308 GT4 US-Spec… Scale Model??

I had decision paralysis for something like an hour to which forum this should be posted. I was debating between the 308/328 forum and the Collectibles, Literature, & Models forum. I ultimately chose the 308/328 forum as I'm not certain this would appeal to anyone other than a certain set of 308 GT4 owners.

Moderators - if you think it should be moved to the other forum, feel free to do so, or delete this one and I can repost there. Whatever works.

If I see something I've never seen before I figure I should buy it. So was the case with this scale model of a US-spec 308 GT4. I know the general consensus is the Euro cars look better, that's pretty well proven by the fact that any time you see a model of a 308 GT4 (which is rare enough on its own) it's always a Euro-spec car with the smaller bumpers and absence of the bumper end caps and large rectangular front and rear side-markers. The only US-spec 308 GT4 model I'm aware of is the one that was made by Mattel, and that was only because it was a replica of Elvis Presley's 308 GT4 (they made a series of his cars).

While I don't think the US-spec 308 GT4 is as ugly as some people make it out to be, I do agree the Euro-spec cars have a more pleasing look about them. But, since I own a US-spec 308 GT4, it would be nice if a model of one existed.

I've seen this kit a dozen times, at least the Euro-spec version (and I own that), but I stumbled across this one on eBay and was shocked to see it's a US-spec car. Yes, that means this model has the big US bumpers and the ugly rectangular side-markers, but it also has the 5-point star wheels which is another thing I've never seen on any model of a 308 GT4. The only detail that seems wrong are the decals, those include Euro tail lights and dashboard.

I had never seen this model before, so I had to buy it. If I ever get around to building it I'll simply make it a miniature version of my own car. Here's a few pics for those who are interested.

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Yep, there's pretty much never a hole. It just has the pointy shape, but no hole. The larger scale models tend to have it, but looking at the Mattel version it's still not right. I suspect is a tough thing to mold too.