Exoto 1:18 1990 Nissan R89C Team LeMans "Men's Tenoras" The innovative features of this model are unmatched, making it one of the best for 2008. Review by Rusty Hurley

Overview

What a beastie this thing is.

Exoto’s latest object d’art shimmers there in my diecast display, a frozen ghost of Le Sarthe. As unfamiliar as it is understated, you get the feeling you are looking at sculpture carved out of some sort of rare jade.

Okay, let’s stop staring and sort out why we should care…

The R89C was an assault mounted by Nissan on the world sports car racing scene with a single purpose: gain the brand the provenance that competing on an international stage engenders. NISMO Europe first worked with March then Lola to develop the chassis. A late start on the entire effort led to race performance results the same you’d expect if you crammed an entire semester’s medieval lit by trying to read it all the night before the final exam. So while the effort was not without reward, the car consistently achieved top speeds of 240 mph, the R89C proved to be unreliable, both in Group C Word Sports Car Championship competition and the Japanese equivalent. What it did do well was serve as a developmental prelude to the more successful R90 chassis – in fact some R89C were re-bodied as R90s.

The reason they could be re-bodied was that the power plant of the R89C achieved full song down Mulsanne. It was a twin-turbo DOHC 3.5L V8 that had the poetic name VRH35Z. It was mercury quick. To write Exoto has done a good job modeling this engine would be like saying Halle Berry is pretty. It doesn’t even begin to describe the level of structural detail; I encourage you to copy the engine photo to your computer and blow it up or e-mail me directly for the original file. There are the obvious goodies like wiring, plumbing, braided hoses but look further and you’ll find the gasket detail around the valve covers, machined bolts, spring loaded fuel fills, engine tethers and photo etch radiators that are nickel plated to achieve a realistic patina. While we’re on the rear of the car, note the genuine rivet pins on the exhaust grommet.

Two consistent opportunities collectors have pointed to not only in Exoto models but in sports car models in general is providing a sturdy mount for the rear spoiler and having both a working suspension and correct ride height. Exoto has apparently been listening to those comments because here they provide a lockable suspension to tighten the car down when you’re not in finger fun mode and the massive rear wing is supported by metal struts: no assembly required.

The real genius here is that is done in combination with manually triggered air jacks on the chassis – deploy and lock the jacks and the suspension function is stiff yet pliable. I found a jeweler’s screwdriver more helpful in manipulating this feature then the tool provided by Exoto, however, keep that tool around as it is the sole implement that will work to remove the rear wheels and semi-pneumatic tires. The quick jacks not only obsolete the inclusion of jack stands, but as an additional bonus being able to display the car on jacks should help the model resist sagging of its own weight over time.

The Spartan interior looks race ready, though difficult to see in photographs and to the naked eye due to the (correct) angle of the gull wing doors. But furious detail for which Exoto is famous abounds: metal pin dash mounts, soft ribbed pilot seat, nylon harnesses and door tethers, with photo etched buckles and the carbon fiber and Kevlar elements.

This is an innovative model with breakthrough features. I know you’re impressed – I mean geez, my dog is impressed - but I know what you’re thinking. You have that same sense of inevitability one gets about the hangover they are going to have when they sip their tenth beer: Exoto’s going to make every R89C version ever made, so why would I want this one? A DNF? And you’d be right.

But you would also be right if you found the color so clean yet dramatic that it is easily among the most handsome race images of the age. Yes, the sponsor lettering looks like it is the brainchild of a secretary who kicked it out in WordPerfect on a Friday afternoon at 4:30, but even with that consideration, the consistency of the snow white letters on the steely paint result in a model with an aura that is serene and austere. And Exoto has modeled the look perfectly, right down to the Kyosho tampos.

So we agree this model has amazing features, clean execution and rock star good looks. For a DNF, I get a winning feeling every time I see it shining back at me from my groaning shelves. In a year where we’ve had our share of “yeah but” models (the Kyosho 250 GTO is great YEAH BUT the hood straps look like they were made for a Tonka Toy) this model is individual, innovative, inviting and incredible. In other words, the gauntlet has thrown down.