[woodcote]

Maybe I'm easily pleased Gary To be honest, I'll be delighted if those previously-announced cars arrive this year - and the Alpine and Stratos are pretty tasty re-releases too. I noticed a significant number of the new and returning home racers during 2020 are rally fans, so the marketplace is there... As for the lovely Lancia Delta 4WD HF - two great non-Martini liveries and 4 significant works cars too.

I am particularly thrilled about the kit car... I have been tempted by the older resin models, but they are not great runners and aren't finished to the same stunning standard we've come to expect from Team Slot in recent years. So to have the Citroën (and hopes of more?) with new Team Slot mechanicals and an updated, injection-moulded body and super decoration and detailing - that has excited me as much as any slot car announcement this year, so far... The ZX is marked "Rally Catalunya '97" on the Team Slot flier, so I suspect that's correct - not the photo. The Jesús Puras / Carlos del Barrio car is the only ZX kit car I can find that started that rally.

Away from rallying, those new Zakspeed Escorts (and the X-Packs) look fabulous and appeal to a different - but equally passionate - fan base. The kit car(s) could be a bit of a cross-over... For me - as a twentysomething at the time - they were bonkers-fast rally cars and looked like the hot hatchbacks we wanted to be driving (which turned out to be an Ibiza in my case), rather the 4x4 "dad cars".