Ford Escort 1800RS 1982 Rally de Portugal

The 16th Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto is the round 3 of the FIA World Rally Championship 1982. The Portuguese tandem of Carlos Torres with co-driver Felipe Lopes managed to grab 4th place overall with a total time of 8:30.58. They where 51 mins. behind the powerful Audi Quattro of Michele Mouton and Fabrizia Pons who took 1st place overall.

This was a gift from my friend Vic, and it was only now that I had a chance to take some pictures of this superb model by IXO in 1:43 scale.

Happy Holidays to everyone!!!

1980 Acropolis Rally Winner

It's been awhile since my last update, I'm having trouble with connections both in my residence and the office.

Also, the holiday season and the love for road racing (running) is getting a little more attention than my hobby these days.

Nevertheless, I still manage to grab a couple of pictures from my latest acquisition.

placed the decals myself and let it totally dry for a day before I grabbed some pictures.

This is the Ford Escort MK2 RS1800, winner of the 1980 Acropolis rally from round 5 of the FIA World Rally Championship. Driven by Ari Vatanen and co driver David Richards with a total time of 12:55.44 in a 2743km including 964km over 55 special stages mostly gravel roads. In this event, the Ford Escort was confronted by the likes of the Fiat Abarth, the Datsun 160J and the Opel Ascona among others.

Diecast model by Sunstar in 1:18 scale

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX Rally

This is the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX championship winning car by Dani Sola and co-driver Oscar Sanchez for the Rallye de Tierra de Cabanas 2007. Its hard to find any info on this rally car on the net, I hope our Spanish Friends have more info or link to this car, thank you!  I found a few videos in youtube about the Rallye Cabanas with Dani Sola was driving this Evo.

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Rallye de Tierra de Cabanas

Diecast in 1:43 scale by IXO/Altaya

Toyota Celica Twin Cam Turbo

The Celica twin-cam turbo was Toyota's choice to enter the World Rally Championship when they decided to take a run at the title. The Celica's major handicap was its lack of four-wheel-drive, however, the car was well-built and fairly straightforward to maintain. The engine produced about 290 horsepower (which later grew to 370 as the evolution versions were released), and it had a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout.

The Celica was out of its depth on the twisty European roads, but it found its niche on the African continent. The Celica won no less than six rallies in Africa, including three consecutive Safari rallies in Kenya from 1984 to 1986. Toyota added three wins in Western Africa's Ivory Coast rally, making it the undisputed king of the desert during the Group B era. The Celica's ruggedness and simplicity (compared to other Group B cars) made it reliable and perfectly suited to the harsh desert conditions. The Celica changed drastically following Group B's cancellation for the 1987 season.
(excerpts from www.groupbrally.com)

I couldn't find any race results from this 1985 Haspengouw Rally which Juha Kankkunen  drove with teamate Bjorn Waldegard.

But I found a very nice video in youtube about this car in a race... click link in new window and enjoy!
Haspengouw Rally

Molded in Resin by Bizarre in 1:43 scale

1/18 M1A1 Abrams Tank

Nope, your not seeing things hehe! This is my son's latest fascination! He's growing up fast, and the change from emergency vehicles into military stuff was a shock to me. Now, he watches war movies, memorizes all the names of different rifles and hand guns. I even bought him a couple of gun magaines.

I remember when I was on my 2nd grade, I wanted to be a U.S. Marine, but my dad discourage me into joining. Maybe that's why Kenshin loves the military too! Oh no!! hehe!

I got  a hold of this M1A1 Abrams and it is huge!! Good thing it was made of hard plastic or else, Ken might not have the strenght to carry it.

The M1A1 Abrams Tank in 1/18 scale by Elite Force

together with his 1/18 soldiers...

comparison with my old 1/18 scale BMW cabrio...