In 1982 the Federation International de ’L’Automobile (FIA) developed Group A requirements to allow manufactures and individuals to race production model cars. In order to qualify, a process called “homologation”, the manufactures had to build 2500 or 5000 cars or under “evolution” rules 500 cars which after inspection and approval qualified the cars to race. The subject of this review qualified under the Evolution, Group A rules by building 500 Volvo 240Ts. An interesting note is that 477 of those cars were stripped of competition equipment and sold as standard Volvo 240 turbos. In order to requalify, Volvo had to identify those 500 owners! Drama aside, the Volvo 240T turned out be a winning platform. Powered by a 340hp, 2.1-liter, intercooled turbo with water injection and weighing in at 2200lbs, these cars were real competitors against BMWs and Austins in its class.

Platz and NuNu have partnered to release a series of automotive subjects and accessory packs to build up some neat cars. In this case, it is the Audi R8 LMS GT3 which is a beautiful vehicle. It is a mid-mounted V10 engine sports car, and the GT3 version has been delivered to many racing teams around the world and is very active in endurance races and GT races. This model, in 1/24^th scale, reproduces the AUDI R8 LMS GT3 in the Macau race of 2015. Inside the box are 8 sprues of white and black parts and one clear sprue plus rubber tires, decals (lots of them) and a small sprue of poly caps. There are two sets of markings included as several cars were entered in this race- one silver and one red representing two different drivers.

The Volvo F16 Globetrotter has been a commercial success since its 1988 introduction. The basic design has been re-configured into several different models ranging from a towing tractor (with a single axle, rear end), an XL version with a sleeper cab, and a reefer truck, among others. The F16 Globetrotter has been replaced in the Volvo inventory with the upgraded FH / FH XL series. (There is an XXL series but that may just be a shirt size. :)

Staff Cars in Germany WW2 Vol. 2, is number 23 in the “Camera On” series published by MMPBooks/Stratus. The author, Alan Ranger, has written over 20 books in the Camera On Series dealing with German and Japanese armour specializing in soft skin and armoured vehicles. With Volume 1 Staff Cars in Germany WW2 # 9 published in 2019, the author presented photographs of passenger cars used by the German armed forces namely the line of Opel vehicles including the Admiral, Kadett, Kapitän and others. A lengthy article on the history of the Opel was presented in his first volume.

Background from the website: "In 1941, Packard introduced a new model of car - the Packard Clipper. It was created by the talented designer Howard Darrin, who had previously collaborated with this company and significantly influenced the appearance of all Packards in the second half of the 1930s. The new car had a powerful 125 hp engine with a displacement of 4.7 liters, was wider than its predecessors, and had an extremely elegant design. By the end of the year, Packard had produced 16,000 such cars, but the US entry into World War II completely changed subsequent plans. The military high command issued extraordinary production orders for its requirements, and many purely civilian manufacturers, including Packard, were repurposed to produce military equipment.