Model: 1987 Corvette
Release: Corvette Cologne gift set
Ebay link: Matchbox Corvette Cologne
Why I am featuring it: Like music, models often remind us of a particular place and time. When I look at this black Matchbox Corvette, I can’t help but think of where I bought it – from a basket of loose, bagged, surplus stock in a small-town toy shop in New Zealand in 2003. We were on a backpacking trip at the time and travelling very light, but that didn’t stop me picking up a few cars along the way! This one went into the backpack along with a red Volkswagen Concept 1 advertising a Maryland VW repair shop called Mark I VWs.
Both the VW and the Corvette were leftover models from different promotions and had been dumped into the market. Quite how they ended up in a remote town on NZ’s South Island I’m not sure, but surplus stock often turns up in obscure places. It’s part of the fun of hunting. As the tampo print on the hood suggests, the Corvette originally came in a 1997 gift pack with a bottle of cologne. Also available were a red 1997 Corvette coupe and a black Grand Sport.
The Matchbox MB204 1987 Corvette was already a nice casting but this Premiere-based cologne issue is super-detailed. The wheels are a little oversized, so it rides too high, but the interior is fantastic. Best of all, like most of the underrated Premiere models, it can still be found pretty cheaply.
