Over the years, Cadillac has garnered a reputation for big, brash, exclusive cars that are all unmistakably, well, Cadillac. Perhaps the biggest, brashest, and most exclusive example is the 1971 Star Streak.
If you’ve never heard of it, the Star Streak was pretty rare, as in one-of-one rare. But it wasn’t a prototype, it was an actual, running, roadworthy car. Also, it wasn’t a car, but a recreational vehicle. Oh, and it wasn’t built by Cadillac so much as built out of Caddies.
So, of course, the folks at Autocult had to make a model of it. Autocult is a fearless diecast company who make low-production, high-quality resin models of the most unusual vehicles in 1/43 scale. Seriously, a look through their catalog shows a bevy of scale models of prototypes, one-offs, and limited-production vehicles, which all beg the questions: Who asked for this model? Who thought it would be a good idea to reproduce it in miniature? And how can I get my hands on one?
The Star Streak was built in the early 1980s by Lt-Col. Paul Jones from Cape Coral, Florida. He wanted a stylish, comfortable, unique motor home to travel the country in retirement with his wife. With experience in aeronautics, engineering, and fabrication skills, he set out to chop and rearrange a few Cadillac Eldorados into his dream.
The result makes quite a statement, with a tall, COE arrangement, lots of fins and chrome, and plenty of unmistakably Caddy details. The quality of craftsmanship in bringing his vision to life shows inside and out. Nothing looks or feels homemade; instead, it looks like a retro-futuristic concept that GM might have constructed in its design studios in the mid-1960s.
Autocult captures the complex angles (NO curves to be seen anywhere) along with the many color breaks and chrome bits in perfection, as is their standard. With so much window glass, it behooved them to replicate the interior as faithfully as possible. Such craftsmanship and limited production will set you aside a little under $200.
The question remains: who would want a model of this thing? Admit it, you kind of do right now, don’t you? It’s available on their website along with other crazy offerings.
