The run on #2016 Hot Wheels continues here at Orange Track Diecast. With so many new and exciting releases, its hard not to focus on them! One of the newest, that’s garnered a lot of interest, is the Hot Wheels Time Attaxi.

If you’ve ever seen a drifting event, you may have noticed that there is a race category called, “Time Attack”. In a Time Attack race, there are no other cars on the track. You are simply “racing the clock” as racers generate times to beat their competitor’s own personal timed runs. In the #Taxi world, drivers are always competing against the clock to maximize wages during peak hours. One can only assume that this #Drift Car taxi, is a play on “time attack” and “taxi”.

Hot Wheels TIME ATTAXI from the 2016 HW City Works Series (also a 2016 New Model)

Its unclear at this time as to who designed the Time Attaxi, but this casting definitely seems inspired by the taxis in Hong Kong based on it having the Chinese for taxi along with the English “TAXI” on its sides AND it being red in color, the signature color of cabs in Hong Kong.

With cost cutting measures in the Hot Wheels mainline to keep the cars under $1, having a car with an #Opening Feature seems like a thing of the past. In this uniquely innovative design, the passenger-side rear door (which is actually part of the interior) opens and closes. While it isn’t ideal to have an unpainted plastic door that doesn’t open all the way on a metal-bodied casting, it is a pretty cool feature — definitely a signature one for a #taxi.

Hot Wheels TIME ATTAXI from the 2016 HW City Works Series (also a 2016 New Model) REAR VIEW with Door Open

Since this casting is so new, there isn’t much information on it and its inspiration … heck, as I mentioned before, we don’t even know its designer yet. So the reason behind the inclusion of the opening door into the casting is unclear but it doesn’t stop the speculation.

Customs in Japan forbid passengers to ever touch the rear door of a Taxi cab. It turns out that the cab drivers have a lever they use to open and close the door. However, I don’t believe this to be the same in Hong Kong. Some believe the opening door is actually a nod to the opening doors of the Hot Wheels London Taxi. Considering this was actually was an old Corgi casting that was manufactured in China the same year (1997) the British transferred the sovereign nation of Hong Kong back to the Republic of China seems to be too great of a coincidence.

Regardless of the designer’s intentions, the Time Attaxi came out great and looks like it will be popular for years to come. With this being an #Unlicensed Hot Wheels casting, I’m sure many versions with extreme graphics lye in this casting’s future — can’t wait, as this fun little casting should be a favorite for years to come!

RELEASE DETAILS: Glossy Red Body (metal). Dark-Tinted Windows. Red Interior. Gray Muscle-Car 5-Spoke (MC5) Wheels. Black Base (plastic). Made in Malaysia. Toy# DHP23. Released in 2016 as #7 of 10 in the HW City Works Series.

From the back of the blister card for this release:

The clock is ticking, you’re ready to break the record, AND you’ve got passengers that need to be dropped off at the airport! The Time Attaxi will get you where you need to go, but be prepared for some jaw-dropping, high-speed drift action on the way!

UPDATED 03/30/2017 — In a recent promotional video for the video game Need for Speed: No Limits, Hot Wheels designer Jun Imai talked about his inspiration behind creating the Time Attaxi. He said that the car was inspired by one of his trips to Hong Kong and more specifically the cab rides he has taken. He said that these taxi drivers drive with such precision due to the necessity of navigating quickly through small streets and alleys, while dealing with large amounts of traffic. He goes on to mention the night the idea came to him. He said that he felt like he was in a race car and had to question if he really was in a taxi cab. Later that night, he sketched several designs of a deconstructed Hong Kong cab turned street race car by adding the casting’s huge motor and aerodynamics.