Ixo Seat 1430 Rallye de Monte Carlo 1977, S.Servia/ J. Sabater, 1:43 scale

An Ixo Seat 1430 Rallye de Monte Carlo 1977, S.Servia/ J. Sabater in 1:43 scale. Great looking classic race car from the 1970s.

Reference from Wikipedia:

SEAT's first serious attempt at a World Rally Championship (WRC) title was

burdened on the small SEAT Ibiza, a 1.6L normally aspirated front-wheel drive
car with its roots in the Volkswagen Polo. The Ibiza allowed the company to
start building its rallying experience, and was officially engaged in some
European national championships. The years went by and little success followed
until a 2L version of the Ibiza was homologated as a kit-car, and extra wide
tracks, larger wheels, brakes, etc, were fitted to it as the Fédération
Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) kit-car regulations allow. With these
attributes, the car won the 2L World Championship three times ('96, '97, '98).
SEATs three conquests of the 2L FIA title, and the sport's popularity in Spain,
convinced Volkswagen Group management to go further, and allocate sufficient
budgets to the SEAT Sport department so as to allow it a chance to reach its
goal. SEATs project to build a WRC-spec car was officially announced during the
1997 San Remo rally. It was in 1998 that the SEAT Córdoba WRC was first enrolled
by the company to compete at the highest level of WRC racing. The Córdoba was
based on the family saloon of the same name but was, naturally, a WRC class car.
It had a 4 cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, permanent four-wheel drive, and
active differentials were involved in its transmission. However, the short
wheelbase and high-mounted engine (compared to its rivals) worked against the
Córdoba, and results weren't impressive. The main drivers were ex-WRC champion
Didier Auriol, along with Harri Rovanpera and rising Finnish star Toni
Gardemeister. They did achieve three podium finishes; at the 1999 Rally New
Zealand (Gardemeister), the 1999 Rally of Great Britain (Rovanpera) as well as
the 2000 Safari Rally (Auriol). SEAT pulled out of international rallying at the
end of 2000.

Ixo Mercedes Benz M Klasse Dutch Police 2003, 1:43 scale

An Ixo Mercedes Benz M Klasse, Dutch Police 2003, in 1:43 scale.

Ixo Fiat 124 Abarth, Rally de Portugal 1974, R.Pinto/ A. Bernacchini 1:43 scale

An Ixo Fiat 124 Abarth, Ralle de Portugal 1974, Raffaele Pinto/ A. Bernacchini, in 1:43 scale.

Reference from Wikipedia:

Abarth 595, derived from Fiat 500Abarth is an Italian racing car maker founded

by Austrian-Italian Carlo Abarth and Italian Armando Scagliarini in Turin in
1949.

Carlo Abarth began his well-known association with Fiat in 1952, building the

Abarth 1500 Biposto upon Fiat mechanicals.
In the 1960s, Abarth & C. S.r.l was quite successful in hillclimbing and sports
car racing, mainly in classes from 850cc up to 2000cc, competing with Porsche
904 and Ferrari Dino. Hans Herrmann was a factory driver from 1962 until 1965,
winning the 500km Nürburgring in 1963 with Teddy Pilette
Later, Johann Abt was promised by Carlo Abarth that he could drive a factory car
for free if he won all the races he entered—which Abt nearly did, winning 29 of
30, the 30th being a second.
Along with its racing cars, Abarth produced high-performance exhaust pipes.
Later, Abarth diversified in producing various tuning kits for road vehicles,
mainly for Fiat. Abarth was also associated in producing sports or racing cars
with Porsche and Simca.
Abarth was sold to Fiat on July 31, 1971, and the racing team sold to Enzo
Osella. Abarth became the racing department of Fiat, managed by famed engine
designer Aurelio Lampredi. Some models built by Fiat or its subsidiaries Lancia
and Autobianchi were co-branded Abarth, the most famous being the Autobianchi
A112 Abarth. Abarth also prepared Fiat Group's rally cars like Fiat 124 Abarth
and 131 Abarth. In the 80s Abarth name was mainly used to mark performance Fiats
like Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130 TC. The name was almost forgotten in 1990s and in
2000s it was used like a trim/model level on FIAT cars, like the FIAT Stilo
Abarth.

Ixo Ford Escort Cosworth 1000 Lakes Rally 1994, T.Makinen/S.Harjanne 1:43 scale

Ixo Ford Escort Cosworth 1000 Lakes Rally 1994, driven by T.Makinen/S. Harjanne, in 1:43 scale.

