Hot Wheels® continues to be the No. 1 vehicle property in the U.S. year after year
Since 1968, more than 4 billion Hot Wheels®cars have been produced. That’s more than Detroit’s “Big Three” have manufactured, combined, since the start of the auto industry!
The highest price ever paid for a single Hot Wheels® car is approximately $72,000, for a pink 1969 1:64-scale Volkswagen Beach Bomb, in 2000
Since 1968, more than 800 models and 11,000 variations of Hot Wheels® cars have been created
Placed front-to-rear, all Hot Wheelsâ vehicles produced in the last 40 years would circle the Earth more than four times
More than 41 million adults have grown up “driving” Hot Wheels® carsHotwheelscollector.com is the largest die-cast collector community on the Internet with more than 275,000 users
The Hot Wheels® brand began as a line of 16 1:64-scale die-cast vehicles; today, the brand has evolved into a true lifestyle brand with segments that range from aftermarket parts to licensed apparel and merchandise
Some of the largest Hot Wheels® collections are valued at more than $1,000,000
In 2001, Hot Wheels unveiled the first life-size Hot Wheels car, the Twin Mill at the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) trade show. Since then a second life-size Hot Wheels car was built, the Deora® II, for the Hot Wheels 35th Anniversary, and more life-size vehicles have been added over the years
On August 6, 2006 more than 10,000 die-cast enthusiasts converged on the 0.2-square mile town of Speed, KS (pop. 37) for the ultimate Hot Wheels® festival
For its 40th anniversary, Hot Wheels®, for the first time ever, looked outside its in-house design team to seek new car designs from automotive partners, honoring these companies for their contributions to Hot Wheels success over the years. Designers from Dodge, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Lotus and Mitsubishi designed vehicles that will make up a special Hot Wheels® Designer Challenge™ line of 1:64 Hot Wheels die-cast cars available nationwide in late-March 2008
To commemorate Hot Wheels 40th anniversary and the production of the 4 billionth Hot Wheels car, celebrity jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills created a one-of-a-kind, 1:64-scale jewel-encrusted Hot Wheels® valued at $140,000, to be auctioned for charity later in late-2008
On August 19, 2008 Hot Wheels® kicked off a cross country road trip to celebrate its 40th anniversary with faithful fans across the country. Kicking off at Mattel's El Segundo headquarters, the road trip closely traveled US Route 40 making stops in cities tied to the automotive culture, including the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah; Speed, KS; Indianapolis; and Detroit, before culminating in a grand finale celebration on September 5th in Watkins Glen, NY, home to American road racing
In 2010, Hot Wheels® announced its return to the world of NASAR by partnering with JR Motorsports and its newest driver, Danica Patrick. Danica worked with the Hot Wheels® design team to create the first celebrity-designed Hot Wheels® car, appropriately called the “Danicar,” on store shelves in October 2010.
In February 2011, “The Fifth Racer” debuted on FunnyorDie.com. The video, starring Emmy Award-winning actor Jeremy Piven, introduced Team Hot Wheels™. This real-life group of mystery, over-the-top professional stunt drivers spans four vehicle disciplines: Rally (green), Drift (blue), Off-Road Truck (yellow) and Freestyle Motocross (red). Team Hot Wheels™ throttles ahead this year with over-the-top stunts and personalities that push the limits of action sports. To see more Team Hot Wheels™ videos, visit
www.hotwheels.com/videos and become a Facebook fan to catch exclusive behind the scenes training and stunt videos released weekly!
On May 29, 2011, as part of IZOD Presents Hot Wheels Fearless at the 500™, Team Hot Wheels™ Yellow Driver Tanner Foust successfully landed a ramp-to-ramp distance jump of 332 feet. Foust, a three-time X Games gold medalist and professional stunt driver smashed the previous world record by an impressive 31 feet at the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500.
On June 29, 2012, two drivers for Team Hot Wheels™ set a Guinness World Records® title for successfully racing through a 60-foot-tall double vertical loop at X Games Los Angeles 2012. The Team Hot Wheels™ Double Loop Dare, a life-sized version of a Hot Wheels® orange track set, defied gravity with a first-of-its-kind two-driver challenge. Green Driver Greg Tracy, one of Hollywood’s top stuntmen, took first place victory as he edged three-time X Games gold medalist and Hot Wheels® Yellow Team Driver Tanner Foust as the two simultaneously raced through the giant up-side-down loop.
