Four-Door Vette (OOB)

[Faust]

If you believe that too much is never enough, then you can probably understand what GM was thinking when they let California Custom Coach create what is perhaps the most excessive Corvette of all time, the four-door Corvette America! The idea was to create a four-door, four-seater Corvette that would, uh, well, I don’t know what. It would be long, and expensive, and not really compete with any other sporty car since it was slow. Does that work?

 Because I love the losers, the odd and forgotten, I clearly have a super-big love of this weirdo. I mean, it’s a FOUR-DOOR Corvette!!! How much more forgotten loser does it get than that??? I consider it a miracle that Monogram got suckered into making a kit of this thing, and I consider it an even bigger miracle that I was able to snag one for like, $10 still sealed a couple of years ago.

 Of course, I could have just sold it, but I really do like the Corvette America, and that means I had to pop it out of the box and revel in all the late ‘70s bad ideas I could handle. Lucky for you guys, I also decided to share it! (That makes you lucky, right?)

 Check out this completely bonkers Vette at the link below, and remember: it was the ‘70s. If that’s not an excuse, it’s at least an explanation!

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/monogram-1-24-1980-corvette-america-oob/

 

Edited July 14, 2020 by Faust

[Snake45]

If I had one of those and was seized by the urge to build it, I'd give a lot of thought to going ahead and making it a station wagon....

[Spottedlaurel]

An enjoyable read. I stumbled across an older topic on here for the very same kit:

This is a model I would like to build again someday, and I even described it just the other day as one of my Holy Grail kits.

I did mine when I was about 14 (so quite a long time ago), with the orange bodywork unpainted. The wheels are being used on another project and the rest of it is in the parts/scrap box. It's gone beyond the point where I could ever rebuild it.

Certainly a rarity here in the UK, but I'm sure one will turn up eventually.

[Casey]

3 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

An enjoyable read. I stumbled across an older topic on here for the very same kit

Also...:

 

[sfhess]

You could always stretch one to make Casanova Frankenstein's ride.....

[Faust]

I'm surprised there are than many people writing about this kit! I didn't think anyone would have one!

The Wagon would likely look cool. If it was 1/25,  you could bash it with the "Vette Van" from MPC. However, maybe something from one of the K-wagon T/A kits would fit? That'd be wild! 

I do want to build it, though. I think it would be great to take it to a show and then see people's reactions when they realize it's not a custom. Well, not a custom in the sense that it's an original idea kitbashed by me!

[Snake45]

24 minutes ago, Faust said:

The Wagon would likely look cool. If it was 1/25,  you could bash it with the "Vette Van" from MPC. However, maybe something from one of the K-wagon T/A kits would fit? That'd be wild! 

I'd just do it with sheet styrene. 

[LDO]

I had that model years ago. I also saw one the real cars on the street around 1980. It was in or near the town of Hartsville, South Carolina. 

[Faust]

Wow... you got to see one in person, Lee? That's amazing! 

I never thought of just making it from styrene, Richard! Other than some flat plate stuff, I don't really have the skills for that, so it never crossed my mind. 

Did anyone ever make a kit of the Vega wagon that WASN'T a dragster?

[Daddyfink]

26 minutes ago, Faust said:

 

Did anyone ever make a kit of the Vega wagon that WASN'T a dragster?

No, only the two door. I thought for sure they would make one since they did it with the Pinto. 

 

[Bucky]

I have the 4 door Vette kit, but I haven't opened it. This is tempting me to rip cellophane!

[Faust]

24 minutes ago, Bucky said:

I have the 4 door Vette kit, but I haven't opened it. This is tempting me to rip cellophane!

DO IT!

Wait, that was the devil on my shoulder crying that out! Well, him and the part of me that hates to leave models sealed!

I guess it depends if you want to build it, or at least revel in the weirdness of the plastic, or want to resell it later. I'd think one still sealed would be valuable, but I never buy kits just to resell them later. 

[Bucky]

Me, neither, even though I have sent some on their way in the last few months.

Building it may come later, as I have about ten on the go at the moment! LoL

[64Comet404]

Adam, if you are looking for a set of whitewall tires, they are available in the Revell Yenko '69 Corvette kit. Same tires as the Corvette America, but with lettering removed and tamponed-printed whitewalls in place. Hope this helps!

