Auto Expo 2018: Hot Wheels celebrates its golden jubilee

Words by Afzal Rawuther

Hot Wheels will be celebrating its 50^th anniversary at the Auto Expo 2018. The hugely loved brand that makes toy cars is showcasing two life-sized versions of its popular cars – a classic car and a contemporary one. The Hot Wheels insignia is painted across the cars. Formed in 1968, the company, has made a name for itself as the brand to turn to when one is looking at toy cars. Their spunky collection which often includes muscle cars and hot rods is generally a kid’s first point of contact with the automotive world. Fascinated with the miniature versions of these cars, we often endear ourselves to cars when we grow older.

Mattel co-founder Elliott Handler collaborated with a car designer and rocket scientist to create a toy car that looked cooler and performed better than other toy cars of the era – much like how we want our cars to be. Hot Wheels, today, is the largest selling toy in the world, having manufactured over 6 billion cars since 1968, which is roughly 16.5 cars per second!

The design of the classic car stays loyal to the brand’s signature style. The classic muscle has a grunge look with its all black body and chrome highlights. The car features a lip spoiler on the rear tail and an air dam in the front. The interiors too keep up with the theme with a unique chain design steering wheel and a skull head gear knob. The upholstery is draped in red leather to complement the rest of the interior.

The contemporary car features sporty bits like the bumper designed with a bold horizontal line and broad air inlets that add to the car’s wide and sculpted look. A swanky black roof, and a rear tail gate spoiler also add to the visual appeal. The headlight cluster, the fog lights and the tail lights feature LEDs.