Words and photos courtesy of Frank Koh

Mom’s Land Yacht in Perspective…  Remembering Mom and her red 1975 Cadillac Coupe de Ville that she drove from 1975 through 1979 while living and working in New Jersey. This 1:18 scale high-end resin-cast Stamp Models 1974 Coupe de Ville in Dynasty Red, one of 60 units produced, is about as close as I’ll ever get to the actual vehicle and ably represents the countless heartwarming memories and epic road trips of my teenage years. When I would visit during Summer Break, I ended up logging a considerable amount of miles behind the wheel of that luxurious behemoth which was the quintessential expression of automotive excess. With more than two-and-a-half tons of curb weight and an extremely thirsty yet miserably anemic 500 cubic inch (8.2 litres) V8 that struggled to propel the vehicle, I look back and now say to myself that I was courageous enough to drive that beast all over the New York/New Jersey area. Most of the time the vehicle was occupied by up to seven or eight friends and/or family members. Since mandatory seatbelt laws were not yet being enforced, the overloaded cabin occupants merely held onto each other especially when aggressively negotiating sharp corners as the Coupe de Ville lumbered all over the roadway. What the vehicle sorely lacked in handling and performance it certainly made up for by being one of the most insanely comfortable cars I’ve had the privilege to drive.

I even used that Cadillac Crest hood ornament on the leading edge of the mile-long hood as a distance guide so I wouldn’t plow into the vehicle in front of me, and thankfully there wasn’t a single traffic violation ticket or accident during the four years that the Coupe de Ville was Mom’s daily driver. What a wonderful conveyance that mid-Seventies whip was.

And I am overjoyed now that this hand-built resin-cast masterpiece is in my collection. My first big-scale Stamp Models release, I must say that the accuracy, level of detail and scale fidelity of the model are first-rate. From the expensive lines and creases to the abundant chrome trim, everything is as true-to-life as it could be. And because the side windows on the doors are in the “down” position the elaborate details on the dashboard, instrument fascia, seating areas and door cards can be better appreciated. Stamp Models even fitted deep-pile flocked carpeting to the vehicle, something not ordinarily done on resin-cast models with no opening features. Well, it just looks even more opulent that way… Just like the real car.

The only interior component that’s missing is the restraining clips for the shoulder harnesses of the front seat belts, but I only know that those clips should have been fitted to the outboard corners of the seat headrests because I know the real car so well.

The photo-etched hood ornament went missing on my particular unit, but after notifying the local supplier Albert Tan of Shop4Fun Marketplace and his able Staff, the manufacturer gladly sent not one, but three replacement hood ornaments in a very timely and professional manner. That said, such a tiny detail certainly made a world of difference for me, especially since the hood ornament of Mom’s Coupe de Ville prevented me from tailgating other road users while I enjoyed navigating that “living room on wheels”.

Furthermore, that experiment in customer satisfaction is living proof that high-end specialty entities like Stamp Models stand behind the quality of their exquisite products, something that would not be expected from the so-called “mainstream” manufacturers, including those companies that produce those allegedly hyped “grail” pieces in 1:64 scale.

I feel like a teenager all over again when I admire this absolutely gorgeous model car because of what it represents, and I’m certain that if Mom were here to enjoy it too, it would effectively bring back those sublime memories of a genuinely kinder, gentler time in our lives.