Every so often two toy cars from different manufacturers just seem to
form a perfect pair. The two shown here are Zee Toy's De Lorean DMC-12 and
the Tapiro show car, based on Porsche 914 mechanicals. Both were designed
by Giorgetto Guigiaro of ItalDesign.
The Tapiro is made by a Hong Kong company of unknown name and represents
a car not done in small-scale by any other manufacturer. The base reads
VW-Porsche. It is a reasonable model of the Tapiro with functioning gullwing
doors and correct interior. The Zee Toy De Lorean is also unique as the
only small-scale stock version of this ill-fated model. Again the gullwing
doors work and the Zee wheels are actually a close copy of the De Lorean
wheels.
![]() Wings extended - the De Lorean and Tapiro are ready for flight. ![]() The De Lorean is a difficult Zee Toy to find today. |
![]() From the back, the Tapiro styling clearly influenced the De Lorean. ![]() It's a shame the Tapiro manufacturer is unknown, can anyone help? |