Mario Andretti 1978 Lotus F1 Team Lotus 79 1:8 Scale Model – Dutch GP

Bring F1 heritage to your collection and celebrate Mario Andretti and his 1978 Lotus 79 race car, with an authentic reproduction made at 1:8 scale. Recreating the Dutch Grand Prix winning car, this model is poised to be showcased with pride. 

A Winning Car 

Headed by founder Colin Chapman, the 79 was designed by the team at Lotus for the 1978 season. It became the first car to take advantage of the ‘ground effects’ aerodynamics as pioneered by its predecessor – the Lotus 78. The 79 is thought to have been the first F1 car designed using computer aids as well as the first to be analysed by pit computers on race weekends.  

It is also iconic for pushing F1 into a new aerodynamic era, an influence that is still seen in today’s F1. Five chassis were built during its two-season lifespan, though 1978 remains the critical year, with Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson powering it to a Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship double. The Lotus 79 claimed six race wins, eight more podiums, ten pole positions and five fastest laps during its 26-race existence. 

One win came at the Dutch Grand Prix, where Mario Andretti secured the victory, after qualifying on pole, just ahead of his teammate Peterson. A relatively uneventful race belied stunning drives from the Lotus teammates and Andretti headed the podium by a tiny margin of 0.32 seconds. Andretti would go on to the win Drivers’ Championship after a dominant year in which the competition could not keep up. 

The 1:8 Scale Model 

This 1:8 scale model has been handcrafted and finished in the Amalgam Collection workshops in collaboration with Lotus regarding original finishes, materials, archive imagery and drawings. The use of supremely accurate digital scanning of the original car means every detail is perfectly recreated. Furthermore, it has undergone detailed scrutiny by both Lotus's engineering and design teams to ensure complete accuracy of representation. 

• As driven by Mario Andretti 
• Each model hand-built and assembled by a small team of craftsmen 
• 1:8 scale model, over 50 cms/19 inches long 
• Made using the finest quality materials 
• Over 4500 hours to develop the model 
• Over 400 hours to build each model 
• Thousands of precisely engineered parts: castings, photo-etchings and CNC machined metal components 
• Built using original drawings and archive photographs supplied by Lotus