At-a-glance information:

Hot Wheels History

Much has been written about Hot Wheels and the history behind them, and I won't repeat the tons of background on these amazing cars available on so many sites. Rather, I will gear this towards my favorites of the lines, and my experiences with these.

As you may or may not know, Hot Wheels came about some time during 1968. Mattel devised clever, gravity-based race cars to collect, or race on their track. You could attach a simple one lane track to an armchair and wooosh....away you went. Or a dual lane race. Or add curves, loops and jumps. As time went on, rubber band and battery powered accessories added additional thrills.

What seems like such a basic thing--cars racing down an incline--was actually quite shocking when it was first released. Us kids were used to playing with Matchboxes, with their steel pin axles. I could not believe how fast these cars would go down their tracks perfectly. What a design triumph.

I got my first set for Christmas of that year. I can still remember the green foil Christmas wrap on the long box. I got the Drag Race Action Set. Oddly, I do not remember ANY advertising for these cars, and I was an avid Saturday cartoon watcher. Interestingly, the first "toy tie in" cartoon ever debuted in 1969, "Hot Wheels" which did indeed feature some of the Hot Wheels cars. However, I don't remember advertising those first years.

The original run of Hotwheels included what is known as the "Original 16" models, done up in "spectraflame" paint and sporting red line tires, typical of the redlines seen on GTO made by Uniroyal at the time. These cars were made in different colors, some combinations quite rare. It was also odd to see one painted a different color than yours, once you got used to what you had. I never had all 16 of the original 16, but I think I came close!

My Drag Race Action Set came with two cars, a 1967 Mercury Cougar, and a 1967 Firebird convertible. For some reason, the Cougar was always the "bad guys" in my play scenario.

Note: All cars below are originals, my original cars, purchased as the years rolled on. I never kept any of the original packaging, nor did I keep any cars in the box MOC. As you can see, all my cars are played with; the early ones have a ton of wear, but almost all of them still run perfectly well. Interestingly, as the years went on, you can see I took better care of the cars.

Amazingly, I still have these two original cars. In fact, I have every one of my original cars. The sets are another, unfortunate story.

Along with the drag race set, my parents--always giving me alot on Christmas, gave me the Ford J Car as another racer, and soon after that, the Hot Heep, Beatnik Bandit, and Deora.

Above: Ford "J" Car--Alot of people don't realize that this was all part of the Ford GT-40 Program. This Hot Wheels version actually came with a decal sheet, including one to put inside your carry case; mine is still there.

Here is an interesting story. The "Python" was based on a show car, or originally the Car Craft Dream Rod project. It is assymetrical, as in, the sides are not even proportions. It is very weird and cool. Thankfully, this car seems to be in good hands and is being restored by someone who evidently knows what they are doing.

Sites with fun data about the "Python":

http://www.hotrodhotline.com/feature/build/07carcraft/

http://www.jhudgins.com/hotwheels/pictures/vintage/

We used to buy alot of toys at GEM in Denver. GEM was a huge store that predated GEMCO, FEDCO and others of that type. They had a huge toy department.

Left Below: I bought this Mustang there. It was part of a "Pop Up Speed Shop". Right Below:I got this '32 Ford Vicky at GEM too.

I always loved the Deora, and this color. I am missing the surfboards, but they are reproduced. This car has alot of wear, the roof is pushed in, but it still goes great!

	This, unbelievably, was based on the Dodge A-100 "van" pickup. It was chopped, had a roof from a station wagon grafted onto it, and other mods. It was a real show car.
	Yes, another wonderful 60's show car. This is a very fine item. Do read this great story and enjoy. The fittings on this really make it look like a production vehicle. Excellent Motor Trend story here.

	Left: Custom Fleetline show car, missing snap open "tonneau" cover. Although the designer, Harry Bradley, based this on his own modified El Camino, the final product to me resembled more of a chopped full sized pickup.
	Adding to the confusion of this particular model is the fact that Chevy for years used the term "Fleetside" for their non-stepside, full sized truck, never for the El Camino.
	Adding still more confusion is this prototype, which smacks of full sized truck, not El Camino. Please read all about the Custom Fleetline on this great page: (note, all my pictures are links and I have not copied any pictures from any other website). Site here.

Below: Everyone's collection has cars in it that they cannot remember where they got them. Here is the Cadillac Eldorado and Lincoln Continental Mark III.

	I always loved this car. I wanted it the first moment it came out in the 1969 Catalog. I got it while we were staying for about 8 months at the Happy Canyon Townhome complex in Denver. I called it Crappy Canyon. It wasn't that it was a bad place, the townhouses were nice. But the carports were down the street and in snowy Denver, it wasn't fun. And I was used to a big house with a basement. I had to do all my playing in my room. We lived next door to the Spillmans, and Mrs. Spillman told my mom I was "obnoxious" because I used to ride my bike on the little sidewalks, and she obviously didn't like kids. Well screw you Mrs. Spillman, with any hope, you're dead now. You were no great shakes in 1969, and well, YOU'RE obnoxious. But I digress.
	Here is a Chaparral 2G. I lost the spoiler but there are repros.
	Another car I got at GEM, and wasn't sure I would like it. I kept thinking of Nazis and the like. But, it grew on me, and for a while, was my fastest car. It seemed like every new car I got after 1970 seemed to be the fastest of the lot.
	Light My Firebird. Here is another car I didn't like until I got it. Have no idea where I got it. It was neat to have both Firebirds.
	Here is a Turbofire. Notice how at this point my Hot Wheels were well taken care of. This is almost a 40 year old, well played with car.   Whenever I would sit and imagine if I could pick just one Hot Wheels car to really drive, this was typically the one I picked. I guess owning a big flared fendered 1970 Corvette now is understandable.
	Lotus Turbine Race Car...another example where I do not remember where I got it. Modeled after a real turbine race car.
Right: Real Lotus Turbine
	Peepin' Bomb. A small lever inside the cabin pulls open the headlight covers. Very cool
	Whip Creamer. This car's plastic canopy slides open, and the "turbine" in the back will spin if you blow on it!
	This was the last original Hot Wheels that I got as a kid, the What-4. Although a 1971 model, I got it in 1972. Not soon after, it seemed I really stopped playing with Hot Wheels. It was the fastest, would go the furthest, and still will when I 'vintage race" these cars against each other.

Goals

My goal is to rebuild my Hot Wheels Collection with everything I had, plus a few more Oddities.

What did I get rid of:

A family friend got the bulk of my Hot Wheels tracks and accessories when I reached that "magic" age of 13. I gave away all my track from the Drag Race Set (the flimsy cardboard box was long gone) plus extra track, two loops, a couple of curves, a single lane Rod Runner, a Speedometer and a few other accessories. I plan to get all these back.

Take me back home