What year were Hot Wheels first made?
This article is a list of Hot Wheels released in 1968. Sixteen new vehicles were introduced this year. They were also known as "The Original 16" or "Sweet Sixteen". This was the first year for Hot Wheels.
When was the first hot wheel car made?
The first line of Hot Wheels Cars, known as The Original Sweet 16 was manufactured in 1968. These were the first of the Red Line Series, named for the tires which had a red pin stripe on their sides. There were sixteen castings released, eleven of them designed by Harry Bentley Bradley with assistance from Handler and Ryan.
What is the most expensive Hot Wheels Car?
The Most Expensive Hot Wheels Cars
- 1971 Purple Olds 442. ...
- 1968 Custom Volkswagen Without Sunroof. ...
- 1968 White Enamel Camaro. ...
- 1970 Red Baron With White Interior. ...
- 1995 Collector Number 271 Funny Car. ...
- 1970 Ed Shaver Custom AMX. ...
- 1970 “Mad Maverick” Base Mighty Maverick. ...
- 1974 Blue Rodger Dodger. ...
Where did Hot Wheels originate?
Introduced by Mattel in 1968, Hot Wheels have come a long way, both in the diecast and life-size varieties. More than 800 models and 11,000 variations of Hot Wheels cars have been created and more than 4 billion diecast cars have been sold. In the exhibit ...
1970s
1980s
1990s
2001
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2003
2004
2005
What was the first Hot Wheels car ever made?
custom Camaro1) The first Hot Wheels car that was produced was a dark blue custom Camaro in 1968.
How many original Hot Wheels were there?
The first line of Hot Wheels die-cast cars introduced were called “The Sweet 16,” and made their debut at the International Toy Fair in 1968. “The Sweet 16” were 16 cars whose designs were inspired by California muscle cars and hot rods.
How much is the first Hot Wheels car worth?
The original was a model kit of a stylized hot-rod featuring a WWI German infantry helmet and an Iron Cross motif on the radiator. The version released in 1970 by Hot Wheels is one of the most popular and memorable cars ever. Its estimated worth is around $3,000 to $4,000.
Which is the rarest Hot Wheels car?
Manufactured exclusively in Mattel's Hong Kong facility in 1971, the purple Olds 442 is considered by many collectors to be not only the rarest Olds Hot Wheels car but the rarest of all production redline Hot Wheels.
Which is older Matchbox or Hot Wheels?
Matchbox is older having begun in England in the fifties, Hot Wheels came onto the scene in 1968 from the USA, with their fast wheels on piano wire axles.
What Hot Wheels are worth a lot of money?
Here's a quick recap of the 15 most expensive Hot Wheels cars:1969 Pink VW Beach Bomb.2008 Diamond-Encrusted Custom Otto.1968 Over Chrome Mustang.1968 Over Chrome Camaro.1970 Made Maverick Base.1969 Brown Custom Charger.1971 Purple Olds 442.1969 Ed Shaver Blue AMX.More items...•
How can you tell if a hot wheel is rare?
4:528:37Collector Tips #3 - How To Tell If A Hot Wheels is Rare - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo far are cards that you can find on the peg. Usually the older the release the more valuable.MoreSo far are cards that you can find on the peg. Usually the older the release the more valuable.
How many Hot Wheels exist?
That roughly 2 billion wheels, more than enough to cover any of their doored products. a toy company alone covers. There have been over 6 billion hot wheels sold since 1968 that's a lot of potential wheels still on earth in wheel form.
How much did Hot Wheels cost in 1969?
The price has not changed much in almost 40 years, although in real terms the models have dropped significantly in price (a Hot Wheels car cost $0.98 in 1968 and costs $0.98 today, in spite of inflation).
What is the rarest car in the world?
In Images: Five rarest of the rarest cars in the world Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé Not only is this the rarest car on this list, but it is also the most expensive one by far. ... McLaren F1 LM. ... Bugatti Type 41 (Royale) ... Lamborghini Veneno. ... Ferrari 250 GTO.
Which is the best Hot Wheels car?
Top 10 Most Valuable Hot Wheels CarsThe ultra-rare Pink Rear-Loading Volkswagen Beach Bomb, 1969. ... Cheetah Base Python, 1968. ... “Mad Maverick” base Mighty Maverick, 1970. ... Red Baron with white interior, 1970. ... Custom Volkswagen without Sunroof, 1968. ... Ed Shave Custom AMX, 1970. ... Blue Rodger Dodger, 1974. ... Purple Olds 442 (1971)More items...
