13 Things You Didn’t Know about Hot Wheels Cars

In 1968, Elliot Handler, one of toy maker Mattel’s founders, created the iconic Hot Wheels cars, drawing inspiration from a variety of real-life models.

Since then, Hot Wheels has gone from being a toy for car-loving children to some of the most sought-after collector’s items.

With real-life car shows, video games, and countless toy car models, Hot Wheels has become a global phenom.

Basic Hot Wheels Prices Haven’t Changed

In 1968, a Hot Wheels car cost 98 cents, and today, you can buy one of the basic, mass-produced cars for around $1.

Taking inflation into consideration, Hot Wheels toys were ridiculously expensive back in the early days, as $1 in 1968 is equal to $9 today. On the other hand, collectors pay anywhere from $50 to $200 for one of the original Hot Wheels models in good condition, so in that sense, they were a good investment.

Hot Wheels Is the World’s Largest Car Manufacturer

Ironically, a company making the smallest cars is the world’s biggest carmaker, at least when measured by volume. Toyota produces around 10 million vehicles annually, which is nothing compared to Hot Wheels.

Mattel’s Hot Wheels division churns out 650 million cars each year. In comparison, all the world’s car manufacturers build around 85 million vehicles a year. Since the beginning, over 6 billion Hot Wheels have been made.

Some Hot Wheels Designers Have Worked On Real Cars

Some Hot Wheels designers have a background working on real cars. Harry Bradley, often considered the father of Hot Wheels designs, worked for GM. Larry Wood, who designed some of the most iconic Hot Wheels models, came from Ford.

Even today, they have designers with a car background, such as Ralph Benitez. Benitez, a self-taught designer, said growing up tinkering with cars in his dad’s shop, doing graffiti, and designing T-shirts led him to Hot Wheels.

Factory Error Hot Wheels

Factory Errors can refer to both the Hot Wheels car and its packaging. The most common mistakes are mismatched wheels, loose or broken parts, and improperly applied or missing decals. These weren’t caught in quality control, so they ended up on the shelves.

Keep in mind that mistakes don’t happen very often, so when a faulty Hot Wheels toy makes it all the way to the shops, it’s considered one-of-a-kind by collectors. Some collectors are actively looking for factory error cars, as they can be worth much more than the dollar they’ll pay.

There’s a Book About Hot Wheels Car Designs

Scott Robertson authored a book called How to Draw Cars the Hot Wheels Way. It’s officially licensed by Mattel and uses real Mattel/Hot Wheels artwork throughout the book.

It’s jam-packed with tips on creating automotive designs, whether fantasy, custom, concept, or hot rods. This is an excellent resource for artists, car enthusiasts, and Hot Wheels collectors.

Limited Edition Hot Wheels Models

In 1995, Mattel introduced the first Treasure Hunt cars, which have existed ever since. These are somewhat rare collectibles that are mixed in with the standard models on the shelf, so finding one was like a treasure hunt. Treasure Hunt models usually sell for $15–$30.

There’s also the much rarer Super Treasure Hunt models, of which they only make a few thousand of each car. Collecting all of them can take years, and collectors pay $30–$200 for them, but the oldest and rarest sometimes fetch thousands of dollars.

The Original Hot Wheels Cars Are Known as the Sweet Sixteen

Mattel’s very first line of Hot Wheels cars was launched in 1968 and was called “The Sweet Sixteen.” It consisted of 16 cars that were inspired by contemporary California Hot Rods.

The original model that started the whole Hot Wheels craze was a dark blue Custom Camaro, but any car from the Sweet Sixteen line is worth some money. Collectors are known to pay anywhere from $50 to $200 for a Sweet Sixteen Hot Wheels model in good condition.

Hot Wheels Legends Tour

In 2018, the toy carmaker launched its Hot Wheels Legends Tour to commemorate Hot Wheels’s 50th anniversary. It was a huge success and continues to this day. Every year, they organize 18 Legends Tour events in various Walmart locations across the United States.

Over 100,000 people attend these events to ogle the 5,000 cars entered. One car is picked at each event, and after all the Legends Tour events have finished for that year, one finalist is chosen, and their vehicle is recreated as a new Hot Wheels casting the following year.

There’s a Car Culture Line Aimed at Collectors

In 2016, Hot Wheels launched a new line called Car Culture. It consists of Premium 1:64 models using metal bodies and bases, two-piece wheels with rubber tires, and more detailed decals.

This Hot Wheels line retails for more than three times what a basic Hot Wheels car costs, and they’re produced in much smaller numbers. Most Car Culture cars are based on real cars, but some fantasy models have also existed.

Tons of Video Games

Over the years, Hot Wheels vehicles have appeared in multiple video games for numerous consoles, PCs, and mobile devices.

Most of these were pure Hot Wheels games, others were licensed to use Hot Wheels content, such as Forza Horizon 3–5 and Need for Speed: No Limits. In total, there are nearly 60 games with Hot Wheels content.

Collecting Hot Wheels Is a Relatively Inexpensive Hobby

Traditionally, Hot Wheels car collectors have been primarily children, but that changed in the late 1990s. Since then, there’s been a massive increase in adult collectors. Whereas children have an estimated average of 41 Hot Wheels toys, the average collector has over 1,550 cars.

While that sounds like a lot, and it is, it’s still an inexpensive hobby compared to collecting stamps or coins — at least if they pay retail prices for the cars. Some collectors’ models are known to cost thousands of dollars.

Certain Hot Wheels Models Are Worth a Fortune

Do you still have your old Hot Wheels collection? If you own some of the most sought-after cars, they may be worth a fortune.

These cars include the 1969 Pink Rear-Loader Beach Bomb, which is estimated to be worth an estimated $175,000. The 1968 Over Chrome Camaro can be worth up to $25,000. There’s the 1969 Brown Custom Charger, which can sell for $13,000. A 1969 Ed Shaver Blue AMX is worth around $10,000, and the Purple Olds 442 can fetch $5,000. Several other Hot Wheels models are worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

The Most Expensive Hot Wheels Car

The aforementioned “Beach Bomb” was Hot Wheels’ first attempt at creating a Volkswagen Microbus. It was inspired by surfer culture, but the surfboards proved challenging for the design team. Initially, the surfboards were loaded in the back, which made the Beach Bomb top-heavy, and it failed testing.

The actual production models had the surfboards mounted on the side and a plastic roof. However, around 50 rear-loading prototypes still exist, and only two were pink. Hot Wheels collector Bruce Pascal bought one of the pink ones for a whopping $175,000.