Tamiya M-Chassis Body Guide compatibility M01 M02 M03 M04 M05 M06 M07 M08 MB01 XM01
https://www.thercracer.com/2025/01/tamiya-m-chassis-body-compatibility.html
Tamiya M-Chassis cars have been a firm favourite for many since the release of the M01 in 1994! Over three decades ago.. There have been many variations of M-Chassis and along the way, Tamiya has also released other chassis that share the same basic dimensions and wheelbases.
One of the most endearing things about these cars has been the bodyshells that are available. Starting with the timeless Mini Cooper, the M-Chassis range of bodyshells have been very diverse and interesting. With that in mind, I thought it would be good to provide a guide for the Tamiya shells that you can hunt down if you want to stand out at the race track, or just look cool racing around the local carpark.
When choosing your shell you need to consider a few things. The most important one is the wheelbase.
There are three wheelbases
Tamiya Alpine A110 Jaeger Body 51690
Tamiya Fiat Abarth 1000 TCR Belina Corsa 51709 50667
Tamiya Volkswagen Golf Mk1 Grp.2 Only available in Kit 84316
Tamiya Honda S800 Racing 84030 51402

On the XM01 it is a tight fit over the front towers, but is is acceptable (You need shorter springs).
Tamiya Lotus Europa 51672
Tamiya Honda S-MX Lowdown 50753 84362
Tamiya MINI JCW Coupe 51489 lightweight 84364
One of the best looking and also a great handling body. I just hope Tamiya and BMW make up sometime and bring us these classic shells.. and a BMW i8 one as well.

Tamiya made several bodykits for this, in black, yellow and silver.. Maybe it was popular in Japan. It's not too bad in the handling stakes.
Tamiya Mazda Demio / Mazda 2 51591
Note this can fit a MF-01X but the rear bumper will protrude past the back of the shell..
Tamiya Ford Escort Mk.II Rally 51658
A beautiful scale shell. I would pair it with an M08 for the ultimate fast ford experience :) I reviewed this on the MF01X (Click link here)
Tamiya Citroen 2CV Charlston 51605
Tamiya Volkswagen Golf Mk.II Rally 51706
The Golf rally on the M06, the rear of the shell rests on the rear of the chassis, so it does rub the paint off. It may even bow it our a little.
Tamiya Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) 51616
This classic shell is also available as a flower power version (basically a different decal set, but I have not really seen that available as a separate body.

There is also a Rally version of the VW beetle that comes with a MF01X chassis. The body kit does not seem to be available separately.
Tamiya BMW Z3 Roadster 50848
When choosing your shell you need to consider a few things. The most important one is the wheelbase.
There are three wheelbases
The three wheelbases are Short (210mm), Medium (225mm) and Long (239mm). To make things confusing, not all M-Chassis cars are able to be configured to all three wheelbases. The Tamiya MB-01 is the latest entry level M-Chassis and it able to be configured to all three.
This chart shows the available wheelbases for all chassis. Note the MF-01X chassis need different prop shafts to be able to change wheelbases, these are a separate part.
Unfortunately, it's not as simple as just choosing the wheelbase. There has been a lot of variation in the chassis layouts. The MF01X and the M06 have a motor that hangs out quite some distance at the back for example. So I will provide a chart with each shell... I will fill these out where I think I have the answer, but if I don't it will be in an amber colour.. essentially it should fit, but not verified. Here you can help, if you have knowledge of the shell / chassis combo please send me a message and I can update the chart. This is something for the community, so any help will be appreciated :)
The other thing that I will not verify is the bodyposts. The shell might fit, but you may need to drill new holes to fit the shell. Mostly they will align, and Tamiya usually provides some spacers in the kits, but it is something to be noted.
I have also tried to add the part numbers where available, sometimes the bodykit, sometimes the actual model kit. There are also some variations, for example you may get the Alfa Romeo Giulia in the std and Club versions. I wont always cover those, essentially they are the same, so you know they will fit, you choose the colour. (Or preferably paint them in your own colours anyway)
Unfortunately, it's not as simple as just choosing the wheelbase. There has been a lot of variation in the chassis layouts. The MF01X and the M06 have a motor that hangs out quite some distance at the back for example. So I will provide a chart with each shell... I will fill these out where I think I have the answer, but if I don't it will be in an amber colour.. essentially it should fit, but not verified. Here you can help, if you have knowledge of the shell / chassis combo please send me a message and I can update the chart. This is something for the community, so any help will be appreciated :)
The other thing that I will not verify is the bodyposts. The shell might fit, but you may need to drill new holes to fit the shell. Mostly they will align, and Tamiya usually provides some spacers in the kits, but it is something to be noted.
I have also tried to add the part numbers where available, sometimes the bodykit, sometimes the actual model kit. There are also some variations, for example you may get the Alfa Romeo Giulia in the std and Club versions. I wont always cover those, essentially they are the same, so you know they will fit, you choose the colour. (Or preferably paint them in your own colours anyway)
Also a disclaimer, this is a guide, and I've done my best to be accurate, but there are literally thousands of combinations of chassis and shells, so there may be some unforeseen issues such as not being able to mount them low enough etc.
So with that in mind.. let's go..
So with that in mind.. let's go..
210mm Short Wheelbase
The original M-01 came with the 210mm wheelbase and the legendary Mini Cooper shell. The short wheelbase provides the M-Chassis cars with very nimble handling. As you would expect, a nimble car is not always the most stable, so you need to determine how much grip you need.
Tamiya Mini Cooper racing 50795 (Lightweight 49483)
There is the original Tamiya Mini Cooper shell with the plastic grill, but I cannot find the part number for this. It shares the same dimensions although the wheel arches on the original body (with the plastic grill), are smaller, so you can only use the smaller M-Chassis wheels, not he 60D ones.
Note this can fit the MF-01X if the body is quite high and the rear bumper will protrude from the rear.
Note this can fit the MF-01X if the body is quite high and the rear bumper will protrude from the rear.
Tamiya Mini Cooper Monte Carlo 84186 Finish body 85258
Tamiya Alpine A110 Jaeger Body 51690
This only fits the M06 if you dont install the plastic rear engine. I think this will also be the same with the MF01X but I am unable to confirm
Tamiya Volkswagen Golf Mk1 Grp.2 Only available in Kit 84316
The S15 is a great shell. It however is 215mm wheelbase, so can look a bit odd od if you cannot tweak the wheelbase slightly.
Tamiya Renault 5 turbo (Kit no 47435)
The rear wheel arches are wider, you will need to use longer wheel axles or wider wheel Hex's to try to make it look correct.
Tamiya Suzuki Wagon R RR 58234
Tamiya Suzuki Wagon R RR 58234
The 225mm wheelbase is usually the go to wheelbase for most M-Chassis racers. It provides a good compromise between stability and nimble cornering.
Tamiya Suzuki Swift Super 1600 51236
Tamiya Mazda Roadster MX-5 51583 Lightweight Body 47323
On the XM01 it is a tight fit over the front towers, but is is acceptable (You need shorter springs).
Tamiya Fiat 500 51363
Tamiya Lotus Europa 51672
Note, this shell was actually really good, and handled much better than you would expect.
Tamiya Honda Ballade Sports Mugen CR-X Pro 51467 Lightweight 84363
This is one of the best bodies for M-Chassis.. also its a FWD sports car so it even makes sense if you want to run it on the M07...
Tamiya Honda Ballade Sports Mugen CR-X Pro 51467 Lightweight 84363
This is one of the best bodies for M-Chassis.. also its a FWD sports car so it even makes sense if you want to run it on the M07...
Tamiya Eunos Roadster -47309- Lightweight 47434
Tamiya Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA Club version 51729 STD 84125

