Test report from CoMod Lotus on the Carrera Evo/D132 BMW M3 GT2 Rahal Letterman Racing "No.92" (27319 and 30512)
The magic of racing
In the early 1970s, BMW founded a company in Munich whose initials are sure to make any fan of the Bavarian automaker's mouth water: M-GmbH! "M" stands for motorsport, and M-GmbH has and always has produced plenty of it: legendary vehicles like the M535i, M1, M5, M635I, and, of course, the M3. First released in 1986 as a particularly powerful version of the respective production model, the current M3 is now the fourth version of the 3 Series line.
Carrera has the No.92 version with the German driver Dirk Müller ( www.dirk-mueller.com) was launched, the No. 90 is piloted by Joey Hand.
The car is very faithfully reproduced; comparing the online pictures with the original, there are no defects in the printing. The white color makes it look great on the track, and the lighting also comes across well; nothing shines through anywhere. Personally, I would have liked the rims to be a bit bigger.
The chassis is tidy, leaving room for any lead tuning. Removing the magnets is a bit of a hassle these days, so I decided not to bother.
The car handles smoothly, corners well, and can even be drifted thanks to the large angle of the steering keel. However, if you approach the K1 too sharply, it can tip over, probably due to the independently suspended front wheels. However, you have to approach the corner very aggressively; in "normal" operation, the car is very docile.
Some more information about the model:
From the very beginning, BMW fielded the M3 in motorsport. The first version, the E30, was a homologation model for the DTM (German Touring Car Championship) and remains the world's most successful touring car to this day. The current E92 M3 series has been in production since fall 2007, and the racing version debuted in the M3 ALMS in early 2008. At 1,150 kg, the racing version is around 430 kg lighter than the production car and, thanks to the integrated spoiler kit, is also significantly wider.
In the 2009 season, the M3 GT2 will be used by the RAHAL LETTERMAN TEAM from Ohio, USA, in the American Le Mans Series. One of the owners of the team is the well-known American television presenter and fanatical car enthusiast Jay Leno (see his website www.jaylenosgarage.com is always worth a visit).
CoMod Lotus
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Test report from CoMod martinmm for the Carrera Evo/D132 BMW M3 GT2 Rahal Letterman Racing "No.92" (27319 and 30512)
My colleague Lotus has already covered the prototype car in detail. Therefore, I'll limit myself to the Carrera model.
Both test vehicles, the Evolution and the D132 version, are flawlessly built. The overall impression of the vehicle is very harmonious. Only a small compromise was made in the tire/rim sizes. The tires are a bit too thick compared to the original, but this benefits the race car by providing better damping.
The wheels sit just below the wheel arches, true to the original. Due to the independent suspension of the front wheels and the resulting play, they could almost drag in the wheel arches. This isn't the case with my vehicles – even though they're very tight.
For the test drive, I removed all the magnets.
The BMW immediately has good grip on the Carrera track. Sanding the rear wheels on the sanding board increases this grip even further. The car can be steered very controlled around corners, both large and small. With the appropriate driving experience, a tight 180° turn with a nice drift is also possible. Larger radii require a bit more finesse if you want to navigate them as quickly as possible. However, the excellent front axle guide keel adjustment and the large guide keel angle also forgive the occasional corner entered too quickly.
Overall, a car that's very docile and fast to drive out of the pit lane, even without additional traction. While the BMW has a slightly narrower track than the McLaren Mercedes, it can easily keep up with its excellent performance.
Those who are not concerned with absolute fidelity to the original can put together a very comparable mixed starting field with the McLaren Mercedes and the Audi R8 LMS, even in magnetless operation.
CoMod martinmm
The magic of racing
In the early 1970s, BMW founded a company in Munich whose initials are sure to make any fan of the Bavarian automaker's mouth water: M-GmbH! "M" stands for motorsport, and M-GmbH has and always has produced plenty of it: legendary vehicles like the M535i, M1, M5, M635I, and, of course, the M3. First released in 1986 as a particularly powerful version of the respective production model, the current M3 is now the fourth version of the 3 Series line.
Carrera has the No.92 version with the German driver Dirk Müller ( www.dirk-mueller.com) was launched, the No. 90 is piloted by Joey Hand.
The car is very faithfully reproduced; comparing the online pictures with the original, there are no defects in the printing. The white color makes it look great on the track, and the lighting also comes across well; nothing shines through anywhere. Personally, I would have liked the rims to be a bit bigger.
The chassis is tidy, leaving room for any lead tuning. Removing the magnets is a bit of a hassle these days, so I decided not to bother.
The car handles smoothly, corners well, and can even be drifted thanks to the large angle of the steering keel. However, if you approach the K1 too sharply, it can tip over, probably due to the independently suspended front wheels. However, you have to approach the corner very aggressively; in "normal" operation, the car is very docile.
Some more information about the model:
From the very beginning, BMW fielded the M3 in motorsport. The first version, the E30, was a homologation model for the DTM (German Touring Car Championship) and remains the world's most successful touring car to this day. The current E92 M3 series has been in production since fall 2007, and the racing version debuted in the M3 ALMS in early 2008. At 1,150 kg, the racing version is around 430 kg lighter than the production car and, thanks to the integrated spoiler kit, is also significantly wider.
In the 2009 season, the M3 GT2 will be used by the RAHAL LETTERMAN TEAM from Ohio, USA, in the American Le Mans Series. One of the owners of the team is the well-known American television presenter and fanatical car enthusiast Jay Leno (see his website www.jaylenosgarage.com is always worth a visit).
CoMod Lotus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test report from CoMod martinmm for the Carrera Evo/D132 BMW M3 GT2 Rahal Letterman Racing "No.92" (27319 and 30512)
My colleague Lotus has already covered the prototype car in detail. Therefore, I'll limit myself to the Carrera model.
Both test vehicles, the Evolution and the D132 version, are flawlessly built. The overall impression of the vehicle is very harmonious. Only a small compromise was made in the tire/rim sizes. The tires are a bit too thick compared to the original, but this benefits the race car by providing better damping.
The wheels sit just below the wheel arches, true to the original. Due to the independent suspension of the front wheels and the resulting play, they could almost drag in the wheel arches. This isn't the case with my vehicles – even though they're very tight.
For the test drive, I removed all the magnets.
The BMW immediately has good grip on the Carrera track. Sanding the rear wheels on the sanding board increases this grip even further. The car can be steered very controlled around corners, both large and small. With the appropriate driving experience, a tight 180° turn with a nice drift is also possible. Larger radii require a bit more finesse if you want to navigate them as quickly as possible. However, the excellent front axle guide keel adjustment and the large guide keel angle also forgive the occasional corner entered too quickly.
Overall, a car that's very docile and fast to drive out of the pit lane, even without additional traction. While the BMW has a slightly narrower track than the McLaren Mercedes, it can easily keep up with its excellent performance.
Those who are not concerned with absolute fidelity to the original can put together a very comparable mixed starting field with the McLaren Mercedes and the Audi R8 LMS, even in magnetless operation.
CoMod martinmm
