Back in 1988 when 17 l remember walking through the entry gates at World Expo 88 held in Brisbane and being awestruck by a pair of exotic cars on display. l had no idea what they were but l knew they were the horniest cars l had ever laid eyes on. There was a red and yellow car on display plus a large glass cabinet containing an engine/transaxle which looked like something out of a science fiction movie to a mechanically inept 17yo. l had no idea what l was looking at nor how to pronounce their name "Giocattolo" But l knew that one day l would own one.
And as of this weekend, l do. Here she is, less than 5000kms on the clock, 2 owners, original tyres, Logbooks and in absolutely brand new condition. The Giocattolo runs a mid mounted VL Walkinshaw 304 V8 through a 5 spd ZF transaxle and features F! type suspension, Magnesium Brembo brakes, extensive use of Kevlar and weighs in at only 1085kg. Stock the cars had 230kw, mine has been stroked out to 355 and now has 300kw. It is absolutely exhilarating to drive, the acceleration is lethal and the noise with that engine sitting right behind you like nothing l have ever experienced. However the handling is what really makes this car extra special, the Giocattolo feels welded to the road. The mid mount engine and perfect 40/60 weight distribution combined with the huge rubber really does make it feel like a road registered go kart.
Only 3 prototypes and 12 production cars were ever made. Selling these at $90k+ in the late 80's as the economy headed into meltdown proved to be too hard. The Giocattolo was so far ahead of its time, remember this car was released at the same time as the VN Commodore!!
If anybody has any old magazines or other information on the Giocattolo, please drop me a PM as l am chasing down as much history and background on these cars as l can. There are only a couple of pages on the net and not much else l can find so any help would be appreciated,
Here's some pics ....