What Matchbox car is worth the most?
The title of the most expensive Matchbox car goes to by the Magirus-Deutz Crane. This little brown 1961 “No. 30” crane truck was reportedly found in a garage sale and purchased for $10. Three years later, the owner sold it for $10,000, and another collector also purchased one for a whopping $13,000!
How many Hot Wheels are there total?
There are 20,000 different variations of Hot Wheels cars in existence. Hot Wheels partner with nearly every auto manufacturer in the world. Over 130 new car designs are introduced each year and they're sold in over 150 countries. Every single one of the 16 original Hot Wheels is based on an actual customized vehicle.
How many wheels did Hot Wheels make?
The original production run was 10,000 of each car worldwide; that number has since risen due to the increasing demand for and popularity of Hot Wheels as a collector's item. Treasure Hunt vehicles are identifiable by a label on the package.
How many Hot Wheels are there in the world?
That roughly 2 billion wheels, more than enough to cover any of their doored products. a toy company alone covers.
How do I know if my Hot Wheels are rare?
5:078:37Collector Tips #3 - How To Tell If A Hot Wheels is Rare - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo just know that usually when the car is released a longer time ago it's more valuable the same canMoreSo just know that usually when the car is released a longer time ago it's more valuable the same can be applied for cars that were released in the 1968.
What was the first hot wheel car?
The very first Hot Wheels car released in 1968 was the Custom Camaro. This redlined classic is now very hard to find.
Who makes hot wheels?
Hot Wheels are manufactured by Mattel. The first 16 original Hot Wheels were 1:64-scale die-cast cars that were modeled after actual full-sized vehicles, including the customized models. Eleven of the original Hot Wheels cars were designed by renowned automotive designer Harry Bentley Bradley. For the first few years of manufacture, all ...
Where Did My Hot Wheels Collection Go?
I was 10 years old when the first Hot Wheels cars hit the toy store shelves in 1968, and I can still remember the little display in Mike's Toy Store. Each Hot Wheels car cost $0.99, which was a fair amount of money at that time for a little metal toy car. I already had a number of Matchbox cars, and I was eager to add the new Hot Wheels cars to my collection—especially the shining miniature replicas of American muscle cars; Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, Cougars and Corvettes.
How many Hot Wheels cars were made in 1968?
Since 1968, over 4 billion Hot Wheels cars have been produced. If placed end-to-end, the line of Hot Wheels cars would circle the globe more than 4 times. The retail price of Hot Wheels cars has not changed since 1968. You can still buy Hot Wheels cars for around $1.
How much is a 2007 Hot Wheels Twin Mills car worth?
Answer: The value depends on condition. There are a few listings on eBay for the 2007 version of the Hot Wheels Twin Mills car that sold for $1.50 to $7.50 (plus shipping).
What was the highest amount paid for a Hot Wheels car?
The highest amount paid for a Hot Wheels car (so far) was $72,000 in 2000 for a pink 1969 Volkswagen Beach Bomb. This specific car is a one-of-a-kind prototype that was never officially released.
What do you need to make a real car?
To make it a real car, the only thing you need is a magnifying glass. Original design blueprints from real automobile manufacturers. Only from Hot Wheels. Smaller size, same quality.
When did hot wheels first appear?
In 1985, Hot Wheels first appeared in Kellogg's cereal boxes. In the late 80s, the Blue Card was introduced, which would become the basis of Hot Wheels cars still used today. Also, the first Hot wheels collector's convention was held in Toledo, Ohio.
When did Hot Wheels start making motorcycles?
In 1975 , Hot Wheels introduced its first motorcycles. In 1977, the Redline Wheel was phased out, with the red lines being erased from the wheels. This cut costs, but also reflected that the red lines popularized during the era of muscle cars and Polyglas tires were no longer current.
What was the success of Hot Wheels?
