SPEEDtv.com Reviewed: 1968 Lotus 49B Diecast
Written by: Gregg Leary Charlotte, NC – 6/1/2006

1968 Lotus Ford Type 49B Die Cast
1:18 Scale
Driver: Graham Hill, Pole Sitter and Winner of the 1968 Grand Prix of Monaco
Created by: Grand Prix Classics/ Exoto
Review: By Gregg Leary

This 1968 Lotus Ford Type 49B is 1:18 scale...more than nine inches long by 4 1/4 inches wide. It is a masterpiece of miniature motor sports sculpture, right down to the driver, Graham Hill. It has the famous London Rowing Club oars painted on Hill’s helmet. I joked that it would really be an accurate die-cast if we could count the hairs in Graham’s famous mustache. Unfortunately he’s correctly wearing a fireproof balaclava so we’ll never know.

This is a very famous race car. It carries the red, gold and cream paint scheme...Gold Leaf Team Lotus Tobacco livery...sponsorship...something that only began at the previous Grand Prix in Spain. It’s very probable that Graham Hill kept team boss Colin Chapman in racing after the untimely death of his teammate, Jim Clark, in April. Clark had won the opening Grand Prix at South Africa, then died at a Formula Two event at Hockenheim. Gritty Graham Hill won the next two events after Clark’s death (Spain and Monaco) and went on to win the World Championship. The win on the streets of Monte Carlo in this car was Hill’s fourth, and his sixth consecutive podium finish there.

This supreme die-cast replica features working steering. Move the front wheels and watch the steering wheel rotate in Hill’s hands. The car features a removable bonnet. Lift it off and marvel at the fully wired and plumbed Ford V8. The sponsorship decals seem absurdly small compared to the massive billboards and clutter of contingency stickers on contemporary race cars…especially NASCAR. There is a “Gold Leaf Team Lotus” decal on each side of the cockpit as well as a “Girling Uno Master,” “Shell” and “Firestone” sticker. There are small Union Jacks on each side of the cowling and “Lotus Ford” on the nose. Hill’s driver suit has a “Lotus” and “Firestone” patch. Soon, sponsors would pressure podium celebrations to do away with the traditional “winner’s wreath” because it covered up their logos. This car represents the end of the non-commercial era of Formula One and belongs in your collection. I give it five of five lug nuts.