I do believe this may have been a dealer promo item. My Father was service manager at Benson Chevrolet in Brooklyn N.Y. for most of his life. From around 1950 to the mid 1980s. I had, as a kid the 1956 Kiddy Corvette pedal car. ( My Mom threw it away when I out grew it) and a lot of other Chevrolet stuff like the original Zora record and games from Chevrolet. I also remember having a 1954 Corvette model. It was larger then the 1/18 scale models now available. It had a jack, wheels that came off and a battery you could put water in. My uncle who was a mechanic at that same dealership also had the same model. Mom threw mine out, but my uncle kept his for many years. I remember seeing his on his China Closet when I would visit. My cousins remember it also, and for years they have tried to locate it. They believe their Father gave it to someone in Brooklyn, but no one seems to know who.. My question is, does anybody recall such a model car?
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Re: 1954 Corvette 1/16 scale model
Metal or plastic? Lots of eBay entries. Here is one in plastic. Wrong scale, though.
You had a good dad. Mom? Not sure. Seemed to be a neat person, though. -
Re: 1954 Corvette 1/16 scale model
It was all plastic. It was almost more of a toy since it came with jack and battery. It was very large. Bigger then the 1/18 scale medal stuff. It was already assembled. And yes, Mom a a neat freak. And Dad was with his cars. Every thing had to be fixed perfect. No short cuts.Comment
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Re: 1954 Corvette 1/16 scale model
Walter, I remember receiving a Corvette model for Christmas in either '54 or '55. Scale was as you describe, it was about 1 ft. long as I recall and had operational doors & hood. Also had operational headlights using a single 1.5 volt "D" cell. Don't remember it having a jack, but that was a few years ago! I have never seen another like it at any flea markets, etc. so, assume it was not a commercially produced toy. Don't remember what happened to it, but it definitely did not survive a big family move in 1957.
Phil M.Comment
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Re: 1954 Corvette 1/16 scale model
Did the underside look like this? This one was made in Spain. (Not sure this will come through. I am on my tablet.)Comment
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Re: 1954 Corvette 1/16 scale model
Both Hubley and ITC (Ideal Toy Corporation) made large-scale 1954 Corvette models such as you describe (I have a couple of examples of each). The Hubley one had a metal body, so it sounds like you are describing the Ideal version. They are becoming increasingly difficult to find, especially complete with all parts and accessories.Last edited by David R.; July 1, 2017, 03:04 PM.Comment
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Re: 1954 Corvette 1/16 scale model
That sound like it. I thrilled some others remember such a model.Comment
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Re: 1954 Corvette 1/16 scale model
I put in Idea toy company 54 Corvette into google and I believe you are correct. This is the model. The jack and battery maybe from another toy I had. I believe it may have been a 1950's Cadillac. This was over 50 years ago so I may have been confusing it with the Caddy. I believe it sold on E-bay for $448.00.Comment
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Re: 1954 Corvette 1/16 scale model
I bought one of the Ideal kits at Bloomington Gold about 10 years ago. The original box was junk but the car was perfect. I assembled it and the headlights work as they are supposed to. I had one of these "back in the day" as well, but it was a Rayco version that came with some flame decals and material you could use to cover the seats. (Rayco was a seat cover manufacturer) The box art was different than the Ideal one. The seats are molded in clear on mine, the body is white. No room for a spare tire as when the trunk is opened there is an electric motor that takes up a part of the tire tub. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow.Comment
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