Interesting article on Farrah’s Foxy Vette

[BlackSheep214]

I came across this article about Farrah’s Foxy Vette kit over at FSM forums. Remember that one? Anyway, here’s the article:

 

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/amt-1-25-farrahs-foxy-vette-oob/

 

Here’s the box cover of the kit:

 

 

[keyser]

Funny. The Eckler came out after the Foxy Vette. And the stock side pipes remained on tree with the new ones. Pretty sure car built in 74 or so. Camaro taillights used per articles then, though may have been same as Monza. I think author is member here. 

[Can-Con]

23 minutes ago, keyser said:

Funny. The Eckler came out after the Foxy Vette. And the stock side pipes remained on tree with the new ones. Pretty sure car built in 74 or so. Camaro taillights used per articles then, though may have been same as Monza. I think author is member here. 

They're definitely Monza tail lights.  Camaro ones were taller and not as long. 

[Mark]

The kit is based on AMT's '69-'77 Corvette annual kits ('68 was a different one).  So this kit (and the Eckler 'Vette) were designed together, and came out after the '77 kit.

Actually neither kit is 100% correct.  The Eckler car is pictured on and in a few of their catalogs (I have one of them).  The wheels on the 1:1 car are Corvette knockoff wheels, or maybe the '67 bolt-on version of same.  The interior is stock, AMT put their efforts into the body alterations.

Unfortunately the rear hatch is a separate piece.  AMT was doing that at the time (their Mustang II and Pinto kits also have it).  Best to attach it to the body, closed, to keep everything straight.

Barris was doing these deals where he'd "give" the celebrity a "free" car.  The paperwork the person signed for the "free car" included them signing over the rights to let Barris put another, identical car on the show circuit, and gave him the marketing rights for the kit.  He roped John Travolta in around the same time, Revell did a kit of "his" Firebird.  I've seen stories about other celebrities that turned down the "free car".

[BlackSheep214]

When I recently looked at the tail end of the Vette, I knew the tail lights had to be either Camaro or Monza. I thought the same of the Camaro lenses. Too tall and long, so it had to be from the Monza. 

I do recall seeing that kit in the 70s but I cannot remember if I had got it too. I do remember doing the Charlie’s Angels van kit more than Farrah’s Foxy Vette kit though....

Back then, it looked like a cool kit to buy since we as teens, had posters of Farrah in our bedrooms. LOL! They were targeted to appeal to teen boys who did build models back then. 

One poster mentioned the Travolta Trans Am. I remember that kit when it came out. So many kits from television shows were the rage every now and then. A-Team van, Fonzie’s motorcycle, 240 Robert police helio and truck (?), Sweathogs car, CHiPs motorcycle, Airwolf helio, Riptide Vette, Movin’ On Semi, Start Trek, Lost in Space Robot, original Batman car, etc...

 

Movies kits were also popular then from Star Wars, Batman,  to Fast and Furious.

[Mark]

I'm pretty sure Eckler sold the Monza taillight rear bumper cap as used on the Foxy Vette.  They definitely sold all of the flares, and the hatch conversion, as used on the Eckler version.

If you swap front and rear bumper caps, the Eckler hatch 'Vette can be built without the flares (would look pretty good too).  The flares fit other 'Vette bodies too: I've got an MPC '75 convertible in the works with those, didn't take much to get them to fit.  It's surprising how close some of those 'Vette bodies are, despite having been designed years apart by different companies.

[webestang]

Real one sold at Barrett a few years ago. 

 

https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2016/01/05/farrah-fawcetts-foxy-vette-to-be-offered-at-barrett-jackson/

 

Dig that shag..........

[BlackSheep214]

Carpeting on dashboard top surface, shaggy rotary telephone... shag carpet everywhere. Vacuuming that interior gotta be a b**** to do every time you drive it. Might as well drive barefoot. LOLOL!

[Mark]

That's one of the two, the one Farrah had.  Supposedly, she only drove it a few times.  Barris built two, the other made the rounds at car shows.  Probably got reworked into something else by a later owner.

I don't recall seeing it at the ISCA show in my area, but I do remember seeing the Travolta Firebird.  I can picture it now, he wants to just get away from it all, so he hops into his Firebird with "Travolta Fever" plastered across the hood...

[Can-Con]

The wheels on the real car weren't stock Vette wheels, too wide.

From the number of spokes and how they come to the edge of the rim, I'd say they're Western Cyclone I wheels. 

 

Other companies made very similar wheels but I found this pic on line and if you zoom in on the wheel you can see the Western Wheels "W" logo on the spinner.

Edited September 18, 2021 by Can-Con

[Daddyfink]

20 hours ago, keyser said:

Funny. The Eckler came out after the Foxy Vette. And the stock side pipes remained on tree with the new ones. Pretty sure car built in 74 or so. Camaro taillights used per articles then, though may have been same as Monza. I think author is member here. 

