It should be pretty obvious from the photos why I
bought this car even though it doesn't fit my usual criteria for
purchase. It's just gorgeous. It looks good from every
angle. For once I'm considering actually making this one a shelf
queen because it is an original and it is just too easy to destroy that
body.
Here are a few views of the real car for
comparison. It is interesting that the real car doesn't have
headlights either; it uses stickers just like the Tamiya model.
You may note that the first couple of pictures show louvers over the
wheel
arches. The Tamiya model
does have this detail. On the other hand, I think there may have
been multiple versions of the 1:1 fiberglass body. Later versions
of the 300ZX used twin turbos and the louvers may be related to the
intercoolers which sit behind the wheels and/or may be related to fixing
the overheating problem in the front brakes. The lower two
pictures show an older version without the louvers and also a
different, simpler wing more like the model. In either case, the
Tamiya model is a stunning representation of the real thing, made easier
that both are simple molded bodies thrown on top of a racing chassis.
