So, we have witnessed the
beginnings. Some very beautiful cars indeed. However, there are moments in history that
you can look back at and see a clear change in the direction of reality. The world just
changes. This is one of them. It is mid 1970s. Gas is an issue. Most big muscle
V8s are fading out giving way to the pressures of a rapidly evolving economical
market with competitive options. But not Lamborghini. A radical design that
rivals the Stealth jets of a decade later. V6? Only half the answer. V8? Nope,
lets go back to the roots. V12. Angles, giant wing, wheels – yes wheels that
create an image of icons by themselves. A supercar emerges and forces all
competitors to either compete or step aside. It has been said that the Countach
LP5000 is one of the cars that sets the standard for all cars after it (in this
market).
I can’t really disagree with this assessment for at least the relative
next couple generations or supercars. Produced from 1974-1990 with about 10
different versions and special models somewhere in that timeline. Hot Wheels
have always took notice of iconic cars and the Countach is no different, lets
see how they responded to the Lamborghini Countach:
Lamborghini Countach
1988 is the first release of the Lamborghini
Countach casting. I was a Lamborghini fan from this point and here is
that first edition.
There is a grail version out there. In 1993,
there was a line of cars called revealers. They were in a water-soluble bags
and when the bag dissolved, the package “revealed” a car or maybe a plastic gold
coin to mail in for a special car. Yes – a golden Lamborghini Countach. Rumors
say only around 1000 of these were shipped out so finding one is about as rare
as some of the real cars themselves.
The early casting covers the details very well although in the earliest years of release, the paint seems heavy and covers some of the light details and body lines. Some are better than others. Details like the giant stealth fighter like wing and taillight pods are all there and bring the casting close to the real car. Speaking of comparing to the real car, notice the direction of design from the Miura with its flowing rounded shapes to the Countach, the pointy, wedge shape with angles and straight lines everywhere. This will be part of the brands identity in future posts. The early castings were low to the ground, they do not make good track cars but some of the later releases like the pace car do well. Since there are so many versions and a long line of the same reoccurring paint scheme, they are easy to find and do not break the bank for most of them.
To wrap up, the Lamborghini Countach LP500 in either Hot Wheels or real life have become icons. The real car changed how supercars were designed and gave inspiration to an industry that abandoned creative styling for economy. In Hot Wheels, this marks the first Lamborghini to be covered. As we venture into a new era of the supercar segment of Hot Wheels, the Countach remains one of the licensed castings that gives every collector a direct connection to a legendary real-world supercar.
In the next
issue, supercar supremacy brings a car that looks as sinister as its name. Hot
Wheels takes notice and expands the Lamborghini line.
Thank you,
Collector Quentin
I own the actual diecast pictured in
this post. However, all packaging artwork, Mattel or Hot Wheels logos, paint
descriptions and wheel descriptions in regard to the Hot Wheels versions are
copyrights of the Mattel toy company.
Lamborghini and model names are
property of Audi AG, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.
https://hotwheelscollectors.mattel.com/
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