Aston Martin & Hot Wheels Rewrote Luxury Car History (EXCLUSIVE)
Aston Martin and Hot Wheels are taking some creative liberties with one of history's greatest luxury automobiles. And the results go down surprisingly smooth.
There are surely many people who'd insist that Aston Martin's DB4GT, a historic road-to-track racester unveiled in 1959 as the eventual forefather of the inimitable DB5, is perfect just the way it is. But what if it was something more?
In a press release issued by Hot Wheels parent Mattel, Aston Martin designers Miles Nurnberger and Thomas Gilbert and Craig Callum, Design Manager at Hot Wheels, explain the turn they took with the legendary Aston Martin DB4GT.
“The juxtaposition between the sophistication of Aston Martin’s original design and outlandish land speed cars results in an extraordinary die-cast, even by Hot Wheels standards,” Callum said.
“Our intention for this collaboration was to reimagine an iconic Aston Martin model through the lens of some aspect of American car modifying culture which chimed with the Hot Wheels brand," Gilbert explained.
"My design theme sketch, which Hot Wheels and Miles chose to develop, imagined a DB4GT-based land speed record car, very specifically inspired by those that Hot Wheels x Aston Martin DB4 run every year on the Bonneville salt flats. Following my sketch being selected, our company historian did some research and found that a customer in the 1960s did in fact take his DB4GT to Bonneville and drove it at high speed in the annual speed trials, which cemented the Bonneville theme from a historical as well as a design standpoint.”
And thus, an all-new DB4GT was born.
The two longtime partners, who've been creating Aston Martin Hot Wheel die-casts for nearly two decades by now, gave the DB4GT a muscler overhaul suitable for a car that'd be better-suited for speeding across salt flats than parading down Saville Row.
“By curating exciting and culturally relevant partnerships, Hot Wheels is able to provide adult collectors with a nostalgic and elevated Hot Wheels experience. Recent examples include our projects with Aston Martin, Daniel Arsham and Gucci, among others,” Roberto Stanichi, Senior VP of Hot Wheels and Global Head of Vehicles at Mattel, Inc, told Highsnobiety.
“For more than 50 years, Hot Wheels die-casts have captured the imaginations of children around the world and helped to develop generations of car enthusiasts. These unique collaborations allow us to provide both automotive and pop culture enthusiasts with something bold, unique and unexpected.”
New details on Hot Wheels' retooled DB4GT include "an aggressive front splitter, a lowered chopped roof, custom wheels and a longer body, all to increase aerodynamics and reduce wind resistance," with a fresh race-ready paintjob that certainly feels faster.
And, expect Aston Martin collectors to swiftly snap up the Aston Martin DB4GT “High-Speed Edition” Hot Wheels die-cast when it launches at stores in October.
