26th-Aug-22, 05:17 PM
Policar CAR02g Lotus 72E #1 Ronnie Peterson - 1st Monaco GP 1974. RRP £64.95. Available next week.
This is the seventh livery on Policar's Lotus 72 and is a truly wonderful choice - Ronnie Peterson's Monaco Grand Prix winner from 1974. The iconic JPS black and gold, plus the blue and yellow helmet of a 1970s F1 hero is simply perfect. Especially when paired with the top-notch handling and power-delivery of the Policar chassis and drive-train. In my mind, the Policar model is the best 1:32 scale Lotus 72 out there...
Without doubt, the Lotus 72 is one of the most important Formula One cars of all time - highly-innovative, utterly beautiful and very successful, winning three constructors' and two drivers' championships, plus 20 wins in 75 Grand Prix over a remarkable six seasons. The Lotus 76 was supposed to replace the 72 for the 1974 season - but the new car turned out to be a flop, both cars failing to finish in the 76's first three races. The next stop was Monaco and although one 76 was taken for Jacky Ickx, both he and Peterson would race their 1973-spec 72E cars that had won the previous year's constructors' title. Peterson raced 72/R8 and Ickx the 72/R5 - a chassis that had to be retrieved from Colin Chapman's personal museum! The Belgian's car was fitted with a special Cosworth engine with modified inlets, exhaust pipes and camshafts - all designed to give a much faster torque curve, at the expense of some 20bhp at the top end.
Ickx had already scored a 1974 podium with a 72E at Interlagos - his second race with John Player Team Lotus, but it was Super-Swede Ronnie Peterson that was the star in the streets of Monte Carlo. Qualifying third behind the dominant Ferraris of Lauda and Regazzoni, Peterson was overtaken by Jarier's Shadow DN3 at the start, dropping him to fourth as Hulme and Beltoise got together on the run up to Casino Square, involving plenty of others, including Ickx. That midfield kerfuffle split the race in two - Regazzoni led Lauda, Jarier and Peterson, with Reutemann, Scheckter, Hunt and Hailwood following close behind and then there was a gap to Fittipaldi's McLaren. By the third lap, Peterson was right up Lauda's exhaust pipes, having got past the Shadow - it was an exciting four-way fight for the lead... until Peterson touched a barrier with his rear tyre and spun at La Rascasse on lap six, Reutemann running over the front of the Lotus and breaking the Brabham's suspension. Miraculously, Peterson continued unscathed in sixth place, albeit with a slightly wonky nose...
It was a race full of shunts - the most dramatic was when the March of Mass tripped over Hunt's Hesketh. Definitely one for slo-mo treatment on the highlights show. Meanwhile, Peterson was regaining places, passing Scheckter's Tyrrell 007 on lap nineteen and finding himself back in fourth. That became third when leader Regazzoni spun at Racasse. With a clear road ahead of him, Lauda pulled away from Jarier, but he soon had Peterson gaining ground after the Swede nipped past the Shadow at the Loews hairpin on lap 25. This was one of Peterson's greatest drives - the old Lotus 72 should have been no match for the Ferrari. In a magnificent head-to-head with Lauda, Peterson closed in and was pushing the Ferrari to the limit. On lap 31, the Flat-12 started to sound a bit off - Peterson forced the black and gold Lotus alongside and took the the lead into Mirabeau. It wasn't even half-distance, but Peterson kept his cool and closed out a delightful victory - his first in the principality...
With Scheckter's Tyrrell 007 in second and Jarier's Shadow DN3 in third, the podium is a wish-list of future Policar models! Regazzoni's fourth-place Ferrari wouldn't be bad either... However, the star of the show - and available now - is Peterson's Lotus 72E...
Many of you will already have a Policar Lotus 72 for racing or in your collection, but this one isn't like the others. As always, Policar's attention to detail is breathtaking - new parts include an authentic 1974 rear wing, more chunky airbox, scooped front winglets and a smaller windscreen. The JPS livery is sharp and accurate, the detailing on the driver figure magnificent. For any fan of 1970s Formula One, devotees of the Monaco Grand Prix or admirers of Ronnie Peterson, this is a must-have model.
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