7 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Hot Wheels

1. Talk about Leaked Cars!

In 1968, Hot Wheels released their Custom Camaro before GM released the real thing! Apparently, the story goes that Harry Bradley worked at GM just prior to his stint at Hot Wheels, so he acquired the plans.

2. Several of Hot Wheels designers were actually car designers

Larry Wood, who oversaw the design of most Hot Wheels cars, actually started working for Ford, and the same was for Harry Bradley, who worked for GM before Hot Wheels.

3. Those are some Hot Wheels!

The name ‘Hot Wheels’ originated when Elliot Handler commented on Harry Bradley’s El Camino saying “Those are some hot wheels!”

4. The Original 16 were based on customized cars

Every single car of the Original 16 were actually based on customized cars. Even the Dodge Deora was an actual car designed by two brothers. The car won so many awards that Chysler actually bought it.

5. Too Many Cars!

Today, there are over 4,000,000,000 (4 Billion) Hot Wheels cars in the world. That’s more Hot Wheels cars than real cars!

6. Car Coated in Diamonds

For Hot Wheels 40th Anniversary (2008), Hot Wheels got a car covered in over 3,000 diamonds by a Beverly Hills jeweler.

7. There are club rivalries in Hot Wheels collecting too!

The Blue Real Riders Club (http://bluerealriders.com/hwps1.html) is a club that complain about the Red Line Club, which is the official Hot Wheels club. The whole gripe is about wheel selection, which people vote for.

Bibliography:
https://www.thrillist.com/cars/16-things-you-didn-t-know-about-hot-wheels-history-facts-and-trivia

Thanks for Reading!

LR Defender Guy