Don’t know how we got on the Hammacher Schlemmer mailing list but Mr. Beale and I got a good laugh out of this item for sale for a mere $32,000:
The Junior 35 MPH Classic Corvette.
This is the 2/3-scale, gasoline-powered replica of a 1956 Corvette C1, renowned for racing at Florida's famous Sebring International Raceway, that can reach a maximum speed of 35 mph.
Its exterior is painstakingly reproduced using details from the original, including the single driver-side mirror, twin turn indicators on the right side of the hood, and the cowling on the trunk that housed a light which illuminated the racing number. The racer is powered by a 6.9 hp, 107cc four-stroke engine that uses a gallon of unleaded gasoline. It has automatic transmission; a single shifter controls forward, neutral, and backward movement. Its square steel chassis forms the core of the racer, surrounded by a fiberglass-reinforced polyester body; supports up to 330 lbs.
Ages 8 and up. 108 1/4" L x 44 3/4" W x 34 1/4" H. (430 lbs.)
Price: $32,000
Let me say right now: if you are putting your 8 year old in a gasoline powered, $32,000 replica of a Corvette, you are an asshole.
We used to say "the rich are different." We learned otherwise in the last economic downturn: it affected all of us, rich and poor alike.
The world has changed. Get used to it.
