I have held off posting on the John Lasseter Signature Series CARS to come because there’s conflicting info and evidence but since the photos are up … you might as well look at them and we can fill in blanks later …

This will be a 1:55 series that will be available on MattyCollectible.com – as you can see here in the first proposed release, Lightning McQueen is spiffed up in many small ways – much more detailed in general.

Though the spoiler seems kind of ginormous to me.

Again, much more detailing in the tampo decals and little paint areas.

It will have “real” synthetic rubber tires (“real” still being plastic because no one really makes things out of real vulcanized riubber from rubber trees anymore 🙂 ) so it will feel like it’s vulcanized rubber but not truely real rubber – got it? 🙂

The tires will also have grooves though as others point out, not really canon as the tires in NASCAR nor the Lightyear Tires in CARS have grooves … but it is supposed to convey that they are real rubber tires and not just plastic smooth ones as on the CARS now. –

UPDATED – while NASCAR & Lightyear Tires during the race do not have grooves, when McQueen is driving around the city streets, byways & highways, he does have  grooves – thanks to all those who pointed it out – how closely do you sit in front of the TV? 🙂  

This McQueen is the proposed JL Series McQueen though with Red Ransburg Red … (prototype) … will the final JL Lightning McQueen be wearing the red you see above or the red Ransburg below?

Still up in the air for now.

Release? May, 2009?

Price? That might be the sticking point. The number being bandied about is $20 USD … or with shipping & taxes from Matty – $27 USD?

Personally, I think most serious collectors will buy McQueen even with the steep tariff but the plan is to do the entire townies … 15? 20 CARS? There is also the matter of the production run – again, no firm numbers yet but anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 … so while I have no doubt JL Lightning McQueen will sell to the most rabid CARS fans and certainly a spiffed up Mater … but could they really sell 10,000 Doc Hudson’s at $27 USD?

Humm. Maybe a few years ago but now with the lenticulars coming, the haulers, megasize, Storytellers and Mater’s Tall Tales?

Again, I think McQueen would sell and certainly Mater but like the 1:24 scale coming … some or many sales certainly but a sellout? Maybe at 5,000? But at 10,000 for a production run … it seems quite a daunting task … but hey, it’s never dull in CARS DIECAST ville …

Part II is here – with photos of display box.