The Mini cooper was the first high performance RC car i got. Purchased may 1995, i bought it because i love Minis. I couldnt afford the Real one but the toy version was within my reach. The chassis is a Tamiya M-01 and front wheel drive(FF) just like the real one. The only upgrade was ball bearings and a slightly more powerful stock motor, other than that all else was stock.  Below on the left is the Mini with a monte-carlo body shell. The first bodyshell was deep-gream in colour but was destroyed in a crash  : (

Another view of the mini with the body shell removed

 
 

My first 4WD touring car was the Tamiya TA02 special racing chassis. Purchased somewhere march 1996, it comes with many of the hop-ups and accessories, all needed was ball-bearings, metal motor mount, FRP chassis + a decent body and one has a winner. I could not afford the FRP chassis but i almost had all the other cheaper hop-up parts.
 
 

Mini Cooper (M-01) Radio gear Sanwa M7 AM radio JR NES-511 steering servo Sanwa Bl Fighter  Other Hop-ups Ball-Bearings Sports-tuned motor Alu king pins  JR Linkages

TA02 Chassis Radio gear JR XR-3 JR DS-8455 steering servo Novak Tempest Max speed controller  Other Hop-ups Ball-bearings Sports-tuned motor Alu king pins Alu motor mount Rally bumper