Carrera Evo Opel Commodore Steinmetz Jumbo “Tabac Original”

Review of CoMod Carrera124 on the Opel Commodore Steinmetz Jumbo
(27220)


The Opel Commodore was the sister model to the Opel Rekord, which sold in the millions, during the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. Although it shared the same body, it stood out thanks to its six-cylinder engines and more luxurious features. The Opel tuner Steinmetz offered its customers a wide range of tuning options and also enjoyed success in various racing series with modified Opel vehicles.

Sometime in the early ’70s , Steinmetz apparently decided to go all out—he built the Steinmetz Jumbo based on an Opel Commodore B. The production version of this model captivates with its elegant, almost delicate design. Not so the Jumbo: in addition to generous fender flares, it was fitted with an absolutely massive set of spoilers at the front and rear, making the BMW 3.0 CSL—built at nearly the same time—look almost conservative by comparison. The spectacular visual appearance was rounded out by large-format side pipes and wheels that truly filled out the wheel wells.

Powered by a high-displacement V8 engine, the yellow-painted Jumbo actually competed in a few races. However, given the scarcity of contemporary information, these races were likely not particularly successful. Photos show that this one-of-a-kind car was subsequently displayed at various motorsports exhibitions and similar events. Eventually, all traces of it were lost, so the car is now considered missing.

This made the announcement Carrera at the 2007 Toy Fair all the more surprising Carrera : Steinmetz was set to release this very Jumbo as a 1/32-scale slot car. In the fall of 2007, the vehicle was first delivered to specialty retailers, available not only in the faithful-to-the-original yellow version but also in a white “Pan-Am” fantasy design. Now a third design variant is in the starting blocks: the “TABAC original” in a brown-and-white color scheme. Anyone who has ever flipped through a car magazine from the 1970s will surely remember the “TABAC original” advertisements from that era. The reference to the spirit of the times is therefore obvious, and in person, the color combination is quite appealing. In the catalog, the color still looks very dark brown, but the actual shade turned out to be significantly lighter.

Since the original vehicle no longer exists, any discussion of model accuracy is essentially moot. The delicate details of the base body—especially the headlights, front grille, and taillights—are convincingly rendered. Even on the model, the monstrous spoilers have that certain something. Comparisons with the few available photos of the original vehicle show: yes, the model has been faithfully reproduced.

Let’s move on to the technical aspects and handling: the chassis features the familiar design elements: a removable engine-rear axle unit, two removable magnets, and digital retrofit capability. Installing the 26732 digital chip is quick and easy, and there’s plenty of space inside the car to stow the tangle of wires. The guide fin is positioned somewhat awkwardly behind the front axle—but thanks to the long wheelbase, the impact isn’t as bad as feared. “Length matters”—that’s always been true for slot cars, and the Steinmetz Jumbo is no exception. Due to its enormous dimensions, the car isn’t particularly fond of very tight combinations of turns, but in moderately fast sections, it’s in its element. If you remove the rear magnet, you can easily drift the Jumbo through the turns. If you push it too hard, the rear end breaks loose without hesitation and can easily block almost the entire width of the track if you’re driving in the inside lane (on 1/32-scale British-style track sections, the rear spoiler would likely
scrape along the
guardrails of the outside lane ;-)

The bottom line: if you want to really enjoy driving the Jumbo, you need shoulder strips. "Deslotting," i.e., the front axle jumping out, on the other hand, practically never occurs.

Conclusion: the Commodore is an excellent addition to the "Feathered" lineup, which so far consists of the Ferrari 512 BB, Porsche 935-78, Porsche 935, and Porsche 911 RSR. I’m hoping for more period-correct color options (Slottus, make me a Jägermeister) or at least bare bodies (Sandra, do something… ;-)

CoMod Carrera 124

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Review by CoMod martinmm of 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, particularly to the spoilers and wings. One of these development stages was Carrera Evolutionreleased in Carrera2007 as Evolution a scale model true to the original Evolution. Now a second fantasy variant is being released with a contemporary look.

Appearance
The actual color scheme differs slightly from the catalog photos. In reality, the color is more "chocolate-brown"—in the photos so far, it appears to lean more toward red. The graphics are flawless: the large white lettering of the main sponsor, TABAC, as well as the white front and rear wings Carrera , really stand Carrera out against the black Carrerabodywork.

Workmanship
With the exception of minor damage to a taillight, the test vehicle shows no other defects. The body can be easily removed after removing the 4 screws. Everything is clean and tidy. Nothing is jammed. The axles turn smoothly and very easily.

Technology
Due to its design, the guide keel is located behind the front axle. This is, of course, not ideal. The front section of the chassis is designed for rally tracks, with sufficient clearance from the track surface. However, the guide keel turntable is offset slightly downward, ensuring good slot penetration. The steering angle of the guide keel is sufficient. Weighing in at 103g—31g of which is body weight—the Jumbo isn’t exactly a lightweight. This is due in no small part to its wide-reaching spoilers.

Handling
test without a rear magnet using original tires. Operating voltage 12 volts:
Despite its unfavorable proportions (tall, rear-heavy), the car handles very well on a standard home track. The tires provide nearly sufficient grip on a clean track. Due to the poorly positioned guide keel, cornering and drifting in tight turns (K1) feel somewhat odd because the pivot point is too far back.
Test drive without rear magnet using Ortmann tires (new compound). Operating voltage 12 volts:
The increased tendency to tip over, which was expected due to the higher grip of the Ortmann tires, did not occur. It should also be noted that the new Ortmann tires have less grip than the old ones. This is now more pleasant. With a light touch of the thumb, you can take sharp turns. You can take 180° turns completely sideways. That’s a blast!
Test drive without a magnet. 12-volt power supply:
Without a magnet, the Steinmetz becomes difficult to drive. When using the original tires, you don’t pick up speed as quickly on small tracks—braking distances are shorter and corner entry speeds are lower. With a light touch, you can steer the car briskly. With more grip or Ortmann tires, things get a bit tricky—the car tends to lose traction if you enter the corner a bit too fast.

Conclusion:
When operated with the center magnet, this is a car that delivers pleasure both visually and technically. On larger tracks where higher speeds are possible, however, optimizing the chassis will be unavoidable. In particular, the front axle/keel alignment needs to be improved and trimmed with lead. With the Monza Decon and DeTomaso announced this year, along with the Ferrari 512BB and the Porsche 935/78, we have a diverse field of “winged” cars.

CoMod martinmm