Unless you really know your racing, you've probably had one or more what-were-they-thinking moments over these TR-6's. The fact is that this vehicle, in a trim very similar to this, has been scoring podium's in SCCA G or H Production categories at the National Runoffs for years, and if you think this looks goofy, you ought to see its chief competition: the "bugeye" Austin Healey Sprite. Interestingly, you'd think the British-racing-green version would be the most authentic. It probably isn't...I seem to remember a silver TR-6 more than I remember anything in this shade of green. Still, these are splendid examples of Mattel's "mainline revival": terrific tribute racers that will appeal to adults perhaps more than to the kids who'll end up buying most of them.

Yet for all the praise, here's yet another example of where Mattel has its esthetics warped. Because the five-spoke axles that came off of these actually look better on the Detroit muscle cars that donated the knock-off sportscar wheels, and these knock-offs are almost period-perfect for these vehicles. Not exactly SCCA spec any more, but just the thing you'd have seen on a late-60s TR-6 trimmed for road racing in the British interior. They look a lot nicer than the bare-bones lightweight hubs used on the G Production racers anyhow.

And since these are racers, I've kept the extra detailing to a minimum. The headlights would be blacked out or taped over for racing, and you wouldn't likely see a lot of chrome trim. But I couldn't accept the black roll bar here. I had already used the silver roll bar from the '10 TR-6 on the silver variation, so I colored this one with my trusty silver Sharpie.