08.02.2021Great modelcars II: Senna and the McLaren MP4/4

This year's Formula 1 season should start on March 28th, 2021, so the 72nd overall. In all likelihood, the team Mercedes AMG F1 will probably not have lost its overwhelming superiority in winter. A very similar dominance already existed in 1988, when McLaren competed with the Honda V6 for the first time after saying goodbye to the TAG Porsche engine and won the constructors' championship with 199 points, while all other teams together got 201 points . It was the year McLaren competed with the MP4/4 and won 15 of 16 races; the first time the unforgettable Ayrton Senna won the title. But something can still be assumed as certain: The editors of this blog do not expect that at the end of the upcoming World Cup there will be models with a hood that can be removed. 

However, the new miniatures can that, which refer to the year 1988. Attentive readers of this blog know that the team of ck-modelcars.de enthusiastically showed that the models of the Lotus 97T from 1985 appeared with a removable engine hood; to read in the article that can be reached via this link. With the McLaren MP4/4 from the season 1988, manufacturer Premium X did it the same way: This 1:18 miniature also reveals a sensational view of the high-quality technology of a Formula 1 car to the collector after lifting the hood. In this case, the viewer's focus is on the Honda V6 engine with a cylinder bank angle of 80 degrees and the type designation RA168E. The longitudinally installed twin-turbo mid-engine drew its power from 1.5 liters of displacement. 

The power transmission of this 853 kW / 1160 hp powerful six-cylinder onto the track took over a manual shifted six-speed transmission that was developed by McLaren itself. The monocoque of the McLaren MP4/4, developed by Steve Nichols, existed of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. And its structure is just as comprehensible using the modelcars available under item number SEN18002 as it was with the Lotus 97T. Incidentally, the MP4/4 is modeled on the winning car of the Japanese Grand Prix, in which Senna managed to score the necessary number of points to secure his first world title despite his problem at the start. And the modelcars from Premium X deserve this just for offering collectors the removable hood. But all other details and the appearance justify a title. 

Here: Click to the models of the McLaren MP4/4 1988