Some of you will remind the great story my buddy Lukas wrote about the AUDI 200 of the TransAM-series... Now he finished another story you will definitely enjoy.
The ITC (International Touring Car Championship) and their racing cars built according to the Class 1 regulations. Never again were touring cars so spectacular and at the same time technically over-bred and overpriced as in 1996.
The Italian representative from Alfa Romeo is no exception. The 1996 155 V6 Ti has a number of technical tricks such as: permanent four-wheel drive, hydraulically controlled differentials and computer programmable stabilizers. The V6 engine delivers 450hp at 11,700rpm, according to official factory specifications. The gear change is carried out via a semi-automatic transmission via rocker switch on the steering wheel under full throttle. ABS and traction control complete the high-tech touring car.
Not for nothing are the cars of Alfa, Mercedes and Opel titled Formula One touring cars. The body is remotely reminiscent of the Alfa 155 from the road, here everything is subject to better aerodynamics. So the underbody is constructed so that during the ride a kind of suction effect under the car is created which keeps the car even better on the road.
Looking at the model of Hpi in 1:43, the idea quickly confirms that these were no longer normal touring cars. In the bright orange color of the sponsor „Jägermeister“, the german Michael Bartels went for the Italian J.A.S. Team in the ITC season 1996 on point hunting.
At the end of a difficult season, Bartels could earn after 13 race weekends and 26 runs only 16 points and a 22nd place in the final standings. From the central wheel lock on additional wings on the front end to the two radio or telemetry antennas, the model is very fine and nicely detailed. That’s why it is a perfect model and is, not only because of the iconic paint job, in the showcase on pole position. You dare to dream if Hpi still the class 1 racecars of Mercedes and Opel would have realized as a model....
Have fun with the pictures
