1/18 Exoto Lotus 72D, World Champion Fittipaldi, winner Monaco Grand Prix 1972

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Description: Thecar appears to be in mint condition. The boxes show almost no shelf ware. For more pictures of the boxes, go to: http://s1303./user/lenzler/library/#/user/lenzler/library/Lotus%2072D?&_suid=136177259239906048998371072318 History: This is the car that Emerson Fittipaldi drove to first place in the Monza Grand Prix to clinch the World Driver’s championship of 1972. His victory came with a rather bizarre twist. Italian law still held Lotus responsible for the 1970 death of Jochen Rindt at Monza, so Lotus had to appear incognito at Monza as “World Wide Racing”. Unfortunately, Lotus was willing to risk confiscation of only one car by the Italian authorities so Fittipaldi was the only entry. Having qualified on the third row, Fittipaldi caught a lucky break off the start when Jackie Stewart suffered a transmission failure and Fittipaldi managed to squeeze through the ensuing traffic jam into third place. Three laps later, the Brazilian was just behind Ickx and the two were locked in a fight for first. With just nine laps to go, Ickx’s engine failed. Fittipaldi got the win and clinched the Driver’s World Championship. Emerson Fittipaldi was only 25 years old and became the youngest World Champion in the history of F1. Lotus won the Constructor’s Championship as well. Fittipaldi’s historic ride was the Lotus 72. It’s wedge-shaped nose was copied from the Lotus 56, which was the revolutionary turbine car that almost won the 1968 Indy 500. The Lotus 72 radiator was split in two and placed in side pods. This improved aerodynamic flow and moved the weight bias towards the rear end. This was considered important to ensure better traction. This wedge-nosed, spilt-radiator layout was classic and is used by all F1 cars even today. The Lotus 72 debuted at the Spanish Grand Prix of 1970. Unfortunately, it performed so poorly that Lotus temporarily withdrew from F1 racing for a short period. After some suspension modifications, Lotus had a winner, and won 4 times before the 1970 season ended with the modified Lotus 72B and 72C. The Lotus 72B gave Jochen Rindt the 1970 Driver’s World Championship and Lotus the Constructor’s Championship. 1971 would be a year of frustration, but the Lotus 72 would reign supreme again in 1972 as the Lotus 72D. Fittipaldi would become the youngest World Champion, and Lotus would win another Constructor’s championship. The Lotus 72 participated in as many as six seasons in 74 races. This classic car won 20 of those races as well as two Driver’s World Championships, and three Constructor’s World Championships. This impressive list of accomplishments was unsurpassed for more than a decade. Payment : PayPal only! . Do not bid if you do not have a functional PayPal account. Buyer should pay within 7 days of the winning bid. After that, I will relist the item and report the buyer as a non-payer to e-bay Shipping: Insured shipping is optional, but the buyer assumes all risk for un-insured packages. Please specify if you want insured shipping immediately after winning the bid. Then I will send the winner an invoice adjusted for insured shipping. Otherwise, I will assume that the winner does not want insurance. I will only charge for actual shipping cost. International buyers please inquire about shipping costs. The US Post Office will not insure packages that are bound for some countries. In that case, the buyer must assume all risk for any shipping mishaps. Again, I will only charge actual shipping costs. If the shipping cost differs from my quote, I am amenable to canceling the transaction through e-bay's mutual withdrawal feature. Please contact me through ebay if you win and desire insured shipping or a different shipping method. Return Policy: If dissatisfied, the buyer must return the item within 7 days in original condition and packaging for a full refund. Buyer will pay return postage. If the item is damaged during shipping, buyer must collect the insured amount directly from the shipper unless the damag... read more

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