FM 1965 Lambandi? Oh I can hear the crickets chirping!

[BDSchindler]

OK, as promised, here is the review of  the Franklin Mint 1965 Lambandi...this was a part of my column as submitted to the mis-managed The Car Room Magazine, July August 2009:

Chirping Crickets

 One of the things that makes this diecast hobby so exciting is the anticipation of a new release.  For many collectors, the announcement of a new diecast release is akin to kids hearing the ice cream man coming down the street.  Reading through the literature of a release, you spy the words “new tooling” and “available now” combined with pictures and soon a new world speed record for phone dialing has been logged in the record books!

 While exaggerated a bit (ok, a lot!), that is pretty much how I felt when the announcement of The Franklin Mint’s 1965 Lambandi Mk II, Signature Edition was made.  The pictures were sleek and sexy looking like a combination of several of Europe’s finest automobiles. You also need to understand that the Lambandi is not a real car but a very creative design from Raffi Minasian for The Franklin Mint. 

 However, once I opened up the Lambandi, I found the uniqueness of the creative design to be no less than a “kit car”.  Under the ill fitting, custom crafted “fiberglass” body, the chassis, tires, wheels, engine and interior are all from The Franklin Mint 427 Cobra.

 The Halibrand wheels are painted silver and run on no-name tires.  Chassis is the Cobra tube style chassis but the Lambandi uses a silver body pan that wraps around to the rocker panels.  Chromed exhaust tips are attached to the underside of the rear.  While they look very European from the top, the exhaust system would interfere with the rear suspension if it was an actual car.  Attached to the chassis pan is Franklin’s serial number plate that includes Minasian’s smeared signature. 

 The interior is painted beige and the only difference to the Cobra interior is the conventional shifter that sits too far back to be useful (Cobra’s use a reverse mounted shifter because of this).  The horn button proudly displays the Lambandi fictional crest.

 The engine bay has the same nicely detailed 427 “side-oiler” engine but with a few moderate changes.  The tech specs (enclosed pamphlet) say this engine is capable of having “580 hp with 520 pounds of torque.”  The specs add that the induction system is via a pair of 4-bbl carbs hooked up to a pressurized intake plenum utilizing a “four-gearicol hypersonic injection!”

 (Queue the crickets now please)

OK, we’ll chalk the “four-gearicol hypersonic injection” up to imagination, but even at that, it’s a stretch. The plenum is there, but where are the dual 4-bbls?  Maybe a little more imagination is needed here than we originally thought.

 Don’t go looking for opening doors or a trunk.  Only the Cobra hood opens.  The Ruby Red painted body is a one piece unit (sans hood).  While it isn’t unattractive, it is reminiscent of European automotive manufactures in the same manner as the “Avenger” or “Fiber Fab” kit cars were.  It utilizes a coke bottle shape that is wide at the wheel wells and narrow at the doors.  The windscreen (with its operable wing windows) is straight from the Cobra parts bin and does not mount correctly to the body. Photo-etched emblems abound including the nearly convincing side vents on the front fenders. 

The nose uses a large center opening for the grill with 2 smaller openings presumably for brake ventilation.  Headlamps are deep set into the fenders with clear covers that are nicely trimmed in chrome. 

 Outback the rear clip hangs too far beyond the rear wheel-wells and the rear tires sit to the rear of the wheel-wells throwing off the balance of the car.  The taillight panel is also deep set with license plate, taillights and no backup lights.

 All in all, it is an interesting concept car based on the Cobra underpinnings and a fabricated body.  There is a whole fictitious story that goes with the car and it is enclosed in the paperwork if you have the time to read it.  I didn’t.  I concentrated on what had a lot of hype and potential but delivered less in person.  It is different and attractive and will be an eye catcher in your collection, however.

[cobraman]

I don't think you can improve on the look of a Cobra but I think that's a pretty good looking car.

[AzTom]

I don't think you can improve on the look of a Cobra but I think that's a pretty good looking car.

Yep, what he said. 

"Entice 10" will get rid of the crickets 

[BDSchindler]

using the 6 foot rule, yes it does...hold it in your hand and see the issues up close, you'll think twice, especially for the money

[jeffs396]

These go pretty cheap on eBay...might make a cool custom after some tweaks and fixing the above mentioned boo boos

[lizardlust]

I think Mark Gustavson was much more successful with his "Mercari" as far as style and execution.

[1959scudetto]

What probably should have been a mid 60's fantasy best-of-both-world's sports car, doesn't work for me at all: a Cobra with a E-type Jaguar style front (and trunk lid), some Ferrari elements thrown in -

it is just ugly, the whole proportions are not right!

Why didn't they do an Apollo instead (also known as "Thorndyke Special" from Herbie, the love bug) ?

This does look right and is a real car (even if built in small numbers with the Buick V8) - if it must have been an "American exotic"  !