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1982 turned out to be the swan song of the Corvette "Mako Shark" body style, a fourteen-year run begun in 1968 and rivaled only by the next generation's thirteen-year life span. This model saw Corvette through the troubled, gas-starved '70s and a drastic drop-off in performance. Yet, in spite of it all, by 1982 Corvette had grown into a stylish, personalized statement of sporty luxury, with performance beginning to make a comeback. Further gains would be left to the next generation 1984 Corvette, which debuted early in March of 1983 as a replacement for the canceled '83 model year.
For those of you who don't want to pony up the big bucks for the now discontinued Special Edition, the regular version looks really sharp in Spectra Red. The tinted, lift-out roof panels give it an elegant touch (mine fit just fine). The wheel treatment also looks good, replicating the same wheels carried over from the 1981 model year instead of the '63 knockoffs on the S. E. If memory serves, this is the first FM Corvette die cast to sport a working suspension. As Jay Engel says in his S. E. review, FM showed a dedication to design details on this fine image. $90 seems like a more than reasonable price for FM's tribute to this end-of-a-generation sports coupe. It's a key car in any definitive Corvette collection. (07/29/1999)
Additions by Jay Olins & Rolf Krueger: This replica is distinguished from the earlier issue by its color, Spectra Red, and the fact that, as in the actual car, the rear window does not open. Only the Collectors Edition hatch opened, a precursor to the standard equipment feature offered in the 1984 model changeover. The wheels on the Sport Coupe are "polished aluminum," contrasted with the painted "cast aluminum" wheels on the Collectors Edition. (06/26/1998)
(07/29/1999)
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