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Car Of The Day: May 29, 2017; Hot Wheels '97 Dodge Copperhead
Topic Started: May 29 2017, 12:16 PM (224 Views)
Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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Today's Car Of The Day is Hot Wheels' 1997 Dodge Copperhead.

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Wikipedia
 
The Dodge Copperhead, (later unofficially renamed as Dodge Concept Car or Dodge Concept Vehicle), was a concept car created by Dodge as a slimmed-down version of the Dodge Viper for buyers who couldn't afford the Viper's $75,000 cost.

The Dodge Copperhead was unveiled at the 1997 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Many reviewers were impressed with its aerodynamic, yet rugged styling with its Copper Fire Orange color and the fact that its sale price would be about $30,000 USD ($45,000 less than the Viper). The Copperhead, unlike the Viper, was made more for handling and driving pleasure, while the Viper was made more for raw power. The Copperhead had excellent handling due to its low, wide stance. Dodge engineered the Copperhead to make the driver feel the road and the pavement, and this was done by stretching the wheels to the end of the frame, adding five inches of ground clearance and a stiff suspension, making this car marketed more towards enthusiasts. The Dodge Copperhead was due to be released in 2000, but was canceled.


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For more information and pictures of the real car, please visit: Dodge Copperhead

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Most Americans celebrate Memorial Day with barbeques and picnics, and some go the extra mile and place flags on the tombstones of those who served our country. I celebrate today a bit differently. Today's COTD is indeed a memorial, as May 29th was my Grandpa's birthday, and were he still with us he'd be 87 today. So today I'm featuring a vehicle he bought for me, specifically one that was part of a four car set. This has been sitting in its package for the last twenty years and I've decided to release these cars finally.

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Wikipedia
 
After the unveiling of the Copperhead, Dodge received a complaint regarding ownership of the rights to the "Copperhead" name. A customized 1950 Ford Coupe owned by Billy Gibbons of the American rock band ZZ Top, had already been registered with the Copperhead name. As a result, DaimlerChrysler unofficially renamed the car, with it being referred to as the "Concept Vehicle" instead of "Copperhead" in press kits, scale toys, and other merchandise. This made press kits or items with the Copperhead name collectibles.


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Harvestman
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Captain Slow
I read a few years ago that Dodge ordered Mattel to destroy the HW and Matchbox Copperhead castings. Doesn't look like we will see it again any time soon.
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Pegers
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Pony Car
i never cared much for this casting.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's OK, nothing against it. (I do like this black version better than the Copper red one)

Overall I like the Sidewinder better. Would have loved to see both come to market as real cars, this would have beat the Solstice to market by a few years.
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pjedsel
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Muscle Car
:toy: I wonder why Chrysler wanted the castings destroyed? It is not one of my favorites but I had a few at one time because I think it is neat when the toy guys offer us some of the concept cars that are out there in the world. :wave:
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
A little surprising if that's the case, since it was easily corrected to issuing the car as 'Dodge Concept Vehicle' instead. I always figured they stopped using them because the cars were no longer relevant to the auto show circuit. Or perhaps they had too much metal in them and hence were too heavy to be used currently. :rolleyes:

But if they ordered the castings destroyed, my guess is it has something to do with the naming controversy. It's sad that when the company that brought us cars named 'Neon', 'Shadow', 'Duster', and 'Cirrus' finally came up with a perfectly good name they had to abandon it because ZZ Top has a hot rod that shares the name.

Last I checked ZZ Top was a band, not an automaker, so I fail to see how the name could possibly be copyrighted to prevent use by an actual automaker. I'm guessing a lot of lawyers made a lot of money on this one...
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't see the name as relevant. It was never issued as the Copperhead. The 1997 First Edition listed it as a Dodge Concept, never by the given name. I looked quickly for a non-ebay image to post because of filters at work and can't find one handy, but a quick look will show what I'm saying, Hot Wheels / Mattel never did offer this casting by the name Copperhead, so any issues around that name were resolved before the model hit the pegs.

I'm more inclined to agree with the statement about relevance. Time has moved on, and while these were fresh they were inspiring. But other models have come along since then that make this model seem dated. It was never a "gotta have" model among collectors as a whole, so I'm not really surprised Matty let this one fade away...
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Pegers
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Pony Car
the only thing i can add is that it was a 1998 first edition not a '97.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pegers
May 30 2017, 06:25 PM
the only thing i can add is that it was a 1998 first edition not a '97.
Oooops. you are correct, 98 not 97
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