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Think Hot Wheels model cars are just toys for kids? Think again. The Hot Wheels collector culture is accompanied by a legitimate marketplace, with some of the tiny automobiles attracting seriously high asking prices.
Tempted to scrounge through your old collection to see if you’re sitting on gold? Find one of the desirable and ultra-rare models below and you’ve hit the jackpot.
Note: all prices have been adjusted for Australian dollars.
Released to promote a Hot Wheels sponsorship deal with racer Ed Shaver, the 1970 Ed Shaver Custom AMX was only ever sold in the UK, giving it rarity right off the bat.
While the AMX and its colour aren’t scarce per se, the special Ed Shave livery and sticker pack make this version highly sought after.
Experts say would-be buyers should pay special attention to make sure the graphics are originals and not reproductions.
Considered the rarest of the production models in the Redline series, a 1971 Purple Olds 442 could fetch a healthy premium with the right buyers.
While the model was also produced on US lines, it’s believed most (if not all) purple examples came to be exclusively in Mattel’s Hong Kong factory during a very short production run, making them extra rare.
It was also one of the last Spectraflame (colour-over-chome) models to be produced – more on that later…
While the Mighty Maverick Hot Wheels diecast is not exceedingly rare, there is one configuration of the model that collectors want to get their mitts on.
Mattel’s hand was forced when it had to rename its Mad Maverick model to Mighty Maverick following copyright conflicts with a rival manufacturer.
The result is a very early, pre-name-change batch of Mattel-branded Mad Mavericks remaining in circulation. The two models’ bodies might be the same, but casting of the original name in the Mad Maverick’s base plate is what gives this one high desirability.
Marking the first year of Hot Wheels production, the ‘Redline’ series included very limited-run ‘Over-Chrome’ promotional models – one of which was the Camaro.
With a genuine chrome body lashed with a light coat of coloured paint to end up resembling modern metallic paints, the Over-Chrome series remains coveted – especially if this wild painting technique has been well preserved.
The Camaros demand a hefty asking price, but as far as the Over-Chrome models in the Redline series go, they are outdone by the…
The most revered of the Over-Chrome models, the 1968 Ford Mustang Boss Hog also lays claim to being the second-most valuable Hot Wheels collectible around.
Only a handful of 1968 Over-Chrome Mustang Boss Hogs are thought to exist today. As with the Camaro, examples of the Mustang often come up unexpectedly in barnyard and estate finds.
The holy grail of Hot Wheels collectibles: the 1969 Pink Rear-Loading Volkswagen Beach Bomb.
A prototype that never actually made it into the public’s hands, the Beach Bomb was axed before full production due to its narrow body and high-mounted surfboards. Why? The design made the model top heavy and unusable on Mattel’s racetrack accessory.
It’s believed employees saved about 25 of the 1969 Rear-Loading VW Beach Bombs (in a variety of spicy colours) after they were ordered to destroy all prototypes, but only two pink ones were saved, making them the rarest and most coveted Hot Wheels to ever exist.
