Minardi F1 Team

Minardi F1 car models


Having a modelling project dedicated to the Minardi F1 team might seem odd. However I've always had a soft spot for the underdogs.
And were Minardi started as the laughing stock of F1 (and pretty much ended that way too), gradually I've begun to admire the team. Especially their perseverance in an environment were the big manufacturers threw millions of money into their cars whereas Minardi, with just a fraction of the budget, could sometimes surprise the big teams. And not only resultwise but also with several technical innovations that were pioneered by them.
One of the high points I remember well was in 1991 when they used Ferrari engines. Reportedly their engines were several development steps behind the Ferrari team's engines. But they beat them several times during the season in spite of this. Although this might say more about the mess Ferrari made of their car, than about the Minardi being a good car...
Nevertheless, I think Minardi is a team with a fighting spirit rarely seen in F1. That's why I admire them so much. And although Minardi wasn't Minardi anymore when Paul Stoddart took over in 2001, I still thought it a shame to see the name disappear from the grid at the end of 2005.

Although the Minardi team doesn't capture the imagination as much as Ferrari, Lotus or McLaren, there are more than enough model kits on the market to make all the Minardi F1 cars as a model.
Not all cars are available in the bigger 1/20-1/24 scale though. However, more kits are appearing still, with several resin kit manufacturers planning the release of a Minardi F1 kit in the near future. So, although the team doesn't exist anymore, there is still plenty to watch out for from a modeling point of view.

The keen observer will notice that from several years there are no kits listed. That is because I opted for finished models from Minichamps instead of model kits.

Models waiting to be built:
  • 1980 1/43 Minardi BMW GM75 F2 Mugello '80 (Faster43)
  • 1984 1/43 Minardi M185 (CP Model)
  • 1985 1/43 Minardi M185 (Hi-Fi 63)
  • 1986 1/43 Minardi M186 Italian GP (Meri Kits MK 76)
  • 1987 1/43 Minardi M187 Brazilian GP (Meri Kits MK 88)
  • 1988 1/43 Minardi Cosworth M188 Brazilian GP (Tameo TMK 72)
  • 1989 1/43 Minardi Cosworth M189 British GP (Tameo TMK 104)
  • 1990 1/43 Minardi Cosworth M190 British GP (Tameo TMK 126)
  • 1991 1/43 Minardi Ferrari M191 USA GP (Tameo TMK 141)
  • 1991 1/20 Minardi M191 (Studio27)
  • 1992 1/43 Minardi Lamborghini M191B South African GP (Tameo TMK 154)
  • 1992 1/24 Minardi M192 Lamborghini (Club M)
  • 1993 1/43 Minardi Ford M193 San Marino GP (Tameo TMK 173)
  • 1993 1/20 Minardi M193 South African GP (AMC Models AMC-0004)
  • 1994 1/43 Minardi Scuderia Ford M193B Brazilian GP (Tameo TMK 187)
  • 1995 1/43 Minardi Ford M195 Brazilian GP (Tameo TMK 195)
  • 1996 1/43 Minardi Ford M195B Monaco GP (Tameo TMK 214)
  • 1997 1/43 Minardi Hart M197 Italian GP (Tameo TMK 245)
  • 1997 1/20 Minardi Hart M197 (Club M)
  • 1998 1/43 Minardi Ford M198 San Marino GP (Tameo TMK 256)
  • 1998 1/20 Minardi M198 (Modeler's 6205)
  • 1999 1/43 Minardi Ford M01 European GP (Tameo TMK 283)
  • 2000 1/20 Minardi M02 (Ace Models 20020)
  • 2001 1/20 Minardi PS01 (Wolf Design GP-20011)
  • 2005 1/20 Minardi PS05 2005 Chinese GP version (Red 5 004)
  • 2005 1/20 Minardi PS05 Japanese GP version (AMC Models AMC-0003)