A great looking shell. There is also the non club version. Its the same but with less stickers..
Tamiya Suzuki Jimny (JB23)
A great looking shell. There is also the non club version. Its the same but with less stickers..
Tamiya Suzuki Jimny (JB23)
The long wheelbase setting provides the most stability for the M-chassis cars. It makes the car easier to drive but if you have tight and twisty infield track sections you may lose out to the M-Chassis cars that run a shorter wheelbase. It must be noted, that because of the wheelbase, some of the longer shells are about the same actual length as 1/10 onroad cars.
Tamiya MINI JCW Coupe 51489 lightweight 84364
One of the best looking and also a great handling body. I just hope Tamiya and BMW make up sometime and bring us these classic shells.. and a BMW i8 one as well.
Tamiya Alfa Romeo MiTo 51404 lightweight 84148
Tamiya made several bodykits for this, in black, yellow and silver.. Maybe it was popular in Japan. It's not too bad in the handling stakes.
Tamiya Mazda Demio / Mazda 2 51591
Tamiya Mini Cooper S 2006 51335
Tamiya NSU TT Jägermeister 51594
Tamiya Toyota Yaris GR 51656 lightweight 47463
A fantastic handling shell, it has a good front end and whilst it is tall, it is still lower than most. It is excellent in the lightweight version, although like all lightweight M-Chassis bodies, it is hard to find.
Note this can fit a MF-01X but the rear bumper will protrude past the back of the shell..
Here is a version I made for collecting cars and Tamiya :)
Tamiya Ford Escort Mk.II Rally 51658
A beautiful scale shell. I would pair it with an M08 for the ultimate fast ford experience :) I reviewed this on the MF01X (Click link here)
Tamiya Citroen 2CV Charlston 51605
Tamiya Citroen 2CV Rally 51657
Tamiya Volkswagen Golf Mk.II Rally 51706
The Golf rally on the M06, the rear of the shell rests on the rear of the chassis, so it does rub the paint off. It may even bow it our a little.
Tamiya Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) 51616
This classic shell is also available as a flower power version (basically a different decal set, but I have not really seen that available as a separate body.
Tamiya Fiat 131 Abarth Rally Olio 51710
Tamiya Suzuki Swift Sport 58679
Tamiya Volkswagen Beetle 84185
There is also a Rally version of the VW beetle that comes with a MF01X chassis. The body kit does not seem to be available separately.
Tamiya BMW Z3 Roadster 50848
Tamiya Honda S2000 50836
Tamiya Nissan S13 51496 Lightweight 84313
Tamiya Mercedes Benz SLK 50756
Tamiya Mercedes Benz G 320 Cabrio 50635
Tamiya Porsche Boxster 50754
Tamiya Porsche 911 Carrera 50774
Tamiya RX-7 Savanna (1st Gen Body) 51451
Tamiya Opel Kadett GT/E 51727
Phew.. so there you have over 30 years of Tamiya bodies.. I will keep updating this list when new bodies come out. Again, thanks for the help, if you spot any mistakes please message me..
That's the best M-chassis body shell review. I spend so much time comparing bodies for different wheelbases. Thank you
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