I thought these models would go great together, so this is a special double feature Daily!
Model: Tomica Lotus 78 Ford, casting no. F36, 1978, and Tomica Lotus Esprit, casting no. F24, 1979
Line: I believe both were available in the United States via the carded Pocket Car line. Japan got them boxed like many Tomicas come today.
Where to get them: The F1 car can be found on eBay and well as the Esprit
Why they are in my collection: I got both of these at a local toy show last year and they caught my eye initially because they were vintage Tomica. It’s hard to pass up any vintage Tomica in any form, but the F1 car just looked too perfect to not add to the collection. It has all the right angles, the stickers were half-way decent, and it’s in the iconic John Player Special livery. Same goes for the Esprit. Black and gold looks perfect on the car and even more so because it was a special edition to commemorate the success of the Lotus Formula team from around the same time period. According to online research, two of the 1:1 SE Esprits were built as show cars and carried the same livery as the Tomica version replicates. And the best part about the casting? There is a little switch on the bottom of the Esprit that works the pop-up head lights. Pure magic š
Love the 70’s F1’s by Tomica. I have a number of nice ones but always wanted some in the package though. They get rather spendy that way though.
I have that Lotus in the black and gold paint job but with different wheels on it. It’s from my childhood and is well played with. Sadly I have crack in the window but the lights still flip up and it rolls.
I had that Esprit when I was a kid!!!