This kit was issued in 1978 and the  Eckler Version in 1977

 

 

Edited September 18, 2021 by Daddyfink

[vamach1]

21 hours ago, webestang said:

Real one sold at Barrett a few years ago. 

 

https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2016/01/05/farrah-fawcetts-foxy-vette-to-be-offered-at-barrett-jackson/

 

Dig that shag..........

Groovy baby.  Actually the interior is hideous. 

Edited September 19, 2021 by vamach1

[Daddyfink]

14 minutes ago, vamach1 said:

Groovy baby.  Actually the interior is hideous. 

Barris schlockery at its finest! 

I am always baffled why people stuck to that "King of the Customizers" bit that he perpetrated himself! 

[BlackSheep214]

I remember that Eckler Vette kit! I built that one in my youth years.

15 hours ago, Daddyfink said:

This kit was issued in 1978 and the  Eckler Version in 1977

 

 

I built that kit in my early teen years! Man, I completely forgot about that one. I think I’m going to make a list for myself of all the car kits I’ve done from the mid 70s right up until around the mid to late 80s. 

[Rob Hall]

I got the Eckler's reissue years ago..I did like the headlight treatment.  IIRC, didn't Revell do the Travolta Firebird? 

[Oldcarfan27]

2 hours ago, Daddyfink said:

Hideous and absolutely tacky. I'll bet Travolta was never even seen in this beast! Wasn't this before "Urban Cowboy"? What the "H" is the saddle there for? Indiscretionary seating, perhaps?

He even swapped in a cheapy aftermarket steering wheel for the quality original.

[Can-Con]

2 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

Hideous and absolutely tacky. I'll bet Travolta was never even seen in this beast! Wasn't this before "Urban Cowboy"? What the "H" is the saddle there for? Indiscretionary seating, perhaps?

He even swapped in a cheapy aftermarket steering wheel for the quality original.

Na, Urban cowboy came out in '80 so I'm pretty sure that's what the cowboy theme is all about. 

I wonder if this car seen in "The Jerk" is the same car? Makes more sense with this paintjob.

[Pic doesn't want to show up for me so here's a link]

https://www.imcdb.org/v002521.html

Edited September 19, 2021 by Can-Con

[Daddyfink]

32 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

Na, Urban cowboy came out in '80 so I'm pretty sure that's what the cowboy theme is all about. 

I wonder if this car seen in "The Jerk" is the same car? Makes more sense with this paintjob.

[Pic doesn't want to show up for me so here's a link]

https://www.imcdb.org/v002521.html

From Dave's Show Rods 

This is from Ron Fortunato, who used to work with both Barris and Roth:

I was at Barris Kustom when the "Travolta Fever" Firebird was built. Right next to it, George Barris built a duplicate Kustom Firebird at the same time, only with a high-rise hood scoop, and painted in kandy pearl gold and kandy brown pearl paint. This Barris Kustom was constructed for Steve Martin, for his use in the movie "The Jerk".

All of this caused me to get excited and buy a brand new black '80 Firebird, that I wish I still owned! I gave that new car to my wife,and years later to my daughter, who finally sold it! I also built one of those John Travolta kits back then, later giving it to my little daughter, who not surprisingly used it for a toy, which has long since vanished also! I wish I had that back too!

http://www.showrods.com/showrod_pages/travoltas_firebird.html

[Mark]

Back then I wanted a Firebird like James Garner drove in the Rockford Files.  Then the sleek '77-'78 was restyled into that hideous '79.  

Garner agreed with me, he didn't like the '79 either.  I think he drove a GMC Caballero in the last handful of episodes.

[Tabbysdaddy]

Oh that's why the shaker hood scoop is in the reissue, I didn't realize they changed the hood. 

[slusher]

On 9/19/2021 at 3:11 PM, Mark said:

Back then I wanted a Firebird like James Garner drove in the Rockford Files.  Then the sleek '77-'78 was restyled into that hideous '79.  

Garner agreed with me, he didn't like the '79 either.  I think he drove a GMC Caballero in the last handful of episodes.

I really liked his Firebird and the color and interior looked great. Rocky’s GMC was sharp also. …

[Oldcarfan27]

Sorry Farrah, this discussion took a turn.

[Snake45]

I had/have one of those Farah's Vette kits. 

I say had/have because I had a new, sealed, never-opened copy of the kit stored with a few dozen others in a shed behind my garage. Somehow water got into that shed and ruined the boxes of about a half-dozen of them. This was one of those. I think I saved all the plastic but the box, decals, and instructions were toast (or whatever the soggy, moldy, rotted equivalent of "toast" is). Ah shucks oh well. 

[keyser]

Gluten free organic toast?

[BlackSheep214]

Ouch!!