Maisto 1:18 1993 Corvette ZR-1

1:18 scale diecast-metal cars did not appear in full-swing until the 1990's, right at the time I was old enough to buy these castings.  So the first 1:18 Corvette was not the early ones, sadly, but a Quasar Blue 1993 Corvette ZR-1.

King of the Hill

In 1989, Chevrolet launched an all-out attack on the exoticars at the time, by dropping in a new, all-aluminum engine into the standard C4 Corvette.  The styling remained C4 Corvette except the rear end was rounded out, a feature that would appear on all Corvette's in 1990.  The biggest change to the car was the engine: a 5.7 LT5 DOHC V8.  With help from Lotus, the small-block was transformed into a more powerful, lighter beast.  Output was 375 hp. and 370 Ib-ft. torque, later increased to 405 and 385.  Since the workload of the engine was massive, GM had to outsource the manufacturing to Mercury Marine in Stillwater, OK, and then the finished engine's shipped to Bowling Green, KY for final assembly into the Corvette.  The transmission was the new 6-speed manual that would eventually end up in lesser Corvette's later on.  Top speed was a recorded 175 mph and 0-60 was in 4.4 seconds.  The most powerful Corvette at the time was running into a few problems: Price was twice as much as the standard Corvette, with some dealers tacking more onto the price.  Then there was the evolution of upgrades from the ZR-1 down to the lesser Corvette models so that by the time the ZR-1 was retired in 1995 it made no sense to pay more if you can get the same performance (minus the speed) for less in a standard Corvette.  Total output was 6939 ZR-1 were made.  The name returned in 2009 to the C6 Corvette with a supercharged LS9 V8.

The Maisto Version

This 20 year old casting still looks good today.  The long hood with hidden headlights and rounded bumper and turn/fog lights look great.  So does the rear end with round taillights, square exhaust tips, and ZR-1 badging and rear plate.  The glass hatch opens to a roomy trunk only the convertible can dream of (remember, the C4 Convertible did not have a trunk).  The interior is much better than the 1980's Gameboy interior with a cleaner interface and a curvy dash.  The seats are nicely supported and have that intimidating look of leather material on them.  Seat positioning controls are on the seats themselves on the outer bottom bolster's.  The driver sits in front of a driver's airbag with a gauge cluster featuring a digital speedometer (see a trend here with the C7 Stingray?).  The center Pontiac-colored red window above the stereo and AC controls is the warning light display, not a navigation system.  If you'll notice the foot wheels look less roomy since the transmission tunnel is starting to cave in: this was one of the reasons why the next Corvette, the C5, would have the transmission placed in the rear.

They don't make them like they used to!

Open the huge hood, prop the hood stand, and see a 3-D V8 engine with silver accents on the large intake manifold, the valve covers, and even the red distributor cap in the front and the wires connected to the block.  Ah, the good ol' days of Maisto!  It is nicely done and compared to the LT5 1996 Coupe is more eye-catching as well.  The base shows more separate parts and some differences from the C5 and current era Corvette's: The transmission is with the engine, the exhaust rides below the driveshaft, the control arms in the rear are vastly different, the longitude leaf springs are not visible, and the exhaust tips route to the ends because of the spare tire well (a feature eliminated with the introduction of run-flat tires in 1997).  The wheels are turbine wheels, with a deeper hub on the rear's.  Oh and the rear tires are much-wider than the front's!

The Verdict

Aside from a chip on the hood, this casting looks just as good as the first time it came out of the box twenty years ago!  If you want a Maisto that excels in detailing look no further than the Maisto's of the 1990's, especially their full 3-D view of the engine and not some plastic pan!  There were many ZR-1's in many other colors, but this light blue still stands as one of my favorites, and i'm glad to have an almost-identical color applied to the Maisto 1:18 2014 Corvette so that I can have two sharp-looking Corvette's in my collection, strangely with the same amount of power!