Review of Chinese-Market Cadillac ATS-L Luxury Sedan Kamo Brand 18th Scale Diecast Car Model

 January 21, 2024

#475

Gentle reader,

Back in April of 2023, we were looking for a newer car for me to use for when I travel from Northern Virginia all the way down to almost the border of North Carolina, as part of a KAIROS prison ministry team at Sussex I maximum security prison.

I wanted a manual transmission which greatly narrowed the field. I drive a 19-year-old turbo-Volvo wagon with a 6-speed and since it's rare, I do not want to subject it to potentially being hit by other vehicles. What with distracted driving and other things people keep doing. I've seen too many photos of wrecked ATS and Volvos in the various Facebook groups. We did test drive a nice late-model Mazda 6 but, I didn't like the used car dealer, something seemed hinky.

Our daughter texted us that she'd found a "Cadillac with a 6-speed manual in Colonial Beach!" And, thus, we were able to buy our very first Cadillac. We absolutely love the car, and like my 2005 Volvo V50, it is also rare having a manual transmission.

And here it is. Below is the box it came in. It was well protected. It came with a little plastic tool of some kind. I finally figured it out as being a door opener! Slip the hook in the door handle and gently pull. Finish opening the doors by hand. 

My AutoArt JDM 2002 Subaru WRS STi wagon also came with a similar, but more robust, tool, and now, I know what it is for. We owned a USDM 2002 Subaru WRX wagon. Here is that model, all opened up.

I reversed the image to make it look like it has left-hand-drive.

I am showing you an image (shot from a higher angle, because I'm tall) to let you compare the doors length. Here is a link to an article about the ATS-L: Cadillac Reveals Long-Wheelbase ATS-L For Chinese Market

"In China, prestigious vehicles are often used as chauffeured limousines, prioritizing rear seat space and extra rear features over the cars' counterparts in the U.S. and Europe. With its new ATS-L, Cadillac has stretched the regular ATS sedan's wheelbase by 85 millimeters to a new total of 2,860 mm. Interestingly, World Car Fans reports that the width of the car has gone up by 19 mm to 1,824 mm, and the height dropped by 6 mm to 1,421 mm."

85mm is just over 3 3/8th inches, therefore, we are not going to be able to tell the difference in length, in real life or (if there existed a non-L model) in miniature. Interesting that they somehow widened the L as well.

If you are viewing this article on something other than a handheld device, clicking or tapping any image will open a window over the article with ALL of the images much larger, so that you can look at details better.

The chrome details and other little things are very good on this model. 

As is to be expected, the front wheels/steering wheel turns/rotates. They strapped the car down so hard that bits of Styrofoam stuck to the tires. Cleaning it off was a bit of a job. A little is still visible on some of the tires.

There are little Cadillac Brembo brake calipers behind the front wheels. Another cool thing this car has: Sprung suspension. In the front, it is independent, in the rear the axle is solid, so they both move down and up in sync. More in the undercarriage photos.

You will get a closer look at the trunk's emblems in a photo further down. 

These three images are from the linked article above. 

They must have used a very w-i-d-e angle lens to take this image. It almost looks like the rear doors are rear-hinged!

I suppose for the average Chinese person, having an extra 85mm of rear seat legroom would be a lot. Anyone who owns an ATS knows, the back seat legroom in non-L form ATS leaves much to be desired.

Perhaps, if you are reading the linked article on a handheld device, one can spread the photo above. 

Using the included door opening tool, I was able to get everything open easily.

That's it for trunk opening. Which is not unusual in the diecast model world. Trunk is all lined with soft material, like the real cars.

They even replicated the heatshield above the turbocharger on the under hood insulation!

Almost looks ready to be climbed into and take for a spin.

Even the foot pedals are detailed. The shift paddles are a little thick, but that is understandable.

Note the engine size error above: 28T. The article linked lists the two engine sizes to be identical to standard ATS: 2.0T and 3.6 V6 N/A.

CUE screen is standing by to begin melting in the sun! My OCD wants me to reposition that rearview mirror. 

They even replicated the little forward-looking camera and the Head-Up display location. Sunroof does hinge upward, but that is it. That would be quite a trick to get it to slide into the roof!

Oh, and the side mirrors fold, just like the real car's do. If you look closely at these two photos, you can see flaws in the paint on this particular model. Had it cost three-figures, that would be unacceptable. 

But, I was $74.99 via eBay and this seller: jency739 | eBay Stores They, as of this writing, have twenty different Cadillac models from 1/64th through 1:18th scale. Most diecast, a few in resin.

And now, for the engine bay.

I was getting a reflection from the light on the windshield in this image. Below is better.

Pretty realistic, right? LOL! One can see they left off things like the strut braces and drive belts/pulleys. But, that's OK.

Sometimes, I handhold an LED flashlight to get more light under the hood, or into the interior of a car model I am shooting. 

In the latter, there was plenty of light to see interior details due to the model having four doors. In the case of these images, I lightened them digitally in Photoshop.

I parked the model right at the edge of the platform for these shots.

And now, the undercarriage!

When I took mine into my favorite (Volvo)* shop for the emissions test, he put it up on the rack so we could look around. Had I known he was going to do that, I would of taken pictures. Since I'm 67 and new to smart phones, I tend to forget that I always have a camera on me. 

*The Cadillac dealer near to us are quite a distance away. Where we had the car checked out by them and repaired after buying it, they don't have emission testing requirements, and thus, could not do the test. Only cities and larger population areas in Virginia are required to have emissions testing done bi-annually.

