zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
This $120 Gucci Cadillac Seville Hot Wheels Is The Standard Of The Diecast World
This $120 Gucci Cadillac Seville Hot Wheels Is The Standard Of The Diecast World-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:14

Image for article titled This $120 Gucci Cadillac Seville Hot Wheels Is The Standard Of The Diecast World

In news I never expected to read, Hot Wheels and Gucci have announced their first ever collaboration — a 1:64-scale , customized with a gold-toned roof to celebrate the Italian fashion brand’s centennial. It comes in its own acrylic display case with a green embossed paper slip cover. As you’d expect of anything emblazoned with those interlocking Gs, it costs a little more than the typical Hot Wheels diecast you’d find at Target. Ten times more, as a matter of fact.

Yes, this limited-edition Seville is $120. For that price, you’d presume a few crystals and some gold leaf thrown in, as my colleague Owen put it. But no — this Seville is pretty much at the level of quality of one of Hot Wheels’ slightly more premium Car Culture products. The paint is misaligned in places, just like on the toy cars us commoners buy. Even the Gucci name isn’t centered quite right on the front license plate there.

Image for article titled This $120 Gucci Cadillac Seville Hot Wheels Is The Standard Of The Diecast World

At least you’re getting Hot Wheels’ “Real Riders” rubber tires, which come appropriately pinstriped. The attempt to approximate the Seville’s wire wheels looks decent, too. But I can’t shake the fact that this toy would cost $10 if it lost the Gucci logos.

Image for article titled This $120 Gucci Cadillac Seville Hot Wheels Is The Standard Of The Diecast World

On one hand, paying for the name is quite literally the crux of high fashion, so it makes sense. On the other, I’m not used to seeing brands like Gucci fraternize with toys and media from my childhood. It was weird , and it’s weird now.

Image for article titled This $120 Gucci Cadillac Seville Hot Wheels Is The Standard Of The Diecast World

Nevertheless, there is a historical reason for Gucci and Mattel to partner like this. In the late 1970s and early ’80s, General Motors indeed sold a Cadillac Seville “designed by Gucci.” The Gucci responsible was Dr. Aldo Gucci, one of the sons of the brand’s founder, Guccio Gucci. (I didn’t know that was the name of the dude who started Gucci until three minutes before writing this; if you didn’t either, .)

Anyway, Aldo Gucci took pride in the opportunity to design a Cadillac, as it was the kind of association a world-renowned fashion institution could still be proud of back in the ’70s. Gucci said of the Seville, per :

“I have strong feelings for this car, because it is fundamentally different from anything I’ve designed in my life,” the designer said over a glass of champagne in the driveway of his estate in Palm Beach. “This Cadillac is another stone in the necklace of our international success.”

The Gucci Seville had the brand’s logo strewn inside and out, and prominently displayed as a hood ornament. It featured special patterned pillows and a red-and-green striping motif, as well as a custom luggage set. For all this, you paid at least $19,900 — $7,000 more than a standard Seville. In 2021 money, that translates to a shade under $75,000. The $7,000 premium represents about $26,000 today.

These days, Mattel releases a seemingly every other week, so I can’t begrudge them for the Gucci cash grab too much. My local big-box stores are perpetually sold out of the good ones, which frustrates me to no end. Somehow, though, I don’t envision that happening with this Seville. If you’re tempted, you can order yours on October 18.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Forgotten Cars: Nissan Altima SE-R
Forgotten Cars: Nissan Altima SE-R
There was a time when the Nissan made fun stuff for the U.S. that wasn’t just the GT-R or Z. Before the millions of boring CVT-equipped crossovers and Versas for people with bad credit, there were supercharged Frontier and Xterras, Sentra SE-R’s, and a Maxima that . One sport...
Jul 10, 2025
A Minivan on Fire is Merely the Opening Scene of a Chaotic Car Crash in Mexico
A Minivan on Fire is Merely the Opening Scene of a Chaotic Car Crash in Mexico
A car crash in has captured the essential chaos of the roads down there, after two cars collided head-on in front of the scene of a car fire. The chaos unfolded in the state of Tamaulipas in the city of Madero on April 22, as local newspaper reports. The Spanish-language...
Jul 10, 2025
It Sure Looks Like The Forza Motorsport Reboot Will Be Cross-Gen, Just Like GT7
It Sure Looks Like The Forza Motorsport Reboot Will Be Cross-Gen, Just Like GT7
The last Forza Motorsport released almost five years ago, which is pretty weird to think about when you consider that once upon a time, it was an every-other-year franchise. Developer Turn 10 decided it was time for a serious rethink of its sim racer, and the series’ next entry...
Jul 10, 2025
Traffic Jams: BONES UK - 'I'm Afraid Of Americans'
Traffic Jams: BONES UK - 'I'm Afraid Of Americans'
The cover song is a delicate art. There’s a balance to be struck between honoring the original, but making something wholly new. For every or , there are thousands of covers that never step out of the shadow of the original song. It seems BONES UK has figured out...
Jul 10, 2025
The Original Lotus Factory Was Right There All Along
The Original Lotus Factory Was Right There All Along
London is a funny old place, everywhere you turn seems to have some intriguing story about its past or a secret history you need to unearth. And while you might expect that this is reserved to the center of the city, where Parliament sits, the Queen lives and all...
Jul 10, 2025
Why Louis Leterrier Is the Best Director for 'Fast X'
Why Louis Leterrier Is the Best Director for 'Fast X'
Production on the next film is set to resume now that is stepping in to replace as director. The French was the frontrunner to take over the set of Fast X among a few potential candidates, according to . And I think we can collectively breathe a sigh of...
Jul 10, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved