Whew, made it through the Diablo
somehow and now we shake off, refresh and try to catch up to the next wave of the
Lamborghini design evolution. There must have been a shake up speech in the
design department because the next model, the Murcielago took another leap into
the evolution of supercar history. Some people might argue with me on this post
but remember, I am looking at this from the Hot Wheels angle mostly. The real
world Murcielago was a refined version of the Diablo’s styling and added new
inlets and fixed lights. They added flush mounted taillights and some
aggressive new models like the SV. It was not certain what would come next but
looking back on it now, this is the model that set the tone for the future of Lamborghini
that would take the brand deep into the new millennium. The Murcielago featured
a normally aspirated V12 and production is suggested to be about 3100 examples
between 2001 and 2010.
The Hot Wheels Murceilago is cast in
two different versions, each with its own interesting histories. The base model
was introduced in 2003 and the last appearance was 2018 in the fast and furious
line. The Murcielago is a good casting. The base Murcielago has had a good run
but the main version has been overshadowed recently by its big brother.
In a subset called Speed Machines,
the Murcielago SV was introduced. The inaugural release, the Murcielago SV did
not really excite collectors. As you will see, this will change with the follow
up offerings. The next version to show up was the decades series SV and this
one almost never made it to the shelves. It was an exclusive model, and the
stores were not selling them, the line carried a higher price and did not sport
much for the extra cost so collectors ignored them. As the SV was getting ready
to ship out, the exclusive store chain cancelled the order. They were already
in route so the stores put them out but in the discount aisle and there have
been statements made that many never even made it to the pegs! This version
went through the roof with the announcement of the 2020 return in the
Lamborghini 5 pack. The decades model soared in excess of $200 and the 5-pack
was near impossible to find in the stores for a little while. There have only
been 3 releases of this casting so it does merit some hype and the casting is
nicely done in all releases.
Yes, it remains in package!As you can see, the SV is an
evolution in the Murcielago casting as well. The SV also features updated
tooling that really captures the true look of the real car. Another change in
the evolution of Lamborghini castings is the paint schemes. If you notice, the
paint schemes on the Murcielago remained real-world styled paint schemes which
is a direct change from most earlier castings we have looked at. It is unclear
if this was a contractual change or just a change inside the Hot Wheels
workshops. Either way, the collectors have taken notice as Lamboghini castings
are now sought after and the next couple are heavy collector prizes.
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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