Rear axles are much thicker than in real life. For strength in the case of the model since it has springs.

All-in-all, I am pleased with this model. I had to chose which car model to remove from the cabinet. I chose the blue Viper GTS's spot, on the second-to-the-bottom diecast cars shelf.

In 1:18th scale, I have six models which represent (the closest I found, made to match the) real cars I have owned. They are, on the forth shelf from the top: A 1967 Chevrolet Impala SS. My third car, which I bought in 1975. It was a beige convertible with 327 V8 engine/automatic. The black model is hardtop with 427 big block V8/4-speed. To it's right is a Triumph Spitfire. Mine was the 1500 in red, and a year newer than the BRG model here. In front of that, is an Audi 100 Coupe, never sold in the US. Ours was a 100SL four-door sedan in silver/blue. My first European cars, both bought around 1979. NEXT shelf down: The previously shown Subaru WRX wagon, ours was the same color. Then, we bought a black 1987 Porsche 924S. The red model is the last year-made 924 (VW/Audi engine). And finally, the 2000 Audi TT quattro. Ours was that color, Denim Blue, inside and out. The model predates the addition of rear spoiler and other aero aids to prevent loss of control at Autobahn speeds which was happening to TTs. Lastly, on the bottom shelf, we grew up riding in VW Buses. At least three different ones that I can recall. In front of that: Driving home from high school in Spring of 1974, I spied a 1964 Pontiac GTO convertible with a FOR SALE sign in the window. I was driving my first car, a 1964 Chevy Impala two-door hardtop. I stopped, knocked on the door, the owner answered, got the keys and I test drove it. 389 three-two-barrel carburetors, four-speed manual, positraction rear end. The only thing wrong was a dent in the drivers door which could have been popped out from the inside. "How much do you want for it?" I asked. "Two-fifty, do you think that's too much?" For the first time in my life, I tried to have a poker face. "No, I paid $300 for this last year, and it's the same age." Since I was earning $1.65 an hour part time at a Mobil station, I did not have that much. My dad's answer when I asked to borrow $250 was, "But you already have a car." "But, Dad, it's a GTO!" "You could get in trouble with a car like that." He was correct. A few months later, I bought a 1964 Chevelle Malibu SS with a 327 V8, four barrel carburetor, four-speed manual and a positraction rear end for $250. Same car basically, smaller engine. Last model is a 2004 (made in Australia) Pontiac GTO. Of which, I would love to have a real one.

Since I'm going on about cars I once enjoyed owning, I might as well continue with the 1:24th scale models. Starting with the bottom row of big cars: A 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS on the left. It has the top 409 V8 engine and four-speed manual. Mine was tan with 283 small block V8 with a two-barrel carburetor and two-speed automatic transmission. In the middle is a dealer promotional model of a 1964 Chevelle Malibu SS. As mentioned, mine was a convertible, the same color. To the right is a Datsun 510. My dad needed a car to commute on the weekends to and from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. We had a 510 on the lot, it that color, with a four-speed manual. He bought it. When he was home on the weekends, I was always borrowing that fun little car!

Next row up: I traded my Ford Escort wagon, which had a five-speed manual, for a black Chrysler Sebring convertible. It was black with grey interior. Nancy drove it. 

To the right of the Sebring is what this 1941 Plymouth Coupe I was making into a Hot Rod might have looked like, had I finished it. Oh, I miss that lean body. I was six feet three and 155 pounds, with muscle definition, I was SO skinny! I'm 176# now and have lost an inch of height, and a headful of hair.

I fell in love with Linda Frank, then my parents were moving to Northern Virginia. Her dad graciously offered to tow the car, take down his fence and put the car in their back yard! Linda and I broke up, but her parents loved me and told me the car could stay as long as I needed it to. I eventually sold it to a coworker.

OK, back to the story. To the right of the blue Plymouth is another dealer promotional model of a 1974 Chevy Vega. I had a Kammback, their name for the two-door Vega (and later, Monza) wagon. It was a fine car, (I was a Chevy dealer mechanic at the time and kept it running) it had a four-speed manual and no real options to speak of. 

Next shelf up: Another dealer promo of a 1975 Chevy Monza V8. I bought the real car from our next-door neighbor for $150. I intended to swap the V8 engine into the Vega wagon, but that never happened. I rattle-can spray painted it flat black and made Lexan covers for the headlights. A coworker asked me about the paint's color. "It's RAP." "Rap?" "Radar Absorbent Paint. I got it from a buddy at Andrews." (Air Force Base) "Really? Does it work?" "I haven't gotten a ticket yet." I waited a beat then I told him that I was messing with him. I never owned a Police car, but that is as close as I could find for TV's Adam-12's police car. The Porsche 924 Turbo is a plastic model I built. 

Next shelf up: We traded the Porsche 924S in on a 1996 Chevy Camaro Z28. V8, six-speed manual with T-Tops, of course. I built a 1:20th scale model to match it. The red promo model in a 1995. I sold the Z28 and the WRX wagon to buy the Audi TT. I do not have a Volvo C30 (red car next to the red TT). But, if you look at the row of Volvo wagons, second shelf from the bottom, you will see a grey V50 which is the same chassis as the C30, S40 and C70.

V50 T5 / M66 & ATS Performance 2.0T 6MT.

Whew! I never intended to rattle on like that about diecast cars representing real cars. I HAVE, however, written articles on many of the models comparing them to real cars we have owned.

Thank you for taking the time to read this rather long article. Feel free to comment below or on Facebook.

Scott Robb

January 21, 2024

#475