The Hot Wheels Honda Odyssey goes more stock for Car Culture Cargo Carriers. Or does it?

It was such an odd – yet compelling – choice for Hot Wheels to do a Honda Odyssey.  The reaction was predictably mixed when the word got out that Hot Wheels was going to do an Odyssey.  The company of raked Camaros and slammed hot rods was going to put the ultimate grocery getter on a blue card.  For some, that was blasphemy.  For others, like me, it was smile-inducing.

Why shouldn’t Hot Wheels do an Odyssey?  I would guess the cross between “desire to own a minivan” and “gearhead” is fairly slim, but still.  First, if you HAD to pick a minivan, wouldn’t it be the Odyssey?  And second, well I can’t think of a second reason.  No wait, I can.  Ever driven one?  The Odyssey has a strange ability to lure you into its luxuries when you are in one.  As you drive along, you start to visualize the ease and convenience that would be your life with one, how easy it would be to travel with it, and how cushy you feel, and how you should really consider getting one.  Of course, once you are done you stop and wonder how you were so easily lured in, and you vow to never let your friends know what happened while you were in that car.  (And no, I am not speaking from experience.  It happened to a friend, or so I hear.  Stop looking at me!  It was a friend!  I have to go.)

But let’s face it, Odysseys are kind of cool.  Take away the stigma of a minivan, and the lines are actually quite nice, and there is no doubt a whole segment of car culture has made these vans supercool.

Then Hot Wheels put any doubt to bed by giving their Odyssey that little Hot Wheels touch.  Just enough customization to make it look sleeker and faster, and then on top of that, give its debut a deco that pays tribute to the Honda City Turbo.  It was brilliant.

Then, all of a sudden they changed it up.  The Odyssey has gone premium for Car Culture, and while the silhouette is essentially the same, it looks a whole lot different.  Gone is the interior piece that served as front and rear panels, as well as the front grill that was part of the window piece, which gave the basic version a racing look.  In their place is a full metal exterior with the front and rear sections tampo printed.  The large sunroof of the basic model is replaced with a bulging plastic piece attached to the window that serves as a roof rack.  The result is a much more simple, stock looking model.

But this is Hot Wheels, and as much as I like stock models, I just don’t see them creating a fresh-off-the-lot Odyssey replica.  And they didn’t at all.  The color looks stock, but the rear window gives it all away.  This model is a wolf-like supercar dressed in sheep’s clothing.  It’s a replica of this:

View this post on Instagram

A beautiful way to start the week…#Bisimoto 1029hp #Odyssey vs. 481hp #CaymanS

A post shared by Bisi Ezerioha (@bisimoto) on Apr 24, 2017 at 9:34am PDT

Yes, that unassuming maroon Odyssey in front of the Bisimoto trailer is actually a 1029 horsepower behemoth.  A seen-to-be-believed vehicle that has become a signature of sorts for Bisi Ezerioha and his performance company, Bisimoto.

So for those of you who have made a point on IG and elsewhere that this “plain, boring” van won’t be added to your collection, just know you are passing on something supercool.  It’s far more interesting than most cars that can achieve 4-digit horsepower, and yes, it can bring a couple of Ikea Kallax home.

I guess that is where the “Cargo Carriers” comes from.