Tamiya Porsche 911 GT1 Project

The TA series of 1/10 scale all wheel drive touring car chassis have represented the high end of the Tamiya line since they were introduced in 1991.  While the TA-01 and TA-02 were shaft drive, everything from the first TA-03 in 1996 and onward have been belt drive (the shaft drive lineup moved over to the new TB chassis series).  There were quite a few versions of the TA-03 which varied from front motor to rear motor and standard wheelbase (257mm) to short wheelbase (237mm).  Then there also were some special upgraded editions.  The TA-03 PRO (58177) replaced the plastic bathtub chassis with FRP plates and added ball differentials among other improvements.  There was an even nicer carbon fiber version released later as a replica of the chassis David Jun used in competition (58200) which included many additional upgrades such as aluminum shocks, universal axles, and a front one-way.  Finally, in 1998 and 1999 the two wheelbases of the TA-03 rear motor chassis were released with the TRF (Tamiya Racing Factory) moniker.  These were the first ever models to come with the TRF name and preceded the first standalone TRF 414 chassis.  The TA-03 R TRF (58227) was the rear motor, standard wheelbase version while the TA-03 R-S TRF (58243) was the short wheelbase version.  Both were dual deck carbon fiber standalone chassis kits that incorporated all of the upgrades from the David Jun special edition along with a few extras.  These models are as rare as hen's teeth, but I managed to get my hands on a short wheelbase version brand new in the box and I couldn't have been more excited about it.  This kit is riddled with beautiful aluminum parts, high quality hardware, and carbon fiber.  Tamiya hadn't settled on their bright blue aluminum anodizing yet, so there are colors and parts in this model that look different than anything else Tamiya has ever released.

Because of the short wheelbase, there are a fairly limited number of bodies that will fit on this chassis.  In fact, there are only four.  Three of them are from Porsche (two of which are the same body with different liveries) and the other is a Lancia 037.  I had other plans for the Lancia so I concentrated on the Porsche bodies.  By far my favorite is the Porsche 911 GT1, a glorious 200+ mph Le Mans racer introduced in 1996.  The Tamiya version came out a year later in 1997.  By the time I was looking though, it was impossible to find.  However, in 2020 Tamiya re-released the GT1, this time as the Straßenversion (street version, above right).  This version of the car was just a road going race car made for homologation.  It still featured the same ridiculous (though slightly de-tuned) 3.2l twin turbo flat-6, the fender mounted side mirrors, the roof scoop, and the massive rear wing.  Tamiya used the identical body for this version which is not exactly right since the real road going version used 996 headlights instead of the racing version's 993 lights.  Technically, two prototypes were made with the older lights, so I guess the Tamiya version actually exists.  I much prefer the livery of the racing version so my plan was to buy the street version of the body and then get a set of aftermarket racing stickers from MCI.  This seemed like a good plan except that I couldn't find the body for sale for any less money than the full kit.  I finally decided to just buy the whole TA-03 R-S street version kit, steal the body from it, and then sell the chassis to try to recover some of the money.  It worked out well enough and also afforded me the opportunity to build both the standard and the TRF version of the chassis so I could compare them.  The chassis came with wheels but they weren't right for the GT1 so I replaced them.

This model drives like a dream.  I put a vintage Dyna Run brushed motor into it and I love the sound.  Due to the rarity, I'm pretty careful driving it but it does take it's turn on the road in front of my house along with all my other models.