You should see my desk. It is full of so many things to post on this blog. I have gobs of Kyosho, Tomica, and of course Hot Wheels and Matchbox to show off. And I know more is on the way. It can get a bit overwhelming.
But sometimes I need to drop everything and go show off some of my favorite models. So, refreshingly, here are a few cars out of my collection that are not particularly new, nor are they variations, or errors, or anything. They are just some models of cars that I enjoy seeing on the street, and having in my collection.
It is very rare to see Matchbox do two models that are so similar in successive years. In the past we have seen the BMW 3-Series Coupe and Sedan, and there might be others I cannot remember. Hot Wheels? They do it all the time. What are we on, 5-6 different castings each on the current generation Camaro and Mustang alone? But Hot Wheels can do that. Their range is much larger. Matchbox not so much.
So it was very surprising to see Matchbox announce the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon in 2010, and follow it up the very next year with the Cadillac CTS Coupe. Even more surprising that the two they picked are two versions of my current American fave (although not the -V versions):
Maybe it was a licensing thing. Cadillac wanted both the Wagon and Coupe done, and Matchbox obliged. Maybe the car is just too cool to only do one version. I vote for that, but I will ask someone at Mattel when I get the chance. Until Hot Wheels did the CTS-V sedan a couple of years ago, save the Jada custom version, there was little representation of the CTS in the 1:64 diecast world. Thankfully that is not the case anymore.
The CTS single-handedly changed my opinion on Cadillac. My impression on Cadillac growing up was that it was a car for very large and very old people. And I know I was not alone. Then some very smart people replaced the dumb people who thought the awful Catera would skew young, and created one of the freshest auto designs I have seen with the CTS. Then the second generation CTS looked even better. I was easily sold. It was now a matter of time for the $1 versions to appear, and they did.
I am really glad Matchbox decided to deal with the meticulous licensers over at Cadillac and create these beauties. Cadillac wants the badge on the front grill to look perfect, and Mattel has done a very good job of satisfying that. The lines are tight, the wheels look great, as have the choice of colors.
The one problem? With the tweak in direction of the brand, the CTS has not gotten a ton of play. 2012 brought no new versions, but thankfully we will see the Wagon in 2013. Still no Coupe though, which will wait its turn on the Matchbox shelves. Hopefully it won't have to wait too long...
The rundown of all versions the Matchbox Cadillac CTS:
(Did you miss out on these? Pick them up at MVE Collectibles or or on ebay
...)Matchbox Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon:
2010 New Model
2011 Modern Rides 5-pack
2011 version A
2011 version B
Matchbox Cadillac CTS Coupe
2011 New Model
2011 First Editions 10-pack
Of the two castings, my favorite is the Coupe. It is, in fact, one of my favorite cars on the road. I am sad we haven't seen more versions, but at least I was able to pick up a prepro at this year's Gathering, donated by Mattel for the charity auction:
