TAMIYA '97 TOYOTA CELICA GT-4 MONTE CARLO ST205
Status: NIB
Date: 9-Apr-2020
Comments: 3
I added this to my original showroom on December 2, 2010. This is my NIB Tamiya '97 Toyota Celica GT-4 Monte Carlo ST205 WRC replica. It was another LHS find collecting dust on a top shelf back in 2010 that I scored for $152 USD and I absolutely fell in love with this livery the first time I saw it. It seems I struck gold twice because this was sitting right next to the '99 Subaru German rally car I purchased first. I then went back a couple weeks later hoping this would still be there and it was. This will stay NIB. Interestingly, the 1:1 raced by Toyota BITD was eventually banned because of their illegal restrictor plate modification/design inside the turbo charger that moved it out of the way as the car picked up speed. Thanks for looking and hope you enjoy.
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Comments
OCD
Ah yes, Team Toyota's infamous cheater car! I've always liked this body set too, but unfortunately skipped it because I'm kinda meh about the TL01 chassis. Really it's a shame because I recall the days when you could pick one of these up for $100. Now the body set alone would go for that much. Very nice to see this in your collection.
JerseyRC
@OCD: Yep, fascinating story about the restrictor plate/turbo cheating by Toyota engineers. I added that to the description so thank you for bringing it to my attention. I agree about the chassis, I got this more for the body style/livery than the TL-01 chassis but recognize that this chassis/body combo is a very unique part of Tamiya history and they currently go for $300-400 USD on Ebay.
OCD
Even more fascinating than people realize; Technically the spring-loaded restrictor plate was pushed out of the way when bolting the turbo to the intake manifold. It was a ingenious idea. Whenever the race officials pulled the turbo for inspection, the plate popped back to the legal position. When installed, the restrictor was separated from its seat, allowing more air to be directed AROUND the outside edge of the plate. This article has a fantastic explanation and diagrams: [Click here] I was always a bit surprised Tamiya selected this model since Team Toyota Europe was banned from the rest of the 1995 and '96 season.
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