Hot Wheels 1957 Buick Wagon

One of the recent trends in the diecast world is station wagon's: I guess after years of trying to forget the family wagon's of the 1960's and 1970's, well before minivans and SUV's, the resurgence of wagon's have finally arrived and with it some unique bunches have come out.  Well before the recent wagon convergence this 1957 Buick wagon arrived in the Hot Wheels Ultra Hots line in 2007.

Click Here for Photo Gallery

The 1950's was all about style, lots of chrome, fins, and aircraft-inspired touches, and at General Motors quite a bit of their car lines really had the style near the end of the decade.  While most remember the Chevrolet Nomad and 210 station wagon's (more on the latter this month), another stylish wagon often forgotted is the 1957 Buick.  Known as the Caballero this wagon has the same sleek styling touches and graceful fins as the 1957 Chevy wagon's, but with a unique touch of their own.  The front has round headlights that sit above the large billet grille, a Buick trademark, with the pointed bumper ends pushed to the ends of the metal front bumper with a rather clean center bumper area compared to the 1957 Chevy's.  The nubs on the sides of the front fenders below the headlights are where the signal lights reside.  This Hot Wheels version, decked out in Carvel graphics, is rather clean and the orange/white roof combo looks great on this casting.  Also the ride height may look low but this is the exact same stock ride height of the actual car.  A nice slew of colors flow along the lower white trim just below the chrome trim that, like the pillarless window edge, slopes down toward the rear wheels before kicking up as it heads over the rear wheels.  Compared to the 1957 Chevy the kickup of the tailfins is gradual than abrupt and leaves behind a stylish window line where the B-pillar would usually sit.  Also the kink in the window shows the length of this car, being much longer that the comparable 1957 Chevy wagon's.

Click Here for Photo Gallery

Also adding to the mix is the four portholes, another Buick trademark, CARVEL on the rear fenders, and 5-spoke wheels with rubber tires that are rather narrow, yet fit this car just nicely.  The taillights look similar to the 1957 Chevy, but in a different fashion: The brake light, turn signal, and reverse lamps are mounted up higher on the fin.  The exhaust pipes exit below the tips of the rear bumper, with the center part of the bumper very Cadillac-like, and the slope of the rear tailgate is less prominent than the 1957 Chevy wagon's.  The metal base shows off the dual exhaust system and drivetrain components, while the hood (which I couldn't show in the pictures as the hood does not open large enough for a good shot) shows off the 364 CID Buick V8 motor that produces 300 horsepower through a 3-speed automatic.  The interior shows off two bench seats with seating for six, four doors to allow access for everyone, and a large cargo area.  The dashboard has a two-tier setup with most controls located in three different slots between the tiers.  The center area is the radio controls, the right side resides the analog clock, while the left side has the horizontal speedometer behind the large deep dish steering wheel.

Click Here for Photo Gallery

Due to the opening hood and metal base it's hard to get more use out of this casting (this Carvel version was the last variation of this casting from Hot Wheels), but hopefully Hot Wheels can as this is one unique casting that stands out on a field of new and diverse vintage station wagon's in diecast.

Click Here for Photo Gallery