Lindberg 1/12 scale Fiat Topolino "dragster"

[Ace-Garageguy]

I bought this little guy pretty cheap as a dice-roll possible parts source for another 1/12 scale model I have in the works. 

Hmmmm. It's kinda an oddball mess, as far as looking like anything real is concerned. The engine (so far) doesn't appear to be an accurate rendition of anything (though I've only glanced at it, the position and angle of the distributor is different from anything I know of). The frame is a kinda goofy design looking more like a cartoon, and the "working" independent front and rear suspension is also a loose interpretation done by somebody apparently not too familiar with real cars. The wheels and tires are sorta OK, and you DO get 6 wheels (though only 4 tires...?)...kinda like Halibrand "kidney-beans". There are rear axle housing ends that could be the basis for a mostly scratch-built QC rear end, and the body, with a lot of work, could look like a one-piece fiberglass unit. The nose is too wide, by far, but could be cut down to look right.

There are a few other bits and pieces that could conceivably come in handy if you're working in 1/12, and the body and nose could be the basis for a nice little altered or comp coupe...with a ton of work.

Overall, if you don't want it for that, it's really too toylike as is. A real shame. It could have been a real sweetheart of a kit had the designers actually had a clue.

[Mark]

That chassis was used under another body (futuristic roadster thingie) and also briefly sold by itself, with the engine but no body.  I think the engine is supposed to be a 413 Mopar, but probably got compromised for the electric motor setup.  I had one of those when I was a kid, can't remember if the electric motor was inside the engine block or maybe the transmission.

One guy I know sells a lot of kits and builtups, as I remember when he got one of those he'd save the body parts and toss the rest because most buyers only wanted the body from that kit.