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What starts out as a C4 Corvette, ends up looking kind of like a Porsche, and costs more than a Ferrari? Why, a Callaway C 12, of course. Start with a C4 Corvette, make major improvements in the suspension, brakes, wheels and tires, tweak the small-block aluminum engine to add 95 horses and 70 pounds feet of torque, drop on a completely revamped body and interior, and - voila! You have a unique car that you have to remind yourself was once a C4 Corvette. Oh - and a bill approaching 180 grand. Definitely not your old man's Chevy!The second "Signature Edition" LE (3,500) image FM has done, the Callaway C 12 is a stunner. It's done in a dark, metallic blue, reminiscent of Corvette's Nassau Blue.The usual working features of a recent FM Corvette image are present, along with the usual under-hood and undercarriage detail.
But I personally find the interior to be a disappointment. First, the detail isn't as nice as in the '97, '98, or '99 Corvette images. It lacks precision and crispness. Second, the seats don't fold forward like the literature says. (You can BEND them forward, since they're soft plastic but they don't fold.) Third, why the heck did they choose such a pumpkin-orange color for the interior, especially since the top is black? Had they chosen a black, or dark gray interior, the car would have looked much more purposeful. Instead, it looks (interior-wise) like a Kaybee Toys $7.99 import. If I took delivery of a 1:1 with that interior, it'd definitely go right back to the factory. Oh, well - I suppose I'll have to focus on the killer exterior (along with Reeves Callaway's signature on the trunk). In spite of the way those cool silver inserts look in the contours behind the seat headrests, this one's a "top up" (to mute that Halloween interior) display piece.
I've seen the real C 12 and, with a dark interior, it looks as lean and mean as any Viper ever did. From the front it looks about eight feet wide and the aft end is beautifully sculpted. The Callaway C 12 is definitely engineered to be a world-beater. The package incudes a customized display case with specialized C12 graphics and drawer, Commemorative Callaway key fob and key, authentic Callaway dashboard plaque, authoritative literature & schematics on the C12,
Certificate of Authenticity hand-signed by Reeves Callaway and numbered to match the individual car, as well as the Callaway hand-signed diecast car itself. The issue price is $495.00 + $9.95 S&H.
*Editor's Note: Unsigned diecasts of the car exist. FM received the shipment of cars from China and hastened them to buyers before Reeves Callaway autographed them. Some, like me, received them unsigned and with limited accessories. FM called the early receivers to instruct how to return the car for Callaway's signature and the addition of related accessories. Some folks kept the model, speculating on its rarity, and some returned them to be given a different numbered car with the previously lacking goodies. There are also a few unsigned cars on the secondary market with no serial #'s at all. These were from a stock of 'replacement' models meant to replace damaged returns. T. Perrone 6/13/03
*Note 2 - This model is based on a C5 Corvette, not as the reviewer incorrectly surmised, a C4. T. Perrone 9/07.
(09/12/2001)
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