North Dakota, eh? No, we will not proceed with a handful of Fargo references. However, we will talk some more about this very hard to find ’70 Chevelle SS and the meaning behind some of these North Dakota graphics.

Veteran collectors will know that this vehicle was part of the #Connect Cars line that featured the 50 U.S. States and came with an interlocking plastic display cube that, when put together with other cubes, would form a display case.

While I am not sure if the ’70 Chevelle SS casting has any ties to the state of North Dakota, its graphics certainly do. The #39 is prominently displayed on the sides and hood of the car. Since North Dakota was the 39th state admitted into the union, it wears “39” as a nod to that. All of the “state cars” from the Connect Cars line, have this numbered feature. The states nickname of “Peace Garden State” is also displayed on the sides of the car. According to 50states.com:

The International Peace Garden straddles the international Boundary between North Dakota and the Canadian province of Manitoba. In 1956 the North Dakota Motor Vehicle Department, on its own initiative, placed the words “Peace Garden State” on license plates; the name proved so popular that it was formally adopted by the 1957 legislature (North Dakota Century Code (NDCC), Section 39-04-12).

Buffalo still roam in North Dakota and the buffalo graphic is definitely a nod to that–or more specifically the World’s Largest Buffalo Monument in Jamestown, ND. Maybe a little less known (out of the upper-midwest) is that North Dakota is the leading producer of sunflowers in the United States, a crop that has a yearly value of about $335-Million to the state. The Hot Wheels graphics team sure did their research hence its inclusion on the sides of this vehicle.

As mentioned earlier, this release of the ’70 Chevelle SS is very hard to come by due to the fact that it was included in one of the last couple mixes of Connect Cars. Packaged, this car sells for about $60–far beyond its retail price of $3.

RELEASE DETAILS: Green Enamel Body (metal). Clear Windows. White Interior. Chrome 5-Spoke (5SP) Wheels. Chrome Base (plastic). Made in Malaysia. Toy# N4185. Released in 2009 as part of the Connect Cars: 50 States.