Land of the Rising Sun-day, Tomica Time, is here again. Today we examine Tomica F66-1, the Lancia Stratos Turbo. This casting entered the range in October 1978, remaining until 1986, and is something that everyone should recognize:
The Stratos - a Bertone-designed mid-engined race and rally-intended racing wedge with all kinds of style, and all kinds of success in competition in the late 70s and early 80s. The design became enough of a landmark that it has spawned modern continuations of the model. The Tomica version contains ample fine line casting detail and accurate proportions, and contains the crisp glazing and springy suspension we associate with the brand - but for whatever reason, nothing opens. Perhaps the remarkable amount of decals and tampos on this model compensates for lack of opening parts. Scale is claimed to be 1:62, likely accurate, and roughly the standard of small scale. From all angles, one can imagine this Italian-themed exotic machine turning heads on the Group 5 circuit:
Front and rear have ample detail matching the rest of the casting, the spoiler cast distinct from the body being a nice touch:
The base is plastic, a trend of the time, which allows for considerable technical and identifying detail:
This model is fortunate enough to live in its nice original box:
This car also still has its original decal sheets, with placement guide:
I'm pleased to have this casting in my collection, as it is a legend of its time and an interesting car. Tomica made a few Stratos variants, none of them are particularly rare or expensive, so if one wants an example, they are attainable:
Images of a car in the same livery from wikipedia and forum.retro-rides.org:
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