Tamiya Renault Alpine Project

I'm an American, and that means I don't know anything about rallying.  That's a shame because it seems like I really missed out on something awesome.  In 1971 the Renault A110 won 5 of 9 events in the IMC (International Championship for Manufacturers) including the Monte Carlo Rally for which this model is decorated.  The first WRC (World Rally Championship) Monte Carlo Rally was held in 1973, and the Renault Alpine A110 took 5 of the top 6 places.  Tamiya has released a lot of scale race cars over the years, but typically when the model being represented was current.  This one is odd in that they released it over 2 decades after the race that made the car famous.

Tamiya released the Alpine A110 Monte-Carlo for the first time as set 58168 in 1995 on the M-02 chassis.  15 years later the 58471 followed on the M-05 chassis, but this time without all the rally stickers.  In 2014 they released 58591 which had the same body as the original but an updated M-06 chassis.  This same model was issued again (with the same number) in 2017 which is when I picked it up.

While the majority of modern Tamiya touring cars have been AWD, the M-06 chassis is rear wheel drive with the motor hanging out behind the rear axle.  This makes for quite different handling than what I was used to, but I really like it.  We also have four wheel independent suspension with friction dampers (which I immediately replaced).  All of the M chassis are small and nimble compared to their larger counterparts, with a stock 540 motor actually being plenty for the weight.  This car is quick and stable, but was very bouncy and hard to drive straight with the original shocks.  With the single upgrade of aluminum oil dampers, this thing became a blast to drive.  It is otherwise still stock.

Update:  This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire.  It has not been replaced.