Before we dive in, let me clarify that title. This is obviously a feature on the new Hot Wheels Panamera, and we are lucky to have a few thoughts from the Hot Wheels Designer who spearheaded this one, but why is it surprising?
Lots of reasons.
First, the actual car is surprisingly cool. I’ll say I have been “on the fence” when it comes to the actual Porsche Panamera. There were a million things to like about the Porsche sedan since it debuted, but there was something about the silhouette that always bothered me. Not the way it bothered the Top Gear guys a few years ago, but enough to make it look, to me, like a bit of a bloated 911.
Porsche definitely improved the looks with the next generation Panamera, giving it a better proportioned rear, but it still doesn’t have the jaw-dropping looks of other Porsches.
Until the Sport Turismo. Now this is a proper Panamera. It should have ALWAYS been a wagon. Just skip the sedan. Adding the rear space makes perfect sense, and the car looks correct. The “yeah but” is gone, replaced by “hell yeah”. Add the fact that Porsche made an E-hybrid version, and it’s a surprisingly spectacular car. I want one.
Now let’s move to the Hot Wheels version. What makes it surprising? Probably the fact that I like it so much. Enough to make it one of the true highlights of an already LOADED 2019 from Hot Wheels. You show me the list of 2019 Basic New Models, I don’t earmark the Panamera. But now that we have seen most of the 2019 New Models, the Panamera is WAY up there, alongside obvious favorites like the 300ZX and Audi Sport Quattro.
Obviously I like it because I like the actual car, but this replica is about as perfect as a Basic Hot Wheels can be. I have mentioned several times how shrinking a car down to 1/64 is incredibly difficult. We might think it amounts to just recreating every detail in small scale, but designers will mention again and again that it is far more complicated to replicate the looks of a real car in 1/64, especially when it comes to the angles the real car possesses. That makes Porsches, with all their round lines, among the most difficult. And yet the Panamera is incredibly done, with all the lines of the real thing.
I asked around, and found out that it was designed by Lindsey Lee. Lindsey has been part of the Design Team for awhile now, and it is time we nerds get more familiar with her work. So I asked her about the Panamera, and she gave some fantastic background:
Panamera was already a very perfect design by itself, the struggle was how to keep it look good in small scale. Usually we tweak a little bit on original model to make it look more sporty or dramatic, I was more focusing on keeping it tidy and original in details for this one.
I was excited when I got this project. So I was showing the model around a lot, ended up getting some good advices. Ryu helped me keeping all the details original and tidy (something he is good at).
Also it’s very glad to see the headlamp successfully engineered to become a part of window panel, got the smoky tinted-glass look. Mark Jones suggested me to try. I was doubtful but gave it a try, it was really nice to see it worked out thanks to good engineers I worked with. (many times because of lacking space in the hood or assembly issue- we can’t afford the option.)On top of it- some positive synergy effect with clean, nice graphic and color choice. Team work it is !
She wanted it stock, and after taking a few suggestions from the savvy veterans, absolutely nailed the casting. It is easily one of the best executed models of the year.
It is barely out in the L Case, which means most of you haven’t seen it in person. I hope my photos do some justice, but this is one you really need to have in hand. Make sure you pick one up when you find the L assortment.
One last thought. With the Volvo 850 coming next year, isn’t it time for the end-all Wagon mix in Car Culture? 850, Hako, 510, RS6, and yes, the Panamera Sport Turismo. Let’s do it.
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