Test report by CoMod Carrera124 on the Opel Commodore Steinmetz Jumbo
(27220)
The Opel Commodore was the sister model of the Opel Rekord, which sold millions of units in the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. It stood out—while sharing the same body—with six-cylinder engines and more luxurious features. Opel tuner Steinmetz offered its customers a wide range of tuning options and also successfully competed with modified Opel vehicles in various racing series.
Sometime in the early 1970s, Steinmetz apparently wanted to make a big splash – he built the Steinmetz Jumbo based on an Opel Commodore B. The production version of this car boasts an elegant, almost delicate design. Not so with the Jumbo: in addition to lavish wheel arch extensions, it boasted truly massive spoilers at the front and rear, making the BMW 3.0 CSL, built at almost the same time, look almost staid. The spectacular visual appearance was rounded out by large side pipes and wheels that actually filled the wheel arches.
Powered by a large-displacement V8 engine, the yellow-painted Jumbo did indeed complete a few races. Based on the sparse information available at the time, these were likely not particularly successful. Photos show that the one-off was subsequently shown at various motorsport exhibitions and similar events. Eventually, all trace of the car was lost, and it is now considered lost.
All the more surprising, then, was Carrera's announcement at the 2007 Toy Fair that it would be releasing this very Steinmetz Jumbo as a 1/32 scale slot car. The vehicle was first delivered to retailers in the fall of 2007, available in a white "Pan Am" fantasy livery alongside the authentic yellow version. Now, a third design variant is in the pipeline: the "TABAC original" in brown and white. Anyone who has ever leafed through a car magazine from the 1970s will surely remember the "TABAC original" advertisement from that time. The reference to the zeitgeist is obvious, and in person, the color combination is certainly pleasing. In the catalog, the color appears very dark brown, but the actual color is considerably lighter.
Since the original vehicle no longer exists, any discussion of faithfulness to the original is essentially irrelevant. The delicate details of the base body—especially the headlights, front grille, and taillights—are convincing. Even in the model, the monstrous spoilers have that certain something. Comparisons with the few available photos of the original vehicle confirm: yes, the model was coherently realized.
Let's move on to the technology and handling: the chassis features the familiar design features: removable motor-rear axle unit, two removable magnets, and digital upgrade capability. Installing the 26732 digital chip is quick and easy, and there's plenty of room inside the car to store the tangle of cables. The guide keel is positioned somewhat awkwardly behind the front axle—but thanks to the long wheelbase, the impact is less severe than expected. "Length matters" has always been true for slot cars, and the Steinmetz Jumbo is no exception. Due to its enormous dimensions, the car doesn't particularly like very tight corner combinations, but it excels in medium-speed sections. If you remove the rear magnet, you can easily drive the Jumbo through the corners in a gentle drift. If you overdo it, the rear will break out quite unashamedly and block almost the entire width of the road if you are driving on the inside lane (with 1/32 track parts of British construction, the rear spoiler would then probably
Scrape along the guardrails of the outside lane ;-)
This means that anyone who wants to have real driving fun with the Jumbo needs shoulders. On the other hand, skidding, i.e., jumping out over the front axle, practically never occurs.
Conclusion: The Commodore is an excellent addition to the range of vehicles currently consisting of the Ferrari 512 BB, Porsche 935-78, Porsche 935, and Porsche 911 RSR. I'm hoping for more contemporary colorways (Slottus, make me a Jägermeister) or at least bodyshells (Sandra, do something... ;-)
CoMod Carrera 124
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Review by CoMod martinmm on the Opel Commodore Steinmetz Jumbo
(27220)
history
The Steinmetz Commodore 'Jumbo' was driven by Peter Hoffman in 10 races in 1974. The appearance changed over the course of the races. Extensive modifications were made, especially to the spoilers and wings. One of these development stages was launched by Carrera in 2007 as an Evolution car. Now, a second fantasy version with a contemporary look is being released.
optics
The actual color scheme differs slightly from the catalog photos. In reality, the color is more chocolatey—in the previous images, it appears to lean more toward red. The printing is flawless: the large white lettering of main sponsor TABAC, as well as the white front and rear wings, add a great contrast to the car's black Carrera track.
processing
Except for a minor damage to a taillight, the test vehicle has no other defects. The body can be removed easily after removing the four screws. Everything is clean and tidy. Nothing is jammed. The axles rotate smoothly and very easily.