[Faust]

Ah! Thank you, ken! I appreciate it! 

I'll have to see about picking one of those up cheap somewhere, then! 

 

[Dale Gribble]

I built this one a few years back from a gluebomb

[Motor City]

Next is a review of the Avanti II four-door! ? (yes, some 1:1 were made)

[Howard Cohen]

I built that many years ago as a police car, black and white. I looked at it recently and I think it needs rebuilding   Just think, Porsche brought out a 4 door and people bought lots of them. Maybe Chevrolet was just ahead of the curve  

 

P.S. ... I just signed up for your blog

[randyc]

What if you combined the Tom Daniels Vette with this one?  Just a thought...

[Snake45]

59 minutes ago, randyc said:

What if you combined the Tom Daniels Vette with this one?  Just a thought...

Hmmmmm. Would it be double-ugly, or ugly squared? 

Ironically, even as we speak, I'm awaiting delivery of a Tom Daniel Vette I bought on eBay last week. I also bought a near-complete, restorable-ish glue bomb at the local toy show last year. I'm not a huge fan of the car, as I think he went a bit over the top with the reptile-like scales and all, but something draws me to it, and it was a real car after all. My plan is to rebuild one of them to "stock" TD configuration, and then take the leftover parts and see what I can do to improve it and make it more to my liking and tastes. They should look interesting together. 

[randyc]

1 minute ago, Snake45 said:

Hmmmmm. Would it be double-ugly, or ugly squared? 

Ironically, even as we speak, I'm awaiting delivery of a Tom Daniel Vette I bought on eBay last week. I also bought a near-complete, restorable-ish glue bomb at the local toy show last year. I'm not a huge fan of the car, as I think he went a bit over the top with the reptile-like scales and all, but something draws me to it, and it was a real car after all. My plan is to rebuild one of them to "stock" TD configuration, and then take the leftover parts and see what I can do to improve it and make it more to my liking and tastes. They should look interesting together. 

I remember the Tom Daniels kits from my early years as a modeler.   Kid across the street and I would plan what we'd buy so we each had different kits.   Build and play.  We didn't build if we couldn't play.   And wee kept EVERYTHING.  66 galaxie with glue blobbed parts from a 50 something car?  no problem.  When they got too far out of hand - firecracker time.  

An "improved" version will be nice to see.   Looking forward to it.

[Mike999]

Another great write-up!  Looking forward to the build.

Not long ago, I came SO close to building one of these.  It's weird and ugly, so right in my ballpark.  I found the kit at a local flea market for $10.  The box was dirty and water-stained, but the kit inside was complete and in perfect condition. 

For some reason I changed my mind about building it. Like you, I went and researched the real cars. Maybe that killed my enthusiasm.  I don't know, but I put it back in the box and recently sold it on eBay.  I asked $34.99 "Buy It Now" + shipping and a buyer grabbed it right away.  Mint, shrink-wrapped examples seem to go for about $40.  The Corvette America kit doesn't come up all that often on eBay.   

[Faust]

Dale:

Those rims be pimpin'!!! They sure suit that car. Nice job! 

See, I love Panameras, too, where most people hate them, so I really dig the Corvette America. Done a bit differently, it could have been quite cool. As it is, it's a bit weird, but in a "Hmm.... oddd" kinda way. 

Oh my Lord... That Tom Daniels vette is AMAZING. I'm serious! It is freaking awesome! It fixes all the failings of that generation of Vette! Is that thing being reissued? God... I've GOT to get one of those. Seriously, one of the coolest Vette customs ever. Much better than Turbo Shark or Demon Vette (yes, they're the same car, I know)!

A four Door Daniels Vette would necessitate a change of pants for me, for sure! 

[Oldcarfan27]

Some much needed reference material:

While I hated it when I was a kid, a friend of mine had a kit built up on his shelf and I never forgot it. Years later, I stumbled across one sealed for $5 and something clicked - where am I going to find another one? Someday I may build it, but for now, it's a flashback to my childhood. 

Snake, I like your idea of making it a wagon. I might like to do a Monkeemobile-type phaeton, convertible top and all!

After all these years, it's kinda grown on me. At least it's complete in its execution, not a mish-mash of various parts, like this disaster....

[Ace-Garageguy]