Spark models continue to be the leader in the Lotus ring, and this month we are in for a treat! First up, is the beautiful Team Lotus transporter in 1/43 scale. Keep in mind that the 1/43 scale is in relation to the actual vehicle...so it's a BIG model!
The detail (as you would expect from Spark models) is spot on, with nice touches such as the flawless paint, nice tampo decals... even the transom lights at the top of the transporter. This one is sure to sell out (in fact, Spark models in general are hard to come by, due to the limited numbers), so I would give Jim a shout... or if you can't yell that loud, an email and order this one! I think he also has the Gold Leaf Transporter that was reviewed in a previous newsletter. As with all Spark models, this comes on a wooden base, and includes a nice (and heavy) acrylic cover for the model....get it while you can.
For those of you that were able to attend the LOG that was held in Indianapolis last year, you were treated to a very rare Lotus Carlton. The Carlton (or Lotus Omega if you had the left hand drive version), was an attempt to forge a partnership like the Lotus Cortina had done in the past. In this case, the partnership was with General Motors. With only 950 of these cars produced, it was a very rare car indeed. Luckily, if you can't afford (or even if you can - to be able to get one federalized in the United States) one of these cars...you can afford the model from Spark! Again, the detail is incredible... with a nice green window shade/tint across the windscreeen, down to the tiny lotus badges on the sides of the car... spark has hit another home run. If you look close, you can even make out the detail of the wiper blades on the headlamps...and you thought these were only on Mercedes! Another very limited model, this is item # S1236 (Lotus Carlton 1990) from the Spark catalog - Jim can fix you up.
Up next, is an interesting subject matter...a Lotus 23. I know that we've covered the 23 before, in many different guises, but this one really caught my eye due to the unique history. In the 60's George Follmer was a successful racer with sports cars in southern California - he especially liked racing Porsches. George and his mechanic, Bruce Burness, decided to purchase a Lotus 23 to race in the 1965 USRRC race, held at Pensacola. They upgraded the 23 to the full 23B specifications.... and put in a Porsche 904 engine to boot (notice the black air cooled engine part sticking out). They went on to win the race...and here is the car! Certainly a unique car, with a unique heritage!
Jim Cowen at Diecasm can fix you up with any (or all!) of these. Again, I can't stress enough, that due to these being very limited releases (aka handbuilt)... if you snooze, you loose!
Happy hunting!
