Introduced in May 1995, the eighth generation shared its platform (and doors, on some models) with its predecessor. Due to a recession, Toyota ordered Corolla development chief Takayasu Honda to cut costs, hence the carry-over engineering. For the general market, the Corolla was offered in Base, XLi, GLi, and SE-G trim levels.
The Toyota Corolla WRC (World Rally Car) is special purpose rally car based on the European Corolla 3 door Hatchback, and powered by a modified 3S-GTE engine and 4WD system from the Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205.
It was launched in July 1997, and made its debut in the 1997 Rally of Finland with 1994 World Rally Champion, Didier Auriol, and Marcus Grönholm behind the wheel. For 1998 WRC season, double World Rally Champions Carlos Sainz joined the Toyota Team Europe, and won the 1998 Monte Carlo Rally. It was the first victory for the Corolla WRC. Didier Auriol won the 1999 China Rally, and Toyota won the 1999 manufacturer's title while the company stopped participating in rallying, in order to prepare for a switch to Formula One in 2002.
Lancer Rally Car (1/24th)
lancer-1 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
lancer-2 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
lancer-3 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION V WRC
The name “Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution” made its first appearance at the 1973 World Rally Championships. After that, the Lancer participated on and off in rally activity until its return to the WRC in 1993. The reborn Lancer Evolution adopted a 4WD system, and was equipped with a 2L DOHC turbo engine, called the 4G63. Achieving a 2nd place finish in both the Indonesia Rally and the RAC Rally, the Lancer showed the world a glimpse of its speed. From Evolution II in 1994, to the Evolution III in 1995, the Lancer was under continual development. In 1996, The Evolution III, driven by Tommi Makinen, won 5 races earning him the Driver’s Title. Driving Evolution IV in the following year, Tommi Makinen became a repeat champion. In 1998, the Evolution V made its debut.
Porsche Carrera Turbo - Grace Bros Racing Team - early 1970's
Turbo-1 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
turbo-2 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
turbo-3 by
David Freeman, on Flickr