In the year the decade began, the Coca-Cola logo appeared on the cover of Time magazine, only the second corporate logo to make such an appearance. This distinction bode well for Coke and for the '50s, and seemed to hint at the optimism and good times that would follow. Three years later, another American classic was introduced: the Chevrolet Corvette. Indeed, 1953 was a watershed year for cultural icons and scientific feats. Playboy magazine first appeared and Ian Flemming introduced his agent James Bond in the novel Casino Royale, while Sir Edmund Hillary conquered Mt. Everest and Crick and Watson unveiled their model of DNA. It was only fitting that the Corvette - the perfect marriage of technology, engineering and American culture - would be born in that momentous year.

The first production Corvette rolled off the line on June 30, 1953. There would be 300 units in all produced that year - and today they are true collector pieces. With its smooth curves and fiberglass body, the Corvette was like nothing American manufacturers had produced before. In fact, the Corvette was created to give Americans a sports car comparable to the European models.

Now, the classic Corvette is re-created in a spectacular die-cast model that combines the classic legacies of Coca-Cola and Corvette. Custom-finished with an array of Coca-Cola graphics and boasting the 1953 advertising logo, "Dependable as Sunshine," your Coca-Cola 1953 Corvette is precision-engineered and meticulously detailed. It is produced by - and available only from - Matchbox Collectibles.

(1998)

Scale: 1:43