Yet another year has passed and I’ve had the pleasure of sharing with you so many great Hot Wheels cars along the way. Just like we did last year, here are your favorite showcase articles of the year:

10. Star Wars Character Cars / Rogue One 5-Pack: CAPTAIN CASSIAN ANDOR

The Hot Wheels #Character Cars crack the top 10 this year as one of the coolest & more mysterious character cars, #Captain Cassian Andor, showed up as an exclusive in the Star Wars Character Cars / Rogue One 5-Pack (only at Target). Its got modern and classic muscle styling that appeals to more than just the character cars crowd.

Hot Wheels Captain Cassian Andor from the 2017 Star Wars Character Cars Rogue One 5-Pack

9. HW Art Cars (2017 New Model): VOLKSWAGEN T2 PICKUP

One of the best, and most sought-after #2017 New Models was the #Volkswagen T2 Pickup. Its mainline appearance almost seemed too go to be true for this #Flatbed Hauler. Had this casting been released 10 or so years earlier, there would be no contest as to whether or not this was the unanimous choice for best casting of the year.

Hot Wheels Volkswagen T2 Pickup from the 2017 HW Art Cars series … also a 2017 New Model (both colorways)

8. HW Screen Time: K.I.T.T.

With self-driving cars hitting the streets in 2017, we flashed back to the first car with artificial intelligence — albeit fictional — in the Knight Industries Two-Thousand. Its 2017 rendition looked awfully close to a rare variation on the 2012 New Models release. I did a side-by-side comparison to help readers from being scammed.

Hot Wheels Knight Industries Two Thousand (K.I.T.T.) from the 2017 HW Screen Time Series

7. HW Digital Circuit: BLADE RAIDER

Both red and green colorways were unnumbered leading to loads of confusion as to what was what when it came to this release. In the end, we learned that the red was a regular treasure hunt, while the green was a chase, and the light blue (not shown) was that standard release. This article helped clear up some of the confusion along the way.

Hot Wheels Blade Raider from the 2017 HW Digital Circuit (both the red regular treasure hunt, and the green chase)

6. ‘Tooned Series (2017 New Model): SURF ‘N TURF

Retired Hot Wheels Designer Larry Wood was back designing several cars in 2017. One of his best was the #Surf ‘N Turf which appealed to many collectors, despite being from the #’Tooned realm. It was fun showcasing this one as I even found the guitar in the back seat along the way.

Hot Wheels Surf ‘N Turf from the 2017 Tooned Series … also a 2017 New Model

5. Car Culture / Air-Cooled: ’60s FIAT 500D MODIFICADO

This little #Fiat was released in the #Car Culture / Air-Cooled series and did not last on the pegs long. It also ushered in a new era of Hot Wheels #Car Culture being produced at the superior Thailand plant AND won “1/64 scale Model of the Year“, and was inducted into the Diecast Hall of Fame.

Hot Wheels ’60s Fiat 500D Modificado from the 2017 Car Culture / Air-Cooled Series

4. Fright Cars: FANGULA

Collectors were leaving this regular #Treasure Hunt behind because of its red tires. But what some failed to realize is that this was one of the last (if not the last) metal/metal cars to appear in the mainline. Another fascinating tidbit is this was one of the first Treasure Hunts to receive a non-TH colorway.

Hot Wheels Fangula from the 2017 Fright Cars series … also a 2017 Regular Treasure Hunt

3. HW Digital Circuit: TOUR DE FAST

Many, many collectors were confused as to why the 2017 #HW Digital Circuit series had 5 “chase” colorways. The car that started all that confusion: the black #Tour de Fast you see here.

Hot Wheels Tour de Fast from the 2017 HW Digital Circuit series (both colorways)

2. HW Screen Time (2017 New Model): ’68 CORVETTE – GAS MONKEY GARAGE

Its no surprise that one of the most popular mainline cars of 2017 is towards the top of this list. Collectors, kids and everyone that watches Fast ‘N Loud on Discovery Channel were after the Hot Wheels “Midas Monkey” after viewing what can be dubbed as its origin story.

Hot Wheels ’68 Corvette – Gas Monkey Garage from the 2017 HW Screen Time Series (also a 2017 New Model). “The Midas Monkey” first appeared on an episode of Fast N’ Loud.

1. Legends of Speed (2017 New Model): ROLLER TOASTER

Many thanks go out to the 24-Hours of Lemons crew who shared this article after learning that this casting was inspired by the cars in their races, through reading my article. They shared it a couple times throughout the year with their following, netting this one the top spot for being the “most read showcase article of 2017” here at Orange Track Diecast.

Hot Wheels Roller Toaster from the 2017 Legends of Speed series … also a 2017 New Model

Well there you have it. Our articles ranked by you, the reader. Its been a pleasure writing for you. Thank you for sharing the love of this hobby. See you in 2018!