Technology
Due to its design, the rudder is positioned behind the front axle. This is obviously not ideal. The chassis is designed for rally tracks at the front, keeping a safe distance from the track. However, the rudder turntable is offset slightly downwards, allowing for a good insertion depth into the slot. The rudder's rotation angle is sufficient. At 103g – 31g of which is body weight – the Jumbo is not exactly a lightweight. This is largely due to the protruding spoilers.
Driving behavior
Road test without rear magnet and with original tires. Driving voltage 12 volts:
Despite its unfavorable proportions (high, rear-heavy), the car handles very well on its medium-sized home track. The tires offer almost sufficient grip on a clear track. Due to the poorly positioned rudder, cornering or drifting in tight corners (K1) is somewhat awkward, as the pivot point is too far back.
Road test without rear magnet with Ortmann tires (new compound). Driving voltage 12 volts:
The increased tendency to roll over, due to the higher grip of the Ortmann tires, was eliminated. It's also worth mentioning that the new Ortmann tires have less grip than the old ones. This is more comfortable. With a sensitive thumb, you can corner quickly. 180° turns can be taken completely sideways. That's fun!
Driving test without magnet. Driving voltage 12 volts:
Without a magnet, the Steinmetz becomes difficult to drive. When running on the original tires, you won't get up to speed as quickly on small tracks – braking distances are shorter and corner entry speeds are lower. With feel, you can steer the car quickly. With more grip or Ortmann tires, things get critical – the car then tends to quickly skid if you enter the corner a bit too fast.
Conclusion
When driven with the center magnet, it's a car that's both visually and technically pleasing. However, on larger tracks where higher speeds are possible, chassis optimization will be unavoidable. Above all, the front axle/guide keel setup needs to be improved and trimmed with lead. With the Monza Decon and DeTomaso cars announced this year, along with the Ferrari 512BB and the Porsche 935/78, you'll have a diverse, 'winged' starting field.
CoMod martinmm
(27220)
The Opel Commodore was the sister model of the Opel Rekord, which sold millions of units in the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. It stood out—while sharing the same body—with six-cylinder engines and more luxurious features. Opel tuner Steinmetz offered its customers a wide range of tuning options and also successfully competed with modified Opel vehicles in various racing series.
Sometime in the early 1970s, Steinmetz apparently wanted to make a big splash – he built the Steinmetz Jumbo based on an Opel Commodore B. The production version of this car boasts an elegant, almost delicate design. Not so with the Jumbo: in addition to lavish wheel arch extensions, it boasted truly massive spoilers at the front and rear, making the BMW 3.0 CSL, built at almost the same time, look almost staid. The spectacular visual appearance was rounded out by large side pipes and wheels that actually filled the wheel arches.
Powered by a large-displacement V8 engine, the yellow-painted Jumbo did indeed complete a few races. Based on the sparse information available at the time, these were likely not particularly successful. Photos show that the one-off was subsequently shown at various motorsport exhibitions and similar events. Eventually, all trace of the car was lost, and it is now considered lost.
All the more surprising, then, was Carrera's announcement at the 2007 Toy Fair that it would be releasing this very Steinmetz Jumbo as a 1/32 scale slot car. The vehicle was first delivered to retailers in the fall of 2007, available in a white "Pan Am" fantasy livery alongside the authentic yellow version. Now, a third design variant is in the pipeline: the "TABAC original" in brown and white. Anyone who has ever leafed through a car magazine from the 1970s will surely remember the "TABAC original" advertisement from that time. The reference to the zeitgeist is obvious, and in person, the color combination is certainly pleasing. In the catalog, the color appears very dark brown, but the actual color is considerably lighter.
Since the original vehicle no longer exists, any discussion of faithfulness to the original is essentially irrelevant. The delicate details of the base body—especially the headlights, front grille, and taillights—are convincing. Even in the model, the monstrous spoilers have that certain something. Comparisons with the few available photos of the original vehicle confirm: yes, the model was coherently realized.
