Ragtop Man

There ya' go... That is great. Now if the 3D verse can come up with a GMC 270...!

Box art just grabbed me, and it followed me home! Looking forward to an A-B comparison with the AFX. Resisting the urge to blow up my Craftsman '64 and make a monument to overcomplicateditis.

I have a '68-9 annual and I don't recall the v-top. Purchased in the early '70s, before any re-releases... now I gotta go back and look.

Has the 3Dverse contemplated this one, yet? Seems like a natural. Your rendering has a great look!

That is a beeeeeautiful build! Box art quality, surgically clean. Is there a Hobby Design (or other brand?) photo etch wire wheel that is correct for the 250 GT cars? I know there is a set for the Testa Rossa and GTO... pretty sure I have both. Appreciate any tifosi input!

If you have ever seen a 1:1 ... it is boxy and broad shouldered, which was an intention of the original designers. The dated custom wheels are the only thing really holding it back; it is infinitely more compelling with the Torq-Thrusts available in one of the Monogram 1/24s - or the surprisingly good Cragar SS in the '78 Elco. Engine wise, if it was any more Pontiac, it would be leaking oil and boiling the starter cable (do not ask me how I know this, lmao.) The single greatest drawback is the 1/24 scale, but if you don't give a RF about that, it practically snaps together. Should you decide to be an utter delinquent, I've seen a few bashed with the 1/24 '66 Chevelle SM, ( cos that's the way uh-huh I like it.) Future plans for the few in my stash involve body being draped over a 1/24 Monogram NA$CAR chassis... snagging a correct Ferrari GTO engine and committing utter heresy (you should see where the Pontiac is going) and finishing the replica of the '64 owned by the guy who did me a major solid on my 421 engine purchase. I did one many years ago that is still one of my faves, promise to look for pics this week to share.

Awwh heck yes. I'd think the Monogram Cab on a go-to straight rail chassis (Louisville, Opel Blitz?) would get you pretty close.

Madonn Mia! That is a gorgeous Mustang.

And just to pound the nail ALL THE WAY THROUGH the board... this: http://www.shelbyforums.com/threads/how-to-tell-original-10-spoke-wheels.8932/ Even more detail on the 10-spoke, for which MANY versions are noted. I'd settle for one good one!

There's never really been a bang-on 10-spoke that I recall from any Shelby kit. There is a new 3D version now that are quite good, I need to learn how to bookmark better to save them! The really GOOD '66 Shelby wheel is the "Starburst" that was original to the '68 Shelby kit (with the record) that continued through the "Modern Classic" where the wheelbacks were deepend for the hollow Goodyear tires. "Sknakebite" retooled these, and IMHO, ruined them. This, per Hemmings.com - Actually, according to some sources, the aluminum wheels now often referred to as “10-spokes” originally came almost as a consolation. The original 1965 G.T. 350 was basically a race car sold off the showroom floor; that was what made it fantastic and miserable all at once. Many consumers thought they wanted a race car, but soon realized that what we now refer to as NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) was too much for regular street use. The ’66 model G.T. 350 looked very similar, but was toned down both to lower the production cost and to make the car more appealing to a broader audience. Among the items to go were the 15-inch wheels, at least in part because the spare, which had been mounted under the rear window in the area where the backseat had been, would be returning to the trunk in 1966. Allegedly, the ’66 10-spoke aluminum wheels, which measured 14×6.5 inches, were a means of making the smaller tires seem more appealing. The design of the wheels was quite different from the five-spoke wheels becoming popular with hot rodders, thanks largely to Cragar, which had provided the optional 15-inch wheels for Shelby in 1965, and American Racing, which produced the Torq-Thrust that was becoming a road race favorite for American cars. The multi-spoked Shelby wheels provided lots of open space to enhance brake cooling, and in theory, the design would provide exceptional strength. The optional 14-inch aluminum 10-spokes cost $267 for the ’66 model year, and were sourced from Shelby. The unusual design seemed to draw its roots from exotic road racers, with a hint of the functional beauty that the AC Cobra’s Halibrand wheels provided, and maybe even a touch of inspiration from the GT-40 program. When the redesigned 1967 Shelby Mustangs debuted, 15-inch wheels returned, and a new 10-spoke, now measuring 15×7 inches, was offered. The 15-inch version was again sourced from Shelby, though another 15-inch wheel–the Magstar–was also offered and produced by Kelsey-Hayes. The new 10-spoke featured a cleaner design than the first, with spokes that led straight from the center to the rim, only curving outward at their furthest points, and detailed with a cleanly machined spoke facing.

Don Holthaus used to sell a Cyclone body sans side trim, as well as a full resin kit of same. They were really good looking cars for the era, IIRC the '63-4 Mercs and Comets were the last of the George W. Walker-authored mid-century designs, before Mercury went very formal under his successor Bordinat.

The other part bonanza for the Fiat (or any of the other Keeler Kreations) would be the "Miss Deal" / "Skorpion" Stude FC kit. That tool is the final resting place for most of the remaining Revell hot rod parts packs, including the Hemi, one of the best ever rendered in scale. Would love to see if anyone has created a street Topolino from the melange of Revell and AMT hot rod parts packs / gen 1 gasser kits (Anglia, Willys) Spent a few nights grokking the Fiat body with the AMT '25T chassis, then put everything back to the shelf... some day.

I've picked up and sold off a few of these over the years... try as I might, they just didn't get the corpuscles pumping for me. That said, I am curious about how one of the bodies would drop over a Monogram '80s Bronco or F-150 'bullnose' 4WD chassis?

That distinctive 'phart' exhaust sound of the S10-engined mail truck would wake our beloved dog Rosie out of a hard slumber, and send her racing to the door to scarf the treats from our mail carrier. For as much grief as the longitudinal 4-cylinder base engine in the S-10 accrued, they sure seemed to last a long time.

Also, Halberstam was the only one who got DeLorean's dismissal from GM correct. Turns out that very innovative antenna in the windshield of the Grand Prix (subject of an award winning campaign for Pontiac) had a big stockholder in direct conflict of interest with company policy... (SFX: FINAL JEAPORDY INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYS) leading to the "I fired GM" cover story. Ironically, in the final chapter of his book "On a Clear Day" in his parting shot, he lays out the idea for an "Ethical Sports Car" that sounds exactly like the original brief for Fiero. Space frame, mid-engine design, body panels that would never dent or rust, light enough for good performance and excellent fuel economy... aye, we barely knew ye.