As it turned out, the Hot Wheels brand was a staggering success. (This accomplishment must be put in its historical perspective: Basically, the series "re-wrote the book" for small die-cast car models from 1968 onwards, forcing the competition at Matchbox and elsewhere to completely rethink their concepts, and to scamper to try to recover lost ground.) Harry Bentley Bradley did not think that would be the case and had quit Mattel to go back to the car industry. When the company asked him back, he recommended a good friend, Ira Gilford. Gilford, who had just left Chrysler, quickly accepted the job of designing the next Hot Wheels models. Some of Hot Wheels' greatest cars, such as the Twin Mill and Splittin' Image, came from Ira Gilford's drawing board. Larry Wood also joined the Hot Wheels team in 1969 to help with the increased demand. He'd left Ford and longed to return to southern California.
What year did Hot Wheels make their first toy car?
The success of the 1968 line was solidified and consolidated with the 1969 releases, with which Hot Wheels effectively established itself as the most important brand of small toy car models in the USA.
How many beach bombs are there on Hot Wheels?
An unknown number were made as test subjects and given to Mattel employees, and today there are only about 25 known to exist.
How many Hot Wheels were released in 2008?
In 2008, Hot Wheels released 40 New Models. 12 Treasure Hunts, with Super Hunt variants and an assortment of Team Cars and other mainline releases.
Why were Real Riders short lived?
Despite the fact that they were very popular, the Real Riders line was short-lived, because of high production costs. Mexico and France begin production of Hot Wheels. Ultra Hots wheels, which looked like the wheels found on a Renault Fuego or a Mazda 626, were introduced in 1984 and had other speed improvements.
What was the first hot wheel car?
The first line of Hot Wheels Cars, known as The Original Sweet 16 was manufactured in 1968.
When were Hot Wheels cars made?
The first line of Hot Wheels Cars, known as The Original Sweet 16 was manufactured in 1968. These were the first of the Red Line Series, named for the tires which had a red pin stripe on their sides.
What was the success of Hot Wheels?
As it turned out, the Hot Wheels brand was a staggering success. The series completely disrupted the whole industry for small die-cast car models from 1968 onwards, forcing the competition at Matchbox and elsewhere to completely rethink their concepts, and to scramble to try to recover lost ground. Harry Bentley Bradley did not think that would be the case and had quit Mattel to go back to the car industry. When the company asked him back, he recommended a good friend, Ira Gilford. Gilford, who had just left Chrysler, quickly accepted the job of designing the next Hot Wheels models. Some of Hot Wheels' greatest cars, such as the Twin Mill and Splittin' Image, came from Ira Gilford's drawing board.
What was the original Hot Wheels track?
Though it would be updated throughout the years, the original track consisted of a series of brightly colored orange road sections ( pieced together to form an oblong, circular race track), with one (or sometimes two) "super chargers" (faux service stations through which cars passed on the tracks, featuring battery-powered spinning wheels, which would propel the cars along the tracks). An important feature here was Hot Wheel's use of wide, hard-plastic tires that created much less friction and tracked more smoothly than the narrow metal or plastic wheels used on contemporary Matchboxes; Hot Wheels cars were designed to roll easily and at high speeds, which was a great innovation at the time.
How long did the 1984 Corvette run?
The 1984 Corvette production ran for 1.5 model years covering half of the remaining 1983 model year and ending on time for the 1985 model year. In conjunction with Epyx Software, Mattel released a computer game edition of Hot Wheels for various 8-bit platforms in 1985, as part of the Computer Activity Toys series.
How many cars are on the Hot Wheels Legends Tour?
Each year, there are 18 Legends Tour events that are held at various Walmart locations across the United States. Over 111,000 people attend and about 5,000 cars are entered at those events. At each event, one car is picked to be recreated as a potential new Hot Wheels casting. After all the events for that year conclude, one finalist is then picked to be the winner, and their car then gets recreated as a new Hot Wheels casting next year. Hot Wheels are looking for vehicles that embody the fun and creative spirit of Hot Wheels, which is their main selling point.
Why are Hot Wheels 1972 models so collectible?
Due to low sales, and the fact that the majority of the castings were not re-used in later years , the 1972-3 models are known to be very collectible. In 1974, Hot Wheels introduced its ' Flying Colors ' line, and added flashy decals and "tampo-printed" paint designs which helped revitalize sales.
What was the first hot wheel car?from hobbylark.com
The very first Hot Wheels car released in 1968 was the Custom Camaro. This redlined classic is now very hard to find.
