In the ever-growing list of Fly cars, add one more to their line-up: The 512 S Coda Lunga, or "Longtail" has finally arrived, much to the pleasure of many enthusiasts. However, aside from the new body style, this car is standard FLY, with little chassis change and sadly plagued with the problems of its predecessors.

This is not to say the car is not worth getting. If you are a fan of classic racing, or perhaps a collector of this series in particular, then, I would by all means, add this machine to your stable. Many modelers enjoy the Le Mans series, especially the wonderful cars they have brought to us. Some of these vintage cars simply look gorgeous, and this Ferrari in 1/32^nd scale is no exception.

In it’s early debut, reports have mentioned a clear coat issue surrounding this car. Moreover, with several other FLY models having this same problem, I was eager to see how my model would arrive. I am happy to report that this car must have slipped through "normal" quality control and landed here with an outstanding finish. Only a very small amount of dust particles were located on the car, under the clear coat finish. It took some time to locate these flaws, giving it a tedious inspection. So for the most part, to the naked eye, this car is near perfect.

All the Tampo markings were clean, and opaque. I found no traces of discoloration or peeling on any of the markings, even the smallest of detail were clean and run free. This included the clear coat, which I was pleased to see applied evenly, even to the bottom edges of the car. The wheels were round and true, but the right rear tire on my model needed some sanding, too much in fact. Nothing will hamper the smoothness of a model quite like an egg shaped tire, so I always suggest sanding and truing them as standard practice.

A sidewinder drive system mounted in the classic Fly rear pod assembly is the heart of this Ferrari. Fly’s standard button magnet provides more than enough magnetic down force for decent traction around your layout. Sooner or later, I personally would like to see this configuration changed to a bar magnet system using the common Fly ferrite bar magnet, as found in the Capri, Corvette, Panoz, Lister Storm, ETC.

Some do not prefer magnets at all, choosing to add weight instead. This can be done, but there is not a lot of elbowroom here to work with. Although, one could apply this weight in the upper areas of the body, particularly in the rear. Of course one tune-up procedure that is advised is the same as for the other Fly Classics.

After these modifications, and once the standard oiling of the motor and axle assemblies were performed, this model did manage to run very smoothly and consistently. In fact, I was impressed, this car turned quicker laps than my Berlinetta. Posting an average time of 5.3 seconds on the Show-Me Speedway was acceptable. Acceleration was quick and responsive, with braking being very solid into the corners. I had first thought the longer car would not corner as well as its slightly shorter counterpart, but not true, as it held its own and kept pace nicely.

For myself, the strongpoint on this model is its great looks. The longer tail adds to the sweeping lines of this model, and looks as good racing as it does sitting still. Sometimes you buy a slot car that just strikes you as simply beautiful, and this happens to be one of those cars, at least it is for me. Just as the Lola and Berlinetta enticed me, the Coda Lunga had the same effect.