From the net:
The Ford Escort RS Cosworth was a sports derivative of the Ford Escort. It was
available from 1992-96 in very limited numbers. It was instantly recognisable
due to its large "whale tail" rear spoiler. The main selling point was the
Cosworth YBT engine, a highly tunable turbocharged 2-litre engine which had an
output of 227 PS (167 kW; 224 hp) in standard trim.
The Escort Cosworth was a rare car, with 7,145 vehicles produced from the start
of production on 19 February 1992 until the last car rolled out of the factory
on 12 January 1996. A tiny number were unofficially imported to the United
States, where it was considered one of the greatest performance Fords of all
time.
The car was to be Ford's new rally car, and very successful it became with its
total victories amounting to 8 in Group A guise. Drivers included famous victor
at the 1994 Monte Carlo Rally, the Frenchman François Delecour, future quadruple
World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen (who took his maiden event victory for Ford
in Finland that same year before departing for Mitsubishi for 1995), as well as
the Belgian Bruno Thiry and, from 1996, 1990 and 1992 World Rally Champion
Carlos Sainz of Spain. One-time 1988 and 1989 back-to-back title-winning force
for Lancia, Miki Biasion and 1991 Rally Catalunya winner Armin Schwarz were
among the other fabled pilots to be seen behind the wheel.

Ixo Fiat 131 Abarth Gr. 4 Rally Monte Carlo 1980 Andruet/Biche 1:43 scale

Ixo Fiat 131 Abarth Gr. 4 Minte Carlo Rally 1980, driven by JC Andruet/ Biche, in 1:43 scale.

From the net:
The Fiat 131, additionally called "Mirafiori", is a small/medium family car
produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat from 1974 to 1984. It was
exhibited at 1974 Turin Motor Show.
The 131 was the replacement for the successful Fiat 124, and available as a
2-door and 4-door saloon and 5-door estate. The 131 was given the Mirafiori name
after the Turin suburb where the cars were produced. Naming the car in this way
marked a break with the former Fiat convention, established in the 1960s, of
naming their mainstream models only with a three digit number, and it set the
pattern for Fiat to adopt Anglo-American style car naming practice, with
carefully chosen names for subsequent new models. Initially, the 131 was offered
with 1.3 L and 1.6 L single overhead camshaft engines. Revisions were made in
1978 and 1981, and all models were produced until production ceased in 1984.
1,513,800 units total were produced in Italy.
The Fiat 131 Abarth was a very successful rally car, winning the World Rally
Championship three times: in 1977, 1978, and in 1980 with Markku Alen, Timo
Salonen and Walter Röhrl at the wheel.[7] The official "works" cars were
sponsored by Italian airline Alitalia and bore their distinctive red, white and
green livery.

Ixo Mitsubishi Lancer WRC Rally de Monte Carlo 2004 1:43 scale G. Panizzi/ H. Panizzi

An Ixo Mitsubishi Lancer WRC Rally de Monte Carlo 2004, driven by: Gilles Panizzi/ Herve Panizzi, in 1:43 scale.

                                 Actual Lancer WRC

From the Net:
The Mitsubishi Lancer WRC is a World Rally Car built by Ralliart, Mitsubishi
Motors' motorsport division, to compete in the World Rally Championship. The
previous Lancer Evolution series were homologated for the Group A class, and
their competitiveness against World Rally Cars from other manufacturers was
therefore limited.
The Lancer WRC04 continued with the 4G63 engine, mounted to a 5-speed
semi-automatic transmission and a new all-wheel drive system co-developed by
Ricardo Consulting Engineers and Mitsubishi Motors Motorsports (MMSP). The
bodywork was subjected to extensive aerodynamic testing at the Lola Cars wind
tunnel. The front brakes were upgraded to 8-piston calipers clamping 370 mm (15
in) discs.
The lead Lancer WRC04 in the 2004 World Rally Championship was driven by
ex-Peugeot driver Gilles Panizzi, with his brother Hervé as co-driver.

Ixo Seat Cordova WRC Safari Rally 2000 D. Auriol / D. Giraudet 1:43 scale

An Ixo Seat Cordova WRC Safari Rally 2000, driven by D. Auriol/ D. Giraudet, in 143 scale. One of my favorite colors in diecast is yellow.

From the Net:
The SEAT Córdoba is the saloon, estate and coupé version of the supermini SEAT
Ibiza, built by Spanish automaker SEAT since 1993. SEAT's official rally car
from 1998 to 2000 was based on the Córdoba (the SEAT Córdoba WRC), and featured
a 2.0L turbocharged engine.
The first generation SEAT Córdoba was launched in the summer of 1993, penned by
Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and based on the chassis of the SEAT Ibiza
Mk2 which would spawn the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 the following year. In 1996 the
Córdoba range was extended to an estate (Córdoba Vario) and a coupé (Córdoba
SX).
Its 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrol engines were also found in the Volkswagen
Polo and Ibiza, as was the 1.9 TDI.
Though based on the Polo and Ibiza, its extended rear overhang meant its length
was close to a Golf but still smaller than the Jetta.
SEAT homologated a World Rally Car version of the Córdoba 16v for competition in
the FIA World Rally Championship and other international rallies. 1994 World
Drivers' Champion Didier Auriol, of France, and Toni Gardemeister and Harri
Rovanpera, both of Finland, were among those to pilot the factory cars. Debuting
at the 1998 Rally Finland with Rovanpera, and with podiums achieved at the 1999
Rally New Zealand (Gardemeister), the 1999 Rally of Great Britain (Rovanpera) as
well as the 2000 Safari Rally (Auriol), the works programme concluded at the end
of the 2000 season.