Let's move on to the technology and handling: the chassis features the familiar design features: removable motor-rear axle unit, two removable magnets, and digital upgrade capability. Installing the 26732 digital chip is quick and easy, and there's plenty of room inside the car to store the tangle of cables. The guide keel is positioned somewhat awkwardly behind the front axle—but thanks to the long wheelbase, the impact is less severe than expected. "Length matters" has always been true for slot cars, and the Steinmetz Jumbo is no exception. Due to its enormous dimensions, the car doesn't particularly like very tight corner combinations, but it excels in medium-speed sections. If you remove the rear magnet, you can easily drive the Jumbo through the corners in a gentle drift. If you overdo it, the rear will break out quite unashamedly and block almost the entire width of the road if you are driving on the inside lane (with 1/32 track parts of British construction, the rear spoiler would then probably
Scrape along the guardrails of the outside lane ;-)
This means that anyone who wants to have real driving fun with the Jumbo needs shoulders. On the other hand, skidding, i.e., jumping out over the front axle, practically never occurs.
Conclusion: The Commodore is an excellent addition to the range of vehicles currently consisting of the Ferrari 512 BB, Porsche 935-78, Porsche 935, and Porsche 911 RSR. I'm hoping for more contemporary colorways (Slottus, make me a Jägermeister) or at least bodyshells (Sandra, do something... ;-)
CoMod Carrera 124
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Review by CoMod martinmm on the Opel Commodore Steinmetz Jumbo
(27220)
history
The Steinmetz Commodore 'Jumbo' was driven by Peter Hoffman in 10 races in 1974. The appearance changed over the course of the races. Extensive modifications were made, especially to the spoilers and wings. One of these development stages was launched by Carrera in 2007 as an Evolution car. Now, a second fantasy version with a contemporary look is being released.
optics
The actual color scheme differs slightly from the catalog photos. In reality, the color is more chocolatey—in the previous images, it appears to lean more toward red. The printing is flawless: the large white lettering of main sponsor TABAC, as well as the white front and rear wings, add a great contrast to the car's black Carrera track.
processing
Except for a minor damage to a taillight, the test vehicle has no other defects. The body can be removed easily after removing the four screws. Everything is clean and tidy. Nothing is jammed. The axles rotate smoothly and very easily.
Technology
Due to its design, the rudder is positioned behind the front axle. This is obviously not ideal. The chassis is designed for rally tracks at the front, keeping a safe distance from the track. However, the rudder turntable is offset slightly downwards, allowing for a good insertion depth into the slot. The rudder's rotation angle is sufficient. At 103g – 31g of which is body weight – the Jumbo is not exactly a lightweight. This is largely due to the protruding spoilers.
Driving behavior
Road test without rear magnet and with original tires. Driving voltage 12 volts:
Despite its unfavorable proportions (high, rear-heavy), the car handles very well on its medium-sized home track. The tires offer almost sufficient grip on a clear track. Due to the poorly positioned rudder, cornering or drifting in tight corners (K1) is somewhat awkward, as the pivot point is too far back.
Road test without rear magnet with Ortmann tires (new compound). Driving voltage 12 volts:
The increased tendency to roll over, due to the higher grip of the Ortmann tires, was eliminated. It's also worth mentioning that the new Ortmann tires have less grip than the old ones. This is more comfortable. With a sensitive thumb, you can corner quickly. 180° turns can be taken completely sideways. That's fun!
Driving test without magnet. Driving voltage 12 volts:
Without a magnet, the Steinmetz becomes difficult to drive. When running on the original tires, you won't get up to speed as quickly on small tracks – braking distances are shorter and corner entry speeds are lower. With feel, you can steer the car quickly. With more grip or Ortmann tires, things get critical – the car then tends to quickly skid if you enter the corner a bit too fast.
Conclusion
When driven with the center magnet, it's a car that's both visually and technically pleasing. However, on larger tracks where higher speeds are possible, chassis optimization will be unavoidable. Above all, the front axle/guide keel setup needs to be improved and trimmed with lead. With the Monza Decon and DeTomaso cars announced this year, along with the Ferrari 512BB and the Porsche 935/78, you'll have a diverse, 'winged' starting field.
CoMod martinmm
