(Find the Hot Wheels Boulevard Yenko Stinker on Ebay here and the Matchbox Bizzarrini here)
Writer’s block is defined by Oxford Languages as “the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.” My definition is probably a lot cruder than that, and with more swearing. It hits at the worst times, more often than not when you want to keep momentum, or when you’ve had a really strong run where you’ve found the words just flowing out. Mine hit hard not long after my last article. My head ground to a halt. Ideas bounded into my head but the words didn’t.
A blessing then, that it is the time of year where my wife and I return to her home island in Greece. There’s a big toy store near her home called “Moustakas”, a chain store in Greece. I always find the aisles are well stocked and beautifully presented and I always manage to leave with something. On my last trip snagged these two, and an article fell into my lap.
A pair of beautifully presented racers; one an unlikely warrior from the US race scene of the 1960s and one a direct copy of a beautiful European sports car of the same era. One a Hot Wheels, one a Matchbox.
The Hot Wheels Corvair Stinger is part of the premium Boulevard line and replicates one of Chevrolet supremo Don Yenko’s incredible creations.
The Corvair was never a vehicle renowned for it’s dynamic ability, even without the rather unfair criticism leveled at the model by Ralph Nader. But in 1965, Corvette racer Don Yenko saw an opportunity. His Corvette was becoming rapidly outclassed by the competition in the SCCA’s B Production class and in his own words he was “tired of seeing the back of Mark Donahue’s Mustang”. So instead of competing directly with Donahue and his GT350, Yenko instead chose to fight in the D Production class where the Triumph TR4 was the car to beat.
He began messing with a turbocharged Corvair Corsa model, pulling it apart and working his magic on the air-cooled, rear mounted flat-six and as many other components as he and his engineers could get their hands on. Stirling Moss drove the early “Corvair Bonanza” as it was initially called and was mightily impressed. Yenko aimed to get the car certified for the 1965 season but fell short, only getting the vehicle rubber stamped in November of that year. That left him in a bind: SCCA rules coming into effect in January 1966 demanded 100 road versions. Yenko had precisely none and only two months to meet the required figure. After working flat out through December, the Yenko crew managed to hit the target. The Yenko Corvair (now dubbed “Stinger”) was ready.
The car was available in five stages of tune: 160bhp, 190bhp, 220bhp and race only 240bhp (SCCA approved). A second race only pack was released in 1966, providing 250bhp for customers wanting even more power for unlimited events. The Stinger was immediately successful in the D Production class and by the end of the 1966 season, Jerry Thompson had won the Central Division Championship and placed fifth in the Nationals. Dick Thompson won the Northeast Division Championship, Jim Spencer the Central Division Championship, with fellow Stinger pilot Dino Milani taking second place. The Corvair only lasted a season however; Chevrolet and Yenko moved on in 1967 to focus on racing the new Camaro. But over 160 examples of the Stinger ended up being built, with road cars coming in coupe and convertible forms, almost all of them finished in the SCCA required white with blue stripes. The Yenko Stinger is a very collectible car and survivors demand high prices at auction. Jay Leno owns one, and indeed this casting originates from the Premium Jay Leno’s Garage line.
In the Boulevard colours it looks fabulous. The SCCA inspired warpaint is great although some of the trademark Hot Wheels pixellation is visible on some of the decals.
The proportions are accurate and I often found myself thinking just how cool this thing looked whilst I was snapping away. It’s got a mean stance and the Minilite-esque RR8SP wheels are the perfect fit.
It’s a great diecast to handle too given the added weight of a metal base, which is always a plus. I like a model to have some weight behind it as there’s a physical pleasure to handling something that feels substantial and this doesn’t disappoint.
The other car that I picked up at Moustakas along with the Yenko was the fabulous Matchbox Moving Parts Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa Revival.
Whilst it may appear on the surface that the Corsa Revival is every inch the vintage racer, appearances are misleading. The car that Matchbox have replicated is but a few years old.
The original Bizzarrini 5300 GT was produced from 1964 until 1968. Based on the platform of the Iso Grifo sports car, the 5300 GT utilised a 327 small block Chevrolet V8 giving 365bhp and a top speed of 174mph. The “Corsa” race versions were even more potent, producing 400bhp. The mating of an American heart to Italian engineering worked wonders on the track, and a Corsa won its class at the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours and the car continued to be a competitive force in circuit racing throughout the 60s. And then there was the looks. There’s no doubt the 5300 GT is one of the most stunning vehicles to grace this Earth. So when Bizarrinni rose from the ashes in 2020, they took advantage of the current trend of resto-mods and continuation models of old classics and they knew exactly what car they wanted to bring back.
The 5300 GT Corsa Revival is a remaster of the original built with the improvements in modern safety measures in mind. Disc brakes are featured all round and there’s now an FIA approved roll cage and fuel cell. New suspension is utilised and there’s a modern but period-correct 327cu V8 under that long bonnet. Each of the 24 cars built is handmade using as many traditional methods as possible and my god Bizzarrini have done a good job.
And so have Matchbox.
I know it’s part of the Moving Parts line but I’m not really going to say much about the parts that actually move other than it’s the bonnet, it doesn’t stay open, and what’s under it is a bit of a mess; a sort of blurry thing that looks like an engine.
But at least the panel gap is good and when something looks this good on the outside you don’t really need to look underneath. The rest of the model is wonderful.
The paint has a brilliant shine and depth to it and the decals are sharp and easily legible, even down to the Bizzarrini script across the back. And the knock off centre wheels are the perfect fit here. There’s even a relatively detailed interior hidden behind the smoked window piece. Expect to see this on my “Best of 2024.”
This is an incredble pair from the two Mattel brands.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this deep dive, and these two weren’t the only diecast I picked up on my vacation. Writer’s block? What writer’s block?
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Between this, the HW porsche 904, a Ferrari 250LM and a couple others, there is a good line up of 1965 Le Mans cars.
Very good article! Mattel pulled out all the stops on these cars and they are really well done. Both the Bizzarrini and Leno’s Stinger are favourites in my collection.