If you’ve been in the Hot Wheels collecting game for as long as I have, occasionally, you’ll have a friend or family member come to you with a box of old Hot Wheels. it has happened to me before, and it will undoubtedly happen again. In this case, I was talking with friends at my son’s birthday party. A friend of mine said, “Hey Brad, I have something for you!”, full-knowing that I collect Hot Wheels.

This friend goes to his car, and comes back with an old dog bone box from the 1980s. He hands it to me and I open it up! Woah… blistered Hot Wheels from the 1980s, matching the era of the box. At first I thought he was asking me to value them for him — as I’ve certainly received that request from family/friends as well. After giving him a quick, approximate value, he proceeds to tell me that he isn’t interested in selling them. He wanted me to have them since I obviously find enjoyment in these toy cars. With an ear-to-ear grin, I thanked him and insisted he tell me the story behind why he has a box of 13 blister packed cars in a dog bone box.

He goes on to say that his parents had this box of cars in their garage in Sandwich, Illinois. His mom recalled using these cars as behavior incentives for him and his brother. These were obviously the cars they never got. The cards were cut as they were stored away — and essentially lost — for 40 years. While cleaning out the garage, they decided to send the boys their items. He was going to give them to his kids but figured a collector would find better enjoyment from them. I, of course, wasn’t going to take away the chance for any kids to have Hot Wheels cars, so I sent his kids home with enough modern cars to compensate.

I filmed a video before I opened these and posted to the OTD YouTube channel so you can see the kind of condition these came in — also, to give you a little commentary beyond my written words here. Check out the video first, and then proceed to scroll down as I cover each one of these 13 vehicles.

Minitrek

1983 Mainline

The second release of the Hot Wheels #Minitrek came in the 1983 mainline. This is actually the third variant of the casting however. There was a rare transition variation of the 1983 Minitrek where the brown base from the first release in 1981 was used on the first batch of the 1983 release. That, unfortunately, is not this one which is actually pretty easy to find. These were also available as a McDonald’s Happy Meal Toy in 1983, making the “Good Time Camper” a very affordable choice to add to your collection. The casting is believed to be based on a 1979-1981 Toyota Hilux with a camper on the back.

Firebird Funny Car

1983 Mainline

This metalflake dark red #Firebird Funny Car is one I remember having as a kid! The phoenix graphics over those shiny micro-specs of metal left a lasting impression so I am glad to finally have this one back — in mint condition of course! One of the downsides of collecting Hot Wheels today is the hit #Funny Cars took in the mainline when Hot Wheels went to automated production. It’s a combination of cost savings and safety, but I sure do miss getting a hinged funny car that is metal/metal.

This release is actually very similar to the 1982 release which featured solid magenta enamel paint. I think most will agree that the revised metalflake paint was a welcomed change. Sadly, the #Firebird Funny Car casting was part of the 2002 Final Run series, meaning you’ll never see it again. No chance for a retool here.

Corvette Stingray

1982 The Hot Ones

Another #Discontinued Casting is the #Corvette Stingray (1976). You may be thinking this one is still in production, but that would be the plastic-bodied #Corvette Stingray (1996). They are both very similar, but side-by-side, you can start to notice the differences. The metal-bodied, Corvette Stingray shown here was in production from 1976 to 2016. This particular release from #The Hot Ones in 1982 was also available via McDonald’s Happy Meals — a common occurrence amongst the 1982 & 1983 Hot Wheels you see here.

Land Lord

1982 Mainline

The Hot Wheels #Land Lord was evicted from the Hot Wheels line shortly after its first release. Its lone variation is a change in its country of origin, shifting from Hong Kong to Malaysia in 1982. It’s one of those one-off, forgettable designs that doesn’t have much of a fan following (if any) today. But, hey, the “STREET IS HEAT”.

Sheriff Patrol

1982 Mainline

The #Sheriff Patrol is essentially THE Hot Wheels police car of the ’80s and ’90s. This one brings back a ton of nostalgia. I’ve had the Gleam Team release in my collection since I started collecting as it was one of the few cars that transitioned from my childhood days of playing to my adolescent days of collecting.

This casting is believed to be based on the old Dodge Monaco patrol cars that the California State Highway Patrol rocked back in the late ’70s / early ’80s — hence it originally being called, “Highway Patrol”. This release was the first time it went by it’s more common name of #Sheriff Patrol. Previously, it had been renamed as, “Fire Chaser” for its 1979 release with it’s “Fire Chief” deco — but later fire department releases in the red would adopt the “Fire Chief” name (1983, 1988, & 1989). The aforementioned 1992 Gleam Team release would go by the name of “Gleamer Patrol” rounding out the many names this casting has gone by. The casting would ultimately be produced from 1978 to 1997, before being retooled for a one-off release in 2013 as part of the #Target Exclusive, Flying Customs line.

Turismo

1982 Mainline

This lot also contained the Hot Wheels #Turismo, which is famously known by collectors as the DeLorean knockoff. Thankfully, we ended up getting the DeLorean DMC-12 in 2010, and a few more versions of this automotive masterpiece. The Turismo has gone down in infamy but that hasn’t deterred collectors from seeking it’s handful of hard-to-find variants/variations. This is the one car that I already had in my collection so I will be replacing that one in decent-shape with this more pristine piece.

