Hot Wheels

Enter the World of Collecting Hot Wheels Toy Cars

Since the first Hot Wheels car toys were released in 1968, many people have built collections of these toy cars. Whether you are starting or adding to your collection, there are many types and original Hot Wheel toy cars available.

Several types of collectible Hot Wheels car toys include:

• LEO Mattel – First released in 1986, these cars were designed for the Indian market. Mattel worked in partnership with Blow Plast who owned 61% of the company.
• Hot Wheels Colour Racers/Colour Changers – Mattel started producing this series of cars in 1988. These cars had a second coat of paint of a distinct colour that was only visible when the Hot Wheels car was cold. Some were released with a pen or sponge to make them change colours.
• Hot Wheels Dream Halloween Cars – First released in 1998, these cars were sold to help the Children Affected by Aids Foundation.
• Hot Wheels Crack-Ups – When these cars are crashed, they spin around to show a large simulated dent. Many came two to a package with a stamper.
• Hot Wheels Power Command Racers – These cars are freewheeling, or you can flip a switch on the side, and they become pullbacks. Those with white sidewall tires were made by LEO Mattel.

The original Hot Wheels set, released in 1968, consisted of 16 diecast cars:

• Custom Cougar
• Custom Mustang
• Custom T-Bird
• Custom Camaro
• Silhouette
• Deora
• Custom Barracuda
• Custom Firebird
• Custom Fleetside
• Ford J-Car
• Custom Corvette
• Python
• Beatnik Bandit
• Custom El Dorado
• Hot Heap
• Custom Volkswagen Cheetah

You can find Hot Wheel toy cars on many different scales, including 1:64 scale and 1:18 scale. Many of the cars aren't created to scale from actual vehicle models. The company often changes the car’s design to fit better packaging designs and for distribution.

Most years, Mattel gave a vintage Hot Wheels toy car to their employees as a Christmas present. The company started this practice in 1980 and continued the tradition until 2010. Although Hot Wheels toy cars weren't released in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, or 2006, there have been other occasions that Mattel also released them to its employees, including in 1996 when the company released it's 100 million diecast cars.