Tecnomodel 1:18 1983 Lotus 94T diecast model car review

One of Tecnomodel’s more exciting recent new 1:18 announcements was the Lotus 94T that was campaigned by Nigel Mansell and Elio de Angelis in the 1983 F1 world championship.

The Lotus 94T was only in service for seven grands prix, as it was introduced midway through the 1983 Formula One season, and already replaced by the 95T in time for the start of the 1984 campaign. The car was designed and built in only five weeks after the 92, which itself had only made its debut at the beginning of 1983, had fallen short of expectations.

The 94T made its first appearance in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and proved more competitive from the get-go. Mansell may have lined up only 18th on the grid after electrical problems in qualifying, but he worked his way up the field during the race to take the chequered flag in an impressive fourth position. De Angelis’s fortunes went the other way; the Italian qualified up in fourth but retired on just the second lap with a blown turbo. Mansell finished in the points again with fifth place in Austria; a result repeated by his team-mate in the Italian Grand Prix.

It was in the penultimate race of the 1983 season, the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, where the 94T had the finest performance of its brief career. In qualifying de Angelis took pole position, with Mansell lined up right behind him in third place. And, while de Angelis was eliminated from the race after just a dozen laps by a broken oil pump, ‘Our Nige’ was able to convert his starting position into the same result at the chequered flag. This was the first time in his career that he had scored a podium finish in front of his home crowd.

Unsurprisingly, Tecnomodel has announced 1:18 replicas for both Mansell and de Angelis from the European GP. These are joined by the British driver’s fourth-placed machine from Silverstone, and the Italian’s example from the Dutch GP at Zandvoort, where he retired with electrical problems. Both of the Brands Hatch 94Ts, and Mansell’s British GP car, are also available with a driver figure included.

Click Tecnomodel 1:18 1983 Lotus 94T to order.