The Tyco Porsche 959 is a radio controlled car manufactured by Taiyo of Japan, and released into the US, UK, and other global markets in 1988.
It was also released as a Black with Gold Wheels edition in the same year, paired with a Lamborghini Countach.
Sibling Rivalry
Well before online gaming or the internet, being able to play with your friends by racing your RC cars was the coolest multiplayer game available.
While Taiyo had started it a few years earlier, with 27Mhz and 49Mhz versions of the same car with slightly different colors to allow them to race on an even playing field and without interference, Tyco would make it more exciting by pairing two different vehicles, either as competing real-life car brands, or competing sports teams.
One such set was the Tyco Turbo Stockers which had:
- 27Mhz Ricky Rudd's Motorcraft Stocker
- 49Mhz Kyle Petty's 7-Eleven Stocker
Similarly, the Porsche 959 (49Mhz) and BMW M3 (27Mhz) were sold side-by-side, in the same packaging, hoping to inspire friends or family to grab a few cars, and race.
Performance
Unfortunately I've not had a chance to drive this model, so any analysis is based only on the specs.
While it looks the goods, with just 4xAA battery power (5-6V) it's not the violently fast R/C that you might expect coming from a 7.2V or 9.6v 'Turbo' radio controlled car.
Still, with slick tires and a relatively small light chassis, I'd expect this to be plenty of fun indoors on a smooth surface like a timber floor, tiles, or good old 80s lino!
Recommendation
If we had to pick between the BMW M3 (27Mhz) and this Porsche 959 (49Mhz), the Porsche is an obvious winner unless you had a thing for BMWs, which many people do.
That said, if you want a Porsche that really goes, then the 1988 Tyco Turbo Porsche 911 may be more your style.