Who makes hot wheels?from hobbylark.com
Hot Wheels are manufactured by Mattel. The first 16 original Hot Wheels were 1:64-scale die-cast cars that were modeled after actual full-sized vehicles, including the customized models. Eleven of the original Hot Wheels cars were designed by renowned automotive designer Harry Bentley Bradley. For the first few years of manufacture, all ...
Where Did My Hot Wheels Collection Go?from hobbylark.com
I was 10 years old when the first Hot Wheels cars hit the toy store shelves in 1968, and I can still remember the little display in Mike's Toy Store. Each Hot Wheels car cost $0.99, which was a fair amount of money at that time for a little metal toy car. I already had a number of Matchbox cars, and I was eager to add the new Hot Wheels cars to my collection—especially the shining miniature replicas of American muscle cars; Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, Cougars and Corvettes.
How many Hot Wheels cars were made in 1968?from hobbylark.com
Since 1968, over 4 billion Hot Wheels cars have been produced. If placed end-to-end, the line of Hot Wheels cars would circle the globe more than 4 times. The retail price of Hot Wheels cars has not changed since 1968. You can still buy Hot Wheels cars for around $1.
How much is a 2007 Hot Wheels Twin Mills car worth?from hobbylark.com
Answer: The value depends on condition. There are a few listings on eBay for the 2007 version of the Hot Wheels Twin Mills car that sold for $1.50 to $7.50 (plus shipping).
What was the highest amount paid for a Hot Wheels car?from hobbylark.com
The highest amount paid for a Hot Wheels car (so far) was $72,000 in 2000 for a pink 1969 Volkswagen Beach Bomb. This specific car is a one-of-a-kind prototype that was never officially released.
What do you need to make a real car?from hobbylark.com
To make it a real car, the only thing you need is a magnifying glass. Original design blueprints from real automobile manufacturers. Only from Hot Wheels. Smaller size, same quality.
Why did the ABC cancel Hot Wheels?from hotwheels.fandom.com
By 1971, the Federal Communications Commission became concerned that the cartoon was using public broadcast time for advertising messages, and ruled that the opening and any references to the phrase "Hot Wheels" be counted as commercial time. This led ABC to cancel the program.
How many seasons of Talk (0) Hot Wheels?from hotwheels.fandom.com
Talk (0) Hot Wheels was a thirty-minute Saturday morning animated TV series broadcast on ABC for two seasons, from September 13, 1969 to September 4, 1971. 32 episodes were produced.
1968
- Elliot Handler, co-founder of Mattel, decided to produce a line of die-cast toy cars for boys. His idea was to capture a portion of the huge market for small car models dominated at that time by the British company Lesney Products with their Matchbox cars. Although his executives thought it was a bad idea, the cars were a big success. There were sixteen castings released in 1968, elev…
1969
- As it turned out, the Hot Wheels brand was a staggering success. (This accomplishment must be put in its historical perspective: Basically, the series "re-wrote the book" for small die-cast car models from 1968 onwards, forcing the competition at Matchbox and elsewhere to completely rethink their concepts, and to scamper to try to recover lost ground.) Harry Bentley Bradley did n…
1970s
- 1970 was another great year for Hot Wheels. This was also the year that Sizzlers appeared. Howard Rees, who worked with Ira Gilford, had grown tired of designing cars in late 1969. He wanted to work on the Major Matt Mason action figure toy line-up. Rees had a good friend by the name of Larry Wood. They had worked together at Ford designing cars. W...
1980s
- What happened in the 1980s for Hot Wheels sent them in the path of what they are today. In 1981, Hot Ones wheels were introduced, which had gold-painted hubs and thinner axles for speed. In 1983 McDonald's first released Hot Wheels in their Happy Meals and the same year the Hot Wheels production plant was moved to Malaysia. In 1983, A new style of wheel called Real Rider…
1990s
- In 1990, Hot Wheels first introduced helicopters. Later in the decade, in 1995, a major change was brought to the Hot Wheels line, where the cars were split up into series. One was the 1995 Model Series, which included all of that year's new castings, 12 Models in the Model Series. 4-car series were introduced also. In 1996, the Model Series was renamed to First Editions. 1995 also saw th…
2001
- During this year Mattel issued 240 mainline releases consisting of 12 Treasure Hunts, 36 First Editions, 12 Segment Series with 4 cars each, and 144 open stock cars. Popular models that debuted include the Hyper Mite and Fright Bike.
