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Randy May just might be my new hero. He sweated bullets over commissioning TFM to do this flight of fancy. Then once done, he fawned over it like the proud papa he has such a deserved right to be. Christmas or Holiday Season, whichever you care to name it, never looked or felt so good. Personally, I was like a kid on December 25th, opening expected, but never prepared-for gifts, when I unveiled this incredibly marvelous little Santa’s Corvette model. Everything about it will make you smile. Forget the gift-giving season and completely give in to its marvelous majesty and whimsically miniature magic. You’ll be a better person for it, trust me. Randy took FM’s fiberglass ’57 Corvette and transformed it into Santa’s Sleigh Ride Roadster. My gosh, you can even pose a red nose on the front of the car, via a small magnet, ala Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer.
The essence of the model is a gorgeous ’57 Corvette Fuelie. And though you won’t find Tinsel Green Metallic in any of the Corvette color stat books, much less the Santa Suit Red interior, the Jolly Old Elf wouldn’t drive it any other way. I’m betting it took some special order to get Chevy to ship this one-off up to the North Pole. Randy played his part in it too and had the side cove and trunk scripts made of chrome metal foil. Crossed flag emblems were likewise made. The wheels are body color, even the removable spare and to complete the ‘look’ Randy fashioned up personalized plates, front and rear. The chassis has all the accoutrements necessary to set this apart from lesser precision diecasts. The trunk features a separate floor mat, spare cover and houses the limited edition plate.
In the cockpit of Santa’s machine is a color scheme fitting the special occasion for which he uses it. Frosty White carpet covers the floor. The seats and dashboard are in the aforementioned red with a green steering wheel and matching dash top. The color process carries over to the opening top panel revealing the stowed drop top simulation. Speaking of which; Randy had FM fabricate both a soft top in Frosty White and a hard top in Tinsel Green. Their fit is snug and tight. Santa’s locomotion comes by way of V-8 power. Not sure if it is rated in horse or reindeer. But with the Rochester fuel injection unit measuring out the “Go” Santa won’t miss his rounds. Fuel lines, plug wires, hoses and cabling are superb! We get a red nose to light Santa’s way; it’s held on to the metal front emblem by a tiny magnet.
We also get three brightly wrapped holiday gift parcels and a Santa hat. It is gorgeous, with no traces of chimney soot. There’s an extra-cost option, to be had too, the “Deluxe Edition” set. It comes with a “Department 56” “Santa’s Sleigh Maker” shop, a model sleigh and the designer at the drawing desk. You also get evergreen trees with working lights! For us collectors who buy these little cars, this is a perfect pay back for our spouses for Christmas. Relax; you’ll absolutely fall in love with it too. You can order from the Hightower Collectibles website: http://www.santascorvette.com or by phone at: 719-548-1706 Price: $145. plus shipping and handling.
(11/03/2007)
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