Hot Wheels: 40 years old and still hot

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Imagine a car brand that’s been around for 40 years. It’s exciting and sporty, never dull. It has been responsible for many people getting into cars at an early age, even providing that first spark to future automotive designers. People who have worked for this company have gone on to join the industry giants.

Now it has called on some of those giants to ‘give back,’ to design something new for this much-loved brand. And there is one main technical consideration: It has to be able to drive upside down.

Because that’s what every Hot Wheels car has to do: tackle the famous 360-degree loop of the Hot Wheels special track. Mattel Inc. didn’t have to look very far, as Southern California has more than its fair share of auto design studios. Stylists from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford (whose work is pictured above), Honda, Lotus and Mitsubishi, spurred on by equal parts nostalgia, excitement and freedom from mundane concerns such as cargo space or folding seats, contributed three design studies each.

A panel of judges (including our very own Dan Neil) decided on the best from each company at the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Assn. aftermarket trade show in Las Vegas. These, along with a design from Hot Wheels itself, will go on sale in the spring to commemorate the brand’s 40th anniversary.

-- Colin Ryan