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For those of you who passed on the first run ragtop looking for that signature hardtop look that epitomized the acme of the muscle car genre, the folks at Lane's Exact Detail Replicas have delivered this beautiful hardtop coupe in the identical Cranberry Red with Black accent stripes that features a saddle tan interior. Totally lacking in chrome accents and sporting the wasp waist, flared fender style first employed in the century series of supersonic jet fighters, this car always look like it's lunging off the line even when it's in a supermarket parking lot.
Well, just like the ragtop, this car sports great paint with sharply defined accent stripes that run right across the nicely detailed operating flapper door for the cowl induction. It has that great aggressive stance sitting on those "SS" centered 5-spoke Magnum wheels shod with Goodyear Polyglas F70s. Pop open the hood that operates smoothly on arc hinges and you'll find a an engine bay crammed with detailed performance. The 450hp 454cid monster is fed by a Holley 4bbl and this model is fully plumbed and wired down to the battery cables. Also modeled are individual flexible belts, brakelines,washer hose and flapper door linkage.
Unlike the converible this model has the Muncie 4-speed trans with console mounted shifter. The interior is quite well done. The dash is beautifully replicated. The medium brown carpeting has a nicely scaled pile. The folding front seats are accented with chromed trim, and the console has chromed shift gate with legible shift pattern. Impessive detail extends to the embossed door sills with the "Body by Fisher" logo and an outstanding set of seatbelts. Oddly missing are the articulated sun visors which were present in the convertible model. As to the upholstery, which is identical to the convertible but painted saddle over the black plastic, the color appears off. It has an olive drab component to it that makes it more like Panzer Yellow than saddle. Perhaps it is a product of saddle being sprayed over black.
The undercarriage is first rate although lacking in functional suspension. I like the little touches like the crimping in the exhaust system where the bends were made.
The trunk contains a full spare secured with jack stand, the patterned vinyl liner and the rest of the interior is in proper black with light blue speckling. The rear is as awesome as the front with accurate framed lenses, great chrome and delicate panel trim with the 3-D "SS" badge. Convertible or hardtop, your choice will be a winner. This is the best model of arguably the best muscle car Detroit ever produced.
(11/26/2004)
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