Highway 61 1967 Olds 4-4-2 Convertible

    
             
   

   
             
    This is a first for me. I normally look at mainline diecast cars, but I recently acquired my very first high-end diecast vehicle. This car is the equivalent to the Mercedes of Diecast. It has so many features that I almost missed a couple of them. Every time I touched the car, I found a new little working option. Lets take a peek at some of the standard features.    
             
   

   
             
    Above is a shot of the car and all accessories. The basic car with removable roof, a vinyl boot that snugly snaps in place with the top off, a polishing cloth, and small tool with a pick end and a spoon end, for cleaning the nooks and crannies of the body and interior. Below are a couple of pictures with the two roof options. My favorite look, as I would expect most folks, is with the top off and boot in place. The boot snaps into two holes behind the rear seat and squeezes the sides.    
             
       
             
       
             
   

 

   
             
    Fit and finish are top notch. The plastic bumpers seamlessly flow into the metal of the car. The headlights aren't just white painted plastic. They are molded with lens lines, and actually have a darkish look. Taillights are jeweled plastic, and appear to have bulbs visible through lenses. The trunk sports a "CS" emblem, stating it is a Cutlass Supreme, the base car without the 4-4-2 options.    
             
    The highly detailed dashboard and instrument cluster includes gauges with actual numbers and pointers on the dials. Light switches, radio knobs, horn buttons, and even the Oldsmobile rocket in the center of the steering wheel stand out.

The driver and passenger seats lean forward on factory-looking brackets. The seats include chrome piping, a common feature on cars of this era. And check out the carpet. Yep, carpet!

      
           
     

   
             
      What car is complete without a working glove compartment? This compartment on the 4-4-2 opens with a small "snap" and closes just as positively. Sharp!!!    
         
             
    Need more storage space? Well, drop your maps into the working center console storage area. Again, positive motion for both open and close assures you that this is a high quality car.    
         
   

 

   
             
    Luckily, one of the opening wing windows was turned on this car before I took it out of the box. Otherwise, I would have missed this feature. I do miss wing windows on today's real cars!!    
             
   

 

   
             
      Oldsmobile factory 5 spoke rims are replicated exactly, right down to the Olds Rocket on the center cap. Period correct red stripe tires, Firestones, to be exact, are installed. And yes, that is a valve cap you see at the 8 o'clock position of the rim.    
             
      Under the trunk lid, you can plainly see the jacking instructions, as well as instructions for removing the spare tire and tools. You can read them with a magnifying glass. There's one other label on the right, can't make that one out. The striped trunk covering is correct--I owned a 1969 Olds 98, had the same treatment. And in this car it's vinyl as well.    
             
   

Lift the hood, and you'll find the real beauty of the 4-4-2 option package A bronze painted 400 CID big block!!!. Fully wired and plumbed, with correct brackets and colors. It's dull where it's supposed to be & shiny where it's supposed to be. Even the battery filler caps are colored red. One thing that really excited me is the hood hinges. 3 piece, with real springs, so the hood "pops up" as a real car would. Nice!!!!

  

   
             
   

   
             
   

Highway 61 didn't skip on the chassis. You can make out the blue GM oil filter and shock absorbers. The correct bronze paint is on the lower end of the motor, and the dual exhausts even appear to be mandrel bent. Now here's two goodies you can't see, and it was impossible to take pictures---the suspension is fully articulated, with working springs and the driveshaft turns when you spin the rear wheels!! Now that's detail!!!

    
             
   

I'll leave you with one final "almost missed" feature. When I was editing the pictures, I thought "Dang!! The antenna is broken!" Well, on further inspection, it wasn't broken, it was just retracted. That little nicety alone tells you that Highway 61 cars are something special.

      
             
     

This disclaimer on the box isn't just a marketing ploy. This diecast Olds 4-4-2 truly is a collectors model. Although, with all the toys built into the model, I'll certainly be playing around and posing it for months to come. Especially since it comes in a two piece display case that easily locks closed through the use of two pins. Details, details!!!

---Joe

    
             
    Thanks to the folks at Milezone's Toys for furnishing me this sample.    
             
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