The Spirit Porsche 936 isn't a new model but a recent acquisition for me. The 936 isn't the most aesthetically pleasing Porsche ever made but it's an interesting car. This car is modelled on the car driven by Jackie Ickx at Le Mans 76. Two other liveries are currently available.

The car comes in a smaller box than the Spirit Dallaras and Reynards, a trend I hope will continue. The box has a card insert advertising 'calibrated components' fitted to the car, but more on those later. 

The Porsche may have an ungainly shape but it's quite nicely modelled. The basic shape looks good and seems to be a fairly accurate representation of the real thing. Most of the panel lines are crisply defined but there are visible moulding lines extending forwards from the rear wing end plates and on the central rear wing support. The vents at the front look good at first glance but closer inspection reveals most of them are painted on, not moulded. The vents nearest the cockpit are moulded in, but are not open. The odd-looking mirrors follow the original design but on my car they were positioned so that the only thing the driver would be able to see is himself! They are also rigid and potentially vulnerable in a crash.

The paintwork is good, a nice even coat of glossy white without any visible flaws. Tampo-printing is also generally good with solid, opaque colours and nice crisp definition, but there is some break-up where it crosses panel lines and at the edges of the body which make it look a little scruffy. The body has some engine chassis detail at the rear, which is neatly done and adds some nice detail to the car.

The cockpit features a nicely detailed steering wheel and dashboard with a comprehensive set of instruments. The cockpit tub is glued to the chassis and includes some moulded detail and the (oddly-posed) driver figure. The driver is plain white except for his seatbelts, face and crash helmet. He also looks quite terrified!!

The front axle is solid and runs directly in the chassis without bearings. Four grub screws are fitted to enable you to set the axle height - two below the axle and two above. The grub screws under the axle are fitted into the upper side of the chassis rather than the underside, which means you have to remove the axle to adjust the screws - it gives the impression that whoever designed this didn't think it all the way through. It's not a big job (if you have an appropriately-sized drill bit) to drill the holes all the way through the chassis and re-fit the screws from the underside of the chassis so the height can be adjusted with the axle in place.

The chassis itself is quite flexible but this doesn't seem to cause any problems, the car runs smoothly. The 'Sport' guide is a push-in type, long and deep with a wide arc of travel. A small, fairly weak bar magnet is fitted just ahead of the motor. The wheels are plastic in an attractive five-spoke design with plastic brake disc inserts. The front tyres are low profile and the rears are soft and grippy.

Grip is rather limited on Scalextric Sport track because of the small magnet. The little Porsche is quiet and smooth and feels quick, but you need to use the power with care if you want to keep the car facing the right way!

It's a lot of fun though. The car is very smooth and controllable, even when it's sliding. With a little practise it will drift beautifully through the curves and attack the straights with enthusiasm. 

The 936 is easier to drive on my larger routed track. The tyres have more grip on the slightly coarser surface and the longer straights enable you to use the power more effectively. It is a surprisingly quick car - the motor looks like a standard Mabuchi but Spirit rate it at 24,000rpm @ 12v. It's certainly enough to give the Porsche a real turn of speed. The power doesn't seem to unsettle the chassis though, the car feels composed and sure-footed even in the tricky downhill esses. If you push too hard the tail will swing wide and occasionally spin but it's usually recoverable unless you've completely over-cooked it. When you get it right the 936 is a joy to drive - pushing hard through the curves with the tail held on the edge of a slide, feed in the power as it exits the bend and watch the little Porsche punch down the straight, brake late for the next corner and away you go again...

I must admit I have mixed feelings about this car. The appearance is a little below the sort of standards we have come to expect and below the standards of some of their previous cars. It really should be better, especially when you take Spirit's prices into account.

But the performance is quite persuasive. It's pretty good on Scalextric track but outstanding on my routed track. Any quibbles about its appearance tend to disappear when it's hurtling past at a scale 150mph+!!

And of course, it's the only model of the 936 currently available. I think I'll keep mine...