1:20 Lotus Ford Type 88

Lotus Ford Type 88, an accessory for a model in 1:20 scale

The 1:20 Lotus Ford Type 88 item belongs among the accessories for formula models and is cut for the Lotus Type 88 in 1:20 scale. It is not a kit of the car but parts that a builder adds to a finished base model. The name gives only the scale and the designation of the car, and the full contents of the package are stated on the box of the set.

The car that never started a race

The Type 88 is one of the boldest design ideas in the history of the premier formula class. Colin Chapman gave the car a twin chassis: an outer aerodynamic shell carried directly by the wheel suspension, and an inner part in which the driver sat and the engine was mounted. Downforce was thereby to act straight on the wheels without stiffly set springs crushing the driver. Power came from the Ford Cosworth DFV V8, the backbone of the grid at the time. The stewards, however, repeatedly declared the car non-compliant with the regulations, and the Type 88 never made it into a race even in its later form. That is exactly what made it a rewarding modeling subject: a machine that ran only in practice and whose shape cannot be mistaken for anything else from the 1981 season.

Tips for working with the accessory

• Offer the parts up dry first and check how they seat before you fix them.
• Paint the surfaces under the accessory before you seat it, because a brush will not reach them afterwards.
• Sort the small parts into a dish with a rim so they do not roll off across the table.
• In 1:20 scale even a thin coat of paint stands out, so apply the color in light layers.
• Protect the polished surfaces of the body with masking tape until the accessory is finished.

Who the set is for

Builders of formula cars in the larger 1:20 scale will reach for it, as will collectors taken with the technically turbulent season at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s. It will serve anyone who wants to take a model beyond what the original box holds.