Just Unveiled: The fantastic new Hot Wheels Cadillac Elmiraj, sitting alongside the 2004 Maserati Quattroporte....

Yesterday in my less than stellar review of the new Hot Wheels Tesla Model S, I mentioned that its New Model counterpart in this batch could very well take the title of Model of the Year.

Most of you guessed that I was referring to the Cadillac Elmiraj, and you were right. Now that we have the Elmiraj in hand, we can honestly say that it is an astounding casting. It is strange to look at both the Tesla and the Cadillac knowing that both came from the same studio in the same company:

The Elmiraj is everything the Tesla is not. It has crisp lines, it sits with a perfect stance, it is well proportioned, and we don't need to comment about its front grill area. All you have to do is look at the photos, or better, buy one and open it. Whether or not you like the actual Elmiraj Concept, this model is about as good as it gets technically speaking. It is darn near perfect.

So I guess we can safely say it was not meant for the track.

Is it the best new model of the year? Probably not. Technically sure, but there are models, like the Escort, that pack a little more punch and significance. One way or the other it is one of the best of 2015:

How nice is that?

Which leads to the Maserati Quattroporte. There is absolutely no link between these two other than the fact that when I look at the Elmiraj I think of the Quattroporte. I can't tell you why. Maybe the wheels, maybe the realistic proportions, maybe the long hood. Whatever it is, it seems to make sense to put them together.

The Maserati is one of the more famous one-and-dones in the Hot Wheels lineup. It appeared as a New Model in 2004, and hasn't been seen since. At the time Hot Wheels was obsessed with tooned cars, and almost everything licensed was a muscle car. The Maserati seemed to be drastically out of place, with its same-size wheels, deco-devoid paint, and front and rear tampos. And it didn't interest most collectors either. That model hung and hung and hung. I was still finding them in stores as late as 2008.

Yeah, it would be popular today, and if it went the route of the Elmiraj as opposed to the Tesla, it would be a much more crisp model than the one it ended up being. One way or the other, I am very happy to have an example, and it looks great net to the Cadillac.