Home » The Rest » Cars & Bikes » 1/24 Tamiya Ford Zakspeed Turbo Capri Gr.5 Würth

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1/24 Tamiya Ford Zakspeed Turbo Capri Gr.5 Würth

Available from HobbyLink Japan

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In 1981 Zakspeed unleashed a Ford Capri upon the Group 5 racing series in Europe, little did they know but they had just released a racecar that would become almost unbeatable but also a racing icon known in all corners of the globe.

With the class being split into 2 groups (over 2 litres, and under 2 litres) Ford opted to run the 1.4 litre car in division 2 smothered with turbo chargers making 450bhp at 9200rpm. Coupled with the aluminium tube chassis, the Capri Turbo would weigh in at just 790kg on the scales. It is easy to see how it was a giant-killer.

Tamiya has lovingly recreated this iconic racecar, and the latest incarnation is the Würth livery campaigned by touring car ace Klaus Ludwig. The tooling is that of the original motorized kitset, but don’t let this simplicity fool you. The finished product looks great on the shelf!
 
The kitset

The kit comes in white, black, and chrome plating. It is a simple kit, not consisting of many parts so if you are after a ‘fun’ build rather than an ‘extensive’ one then this is the kit for you. With its simplicity comes ample room for adding detail as well so for those who wish to go that extra mile you certainly can. The decals are nicely arranged as this livery is quite an extensive one. A nice white base doesn’t mean that you are dealing with colour bleed, either, so that is refreshing.

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Chassis and cockpit

The suspension consists of 2 uprights and a steering rack that locks the wheels in place. This is glued straight into the chassis and is very rigid. The best thing, though, is the stance that it produces is accurate and looks good so there are no fiddly little parts.

Moving into the cockpit, it’s much the same story. A rear section complete with half-cage is included and a dashboard, wheel, and seat. The cockpits in these cars were quite cramped, with the driver sitting hard up against the rear tub-work. This machine is all about business so less is more.

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Body & wheels

The one thing that really makes this model is that it’s a low car with massive overfenders. Add on the deep-dish wire wheels with central lock nuts and it gives the Batmobile a run for its money in the looks department. Adding a black wash to the wheels ensures the spokes stand out while giving the impression of actually being mesh. It took me 3 washes to attain a level of darkness that I was happy with although once on tires they look great. Another nice touch in this particular edition of the kit is that it does include tire stickers. In my personal opinion they make a huge difference in the aggressive look of the car compared to previous editions that don’t include them.

The body requires very little work; add the vents and then you can spray it all as one piece with the wing attached. It required next to no cleaning prior to painting, and with a Tamiya rattlecan warmed in hot water I achieved a glossy coating with only 2 light coats of paint. The car almost looks good enough to leave in gloss white without its stickering, too!

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The finished product

Despite being a ‘quick build’ it has turned out very nicely. Great fitment, nice tooling, and a classic Tamiya kitset make for a must-have. It looks great among the other 1/24 scale models and is a timeless classic. I highly recommend this if you are a classic motorsport fanatic.

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