When
I was making my original list of Tamiya re-releases I hoped to acquire,
I had no interest in the Honda City Turbo. I can't say exactly
why it didn't appeal to me, but it was certainly due in part to the
cartoonish appearance. It wasn't until I saw one in person years
later that I instantly reversed my opinion and had to have one.Unless you happen to be from Japan, you've probably never seen a Honda City Turbo. I didn't even realize they were a real thing until I started researching them. The first version of the Honda City came out in 1981 with the turbo version following in 1982. Apparently it was common to modify these with wider wheel arches and race them in Japan, so the first Tamiya version, the 58039 Willy's Wheeler, appeared already in 1983. The title is based on a combination of sharing the driver with the 58035 Wild Willy and the fact that this model used the same wheelie chassis. It was 32 years later in 2015 that Willy's Wheeler was re-released as 58611, this time called Honda City Turbo and using the WR-02C chassis shared with the re-released Wild Willy 2. Apart from being a wheelie chassis, the new chassis has nothing in common with the original. Only the body and tires were carried forward into the re-release. The re-release was available for purchase at the time I was looking, but there also happened to be a sale on the 57894 Expert Built (RTR) version for a little over half the price of the kit. Even though I am generally not a fan of RTR's, this was just too good a deal to pass up so that's what I bought. I placated myself by immediately tearing it down and rebuilding it from scratch.
This is a rear wheel drive wheelie chassis with a torque tuned motor and simple friction dampers. Even in kit form, the gearbox is pre-built making this a very simple beginner's chassis. Despite the simplicity, it is very fun to drive. It has ample power to wheelie easily, and due to the wide stance and massive tires, it is incredibly stable. Of course the driver is on the "wrong" side, but that makes sense for a Japanese racing vehicle.
Update: This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire. It has not been replaced.
 Page 1: Unboxing |
 Page 2: Rebuild |
 Page 3: Final Photos |