Tamiya SRB chassis
When I was a kid in the 80s and 90s the Tamiya cars I lusted after were the Grasshopper, Hornet, Avante, Astute and Egress. I didn't know anything about the earlier models, simply because I didn't have a catalogue that included them back then.
This chassis is from before my time, coming out in 1979 and including 4 cars: Rough Rider, Sand Scorcher, Ford F150 Ranger XLT and Super Champ. I was very lucky to find a Ranger in a guy's house I was viewing. I ended up buying it from him, but not the house! Although I always keep a look out for old Tamiya cars at boot sales and charity shops, I have never managed to find anything. This was my first real bit of luck in that respect.
Tamiya re-released the Special Racing Buggy chassis with the re-re Buggy Champ and Scorcher, but haven't brought the F150 Ranger back which I think makes it a bit special. I get the feeling it was probably the least popular SRB in its time as well, so it might well be the rarest. Either way, it's a beautiful body, and a great chassis which shows the start of some of the design characteristics that can still be seen in modern releases. A true classic and a brilliant model.