3-Window ’34

1983 HiRakers

The #HiRakers — not to be confused with the #Hi-Rakers Series — had a plastic piece in the base that allowed you to adjust the rake on a vehicle. I mentioned in the video above that it would be cool to see this feature (or one similar) return for overlanding vehicles that have a front rake. Back in the ’80s, you could find the HiRakers feature on a variety of vehicles from different genres. Of those vehicles, it probably makes the most sense on a hot rod like the #3-Window ’34. This was actually the second release of the casting which remained largely unchanged from 1980 to 1983. Given the 1982 to 1983 range of these other cars, and the metalflake red paint, this should be the 1983 release because the 1982 release had enamel red paint.

P-928

1982 The Hot ones

The P-928 is a #Porsche 928 — which it would later be named. In 1982, the casting made it’s debut in the mainline (as a standard vehicle) and in #The Hot Ones segment. The cars in this segment featured gold-chrome #Blackwalls (BW) whereas the standard vehicles had chrome BW. In 1983, the car would be reissued in the same color/deco as part of the original Real Riders segment.

The actual 1:1 Porsche 928 was infamously the front engine, rear-wheel drive model that was to replace the 911. That obviously didn’t worked out. Just like the design in real-life, the Hot Wheels design didn’t stand the test of time either. The casting was part of the 3-car 2002 Final Run series — just like the Firebird Funny Car — and was officially Discounted.

Chevy Citation

1983 The Hot ones

Former Hot Wheels Designer, Larry Wood, often speaks of the time during the oil crisis of the late 70’s when Mattel execs wanted him to design more economical vehicles. The Hot Wheels #Chevy Citation was a direct result of that. The car would hit the pegs in 1981, and this particular release in metalflake brown, came in 1983 as part of #The Hot Ones.

More interesting is the fact that this was the last release of the casting in the United States as later variants of it would only show up in France, and in Mexico. The rarity of those can make them sell for a pretty penny when they turn up on the secondary market. This one, however, can be had for less than $20 these days.

Split Window ’63

1982 HiRakers

The other HiRaker is this lot was the #’63 Split Window Corvette. It has the adjustable rake just like the 3-Window ’34 above, though, it makes a little less sense on a #Corvette. The HiRaker feature on this casting would last from it’s introduction in 1980 until 1985, when it would be retooled in 1986 for it’s next release in 1987. The casting would receive several retools over the years and has been released as recently as 2019.

As far as this 1982 HiRakers release in metalflake yellow, you could find two variations of it. One variation of it had large rear wheels (shown here), while the other had small rear wheels, which actually seems as though it was intentional. The large/small rear wheels persisted across all of the releases from 1980 to 1985, within both HiRakers and Real Riders segments.

380 SEL

1982 The Hot ones

The #Mercedes 380 SEL is a gem from an era when Hot Wheels #Mercedes weren’t as prevalent. In fact, it was the 4th Mercedes casting Hot Wheels produced. Sure, it isn’t as polished as today’s Hot Wheels Mercedes castings, but that once again is attributed to the era all the cars were produced. There is some really class here with this #First Edition release of the Mercedes 380 SEL. The clean silver/black deco cannot be understated, and those gold HO Wheels combine luxury with the element of speed.

Baja Breaker

1983 Mainline

The Hot Wheels #Baja Breaker is a beast! Weight-wise, sure, but it also dominated sand boxes in the 1980s. It was the original overlanding van before overlanding was mainstream. You could play with this one off-road, on-track, or open the front hood to inspect the engine for the next adventure. This release is actually one of the most common because it also appeared as a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy, but it also sort of iconic as this is the one most kids of the 1980’s remember having. I am thrilled to have one in this kind of condition.

The #Baja Breaker actually saw a resurgence in the mid-2000s after a special RLC release in 2004. It was used in a ton of nostalgic lines like Classics, Flying Customs, Super Chromes, Since ’68, and even The Hot Ones. Unfortunately, it got relegated to Pop Culture in 2013. After two Muppets releases and a Star Trek release, the casting has seemingly gone away.

Malibu Grand Prix

1982 Mainline

The Malibu Grand Prix went by several names during its 11-year run. When the casting was initially released in 1974, it was originally named, #El Rey Special. It became known as Formula P.A.C.K. in 1976. By the time this 1982 Hot Wheels mainline release came out, it was already on its third name, Malibu Gran Prix. Then in 1984, it was known as Lightning Gold. The last release of this casting came in 1985 where its name reverted back to Malibu Grand Prix.

When the casting was retooled in 2011 — and released from 2011 to 2013 — under the #Target Exclusive, #The Hot Ones and Flying Customs lines, the casting name went all-the-way back to #El Rey Special.

Ultimately, this was a fantastic score that I am very grateful for. Four of these castings, I didn’t even have examples of in my expansive collection that totals tens of thousands of Hot Wheels vehicles. I’m curious to know if you’ve ever come across a score that is similar to this. Please let us know in the comments below!