2002
- For 2002, the mainline the consisted of 12 Treasure Hunts, 42 First Editions, 15 segment series of 4 cars each, and 126 open stock cars. Popular new models included the `68 Cougar and the Nissan Skyline.
2003
- Hot Wheels celebrated its 35th anniversary with a full-length computer animated Hot Wheels movie called Hot Wheels Highway 35 World Race. A collector program was also developed. The movie tied into the Highway 35 line of cars that featured 30 classic Hot Wheels cars. 5 new models joined the lineup, Switchback, Zotic, Wild Thing, 1/4 Mile Coupe and 24/7The special Hig…
2004
- In 2004, Hot Wheels unveiled their "Hot 100" line, comprised of 100 new models. These new models included cartoonish vehicles such as the 'Tooned (vehicles based on the larger Hot Tunerz line of Hot Wheels created by Eric Tscherne), Blings (boxy bodies and big wheels), Hardnoze (enlarged fronts), Crooze (stretched out bodies), and Fatbax (super-wide back tires an…
2005
- In 2005, Hot Wheels continued with new "extreme" castings for the 2nd year, debuting 40 distorted cars, in addition to 20 "Realistix" models. The distorted cars included Drop Tops (the top of the vehicle is flattened), Blings (Returned for second year), Torpedoes (Thin-shaped "torpedo" vehicles), and X-Raycers (See-through vehicles). The rest of the line included the standard 12 Tr…
Overview
Hot Wheels is an American brand of scale model cars introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys, then owner of Matchbox.
Many automobile manufacturers have since licensed Hot Wheels to make scale models of their cars, allowing the use of original design blueprints and detailing…
History
The original Hot Wheels were made by Elliot Handler. Handler discovered his son Kenneth playing with Matchbox cars and decided to create a line to compete with Matchbox. Hot Wheels were originally conceived by Handler to be more like "hot rod" (i.e.customized/modified or even caricaturized or fantasy cars,often with big rear tires, Superchargers, flame paint-jobs, outlandish proportions, hood blo…
Hot Wheels Legends Tour
Starting in 2018, Hot Wheels launched a new program called the Hot Wheels Legends Tour. This program was originally launched to commemorate Hot Wheels's 50th anniversary. Each year, there are 18 Legends Tour events that are held at various Walmart locations across the United States. Over 111,000 people attend and about 5,000 cars are entered at those events. At each event, one car is picked to be recreated as a potential new Hot Wheels casting. After all the even…
The "Sweet 16"
The Sweet 16 was the first production line of Hot Wheels for the year 1968. The lineup consisted of the following:
• Beatnik Bandit
• Custom El Dorado
• Custom Camaro
Collectors
Through the years, Hot Wheels cars have been collected mostly by children. However, since the late 1990s, there has been an increase in the number of adult collectors. Mattel estimates that 41 million children grew up playing with the toys, the average collector has over 1,550 cars, and children between the ages of 5 and 15 have an average of 41 cars. Most believe the collecting craz…
Hot Wheels Classics
The Hot Wheels Classics line was an immediate hit with enthusiasts everywhere. The new line focused on muscle cars, hot rods, and other offbeat vehicles (such as a go-kart, a motor home and even an airplane), many from the company's first ten years (1968–78) of production. The series is also used to debut several different castings, such as the 1965 Chevy Malibu or the 1972 Ford Ranchero.
Special model lines
Hot Wheels has also released slightly larger, more detailed models, such as the original Gran Toros (1/43 scale) from 1970, and the Dropstars line (a model line of "blinged" cars). Also in this larger scale are the HIN (Hot Import Nights), G-Machines and Customs lines. These lines were introduced in 2004–2005.
Hot Wheels has produced many replica scale models in the industry standard 1/43, 1/24 and 1/1…
Treasure Hunt series
Treasure Hunt (sometimes T-Hunt) is a line of Hot Wheels cars, introduced by Mattel in 1995. It consisted of 12 cars every year (15 beginning in 2011) with one or two released per month. The original production run was 10,000 of each car worldwide; that number has since risen due to the increasing demand for and popularity of Hot Wheels as a collector's item.
Treasure Hunt vehicles are identifiable by a label on the package. The blister card said "Treasur…