Welcome to the #Power Ratings for the 4th mix of #Car Culture for 2023: Race Day. It’s a return to another popular Car Culture series, and this one clearly beats the original. Let’s check out why below…

Before we go any further, a big THANK YOU to our sponsor of this segment, 1 Stop Diecast! Make sure you pre-order your Car Culture case via 1StopDiecast.com. Ordering by the case gives you the best shot at getting a chase outside of being camped out at retail with the masses. If you miss out on the chase, you have a set to gift/trade to a friend.

RACE DAY IS HERE! The popular Hot Wheels #Car Culture series from 2017 returns. This time, the cars get full deco, and there are some clear favorites. I would like to thank my fellow collectors who participated in helping me rank these as this mix was hard to assess. These #Power Ratings give you a glimpse as to what you can expect the demand to be at retail when these appear and this exercise has definitely proved that 3 of the 5 cars will fly off the pegs while the other two may sit a little longer. I gave each person a chance to speak to the car they felt the most strongly towards and you’ll see below that the interest in certain models justifies their Power Ratings.

Without further ado, lets take a look at what should be arriving at stores very soon. Again, I solicited help from a few people I follow in the collecting world to help me rank these. Here is a rundown of how we form the ratings…

POWER RATINGS are comprised of an average of 3 scores: Casting Choice, Deco/Livery, and Cool Factor. Below is what is factored into each rating:

• Casting Choice: Rating is based on how well does the casting fit within the series. Is the casting a good choice for today’s Car Culture?
• Deco/Livery: Looks are everything! Rating is based on the color/deco/livery and how appropriate it is for this release.
• Cool Factor: The real X-factor here. Does the car resonate with collectors? Will it be sought after?

POWER RATING: 8.3

Casting Choice = 8 • Deco/Livery = 8 • Cool Factor = 9

Porsche 935 (chase)

RACE DAY 0/5

A #Chase piece will always resonate with collectors. They will always be atop the Power Ratings because they don’t get left behind. This one strikes on two chords: Hot Wheels #Porsches are very much “in” right now, and the cool factor here is that this is the first Car Culture chase to receive a different deco from its common variant counterpart. It is currently the highest-rated Car Culture vehicle of the year — see overall rankings below.

POWER RATING: 6.7

Casting Choice = 8 • Deco/Livery = 6 • Cool Factor = 6

Porsche 935

RACE DAY 1/5

You may be disappointed to pop that fresh Hot Wheels #Car Culture case and see that there are two of the purple #Porsche 935 in there — that’s okay. It doesn’t sound many will sleep on the “common variant” in purple, however. Collectors have really gravitated towards Porsches lately and this one looks like none that have come before it. There were other options for livery on this one — as the K&W doesn’t score as high — so hopefully we will see those in the future.

From @baughtandbilt on Instagram: The 935/19 is probably my favorite in-real-life Porsche of all-time. Produced in conjunction with Porsche’s 70th anniversary, the car was limited to 77 units and is a clear homage in name and design to the 935’s of the ’70s and early ’80s. The casting itself is fantastic. I always have a hard time with the wing supports of any Hot Wheels but understanding that this is a toy keeps my desire for true scale in check. The [K&W] livery itself, while nice and extremely well-done, wouldn’t have been my first choice. Most of the 1:1 935/19’s were liveried as an homage to famous Porsche liveries, and we have seen those replicated through mainlines. The Red Edition (but white) is the Martini homage, the black is the JPS homage, and the red is the MOMO (and dare I say Penthouse livery). In my opinion, this would have been a perfect opportunity to recreate the livery of the 935/19 in the Ingram Collection that has been raced by Jeff Zwart at Pikes Peak for the last three years. The livery is amazing with wrapped Mobil Pegasus’ on each side. As for the chase? Well, it just so happens that this same car was tested beforehand in naked carbon fiber with those same Pegasus’ in white. It was meant to be, but alas, it wasn’t.

From Walter, The Hot Line of Diecast on YouTube: A Group [5] winner from Porsche, the 935… Everyone loves a winner! With such few examples in the lineup, it’s fantastic to have not one, but two variations in the new Track Day set.

From @grunty_diecast on Instagram: A statuesque stunner, the 935 shines on its debut in the Premium line. Combine Ryu [Asada]’s supple lines with Van [Steve Vandervate]’s stellar graphic work and you have yourself a modern classic for the track. The K&W livery with blue and white makes this stand out among the other colors of the 935, and this is most certainly welcome. As a bonus, the chase actually gets different graphics!

From Shawn, Shawn Nicklaus on YouTube: The Porsche 935 really grabbed my attention. Having two different livery for the chase and the regular car is exciting! We’ve also seen the Porsche 935 in the original Car Culture Race Day back in 2017. Now we have this awesome purple K&W suspensions livery with white wheels..

POWER RATING: 6.3

Casting Choice = 6 • Deco/Livery = 7 • Cool Factor = 6

Ford Capri Gr.5

RACE DAY 4/5

I had a feeling that the #Ford Capri Gr.5 would generate some buzz as it is a new casting. When you hear your fellow collectors saying that they have been waiting decades for this car to be made, that should clue you in to the fact that there is a large following of Group 5 race cars out there as well as some Ford Racing fanatics. The livery on this one makes it even better!

From Fred Blood, owner of 1 Stop Diecast: The Zakspeed Capri in Race Day is one of my favorite race cars ever. I love Group 5 cars and have been asking for this casting for over 15 years. I can’t wait to drive this one around my keyboard on my desk.

From @grunty_diecast on Instagram: As a sucker for old race cars, I have been patiently waiting for this. Well, the wait is now over, and the design team did not disappoint, capturing the car’s lines and silhouette; it’s also a perfect complement to Mark [Jones]’s Escort released a little bit earlier this year thanks to the livery. I feel Phil [Riehlman] has made a name for himself in the Premium team with his designs, and I cannot wait to see what else he comes up with.

From Von Sail on YouTube: Debuting in this second iteration of the Car Culture Race Day set, is another of the recent spate of Group 5 cars from the late 70’s and 80’s. The Ford Capri, also known as the Super Capri, makes it’s first appearance in full premium, Ford Motorsport deco, very reminiscent of the Zakspeed colours it once wore on the circuit. Being from South Africa, where motorsport runs deep and especially so for cars from that era, this one will prove very popular. As with the Sierra Cosworth from the previous Car Culture set, this one will not be on the pegs for long. Great new casting, authentic deco with an appropriate wheel choice and card art to match and surpass the 2016 Race Day set, it’s a winner all round.

POWER RATING: 6.3

Casting Choice = 7 • Deco/Livery = 7 • Cool Factor = 5

’94 AMG-Mercedes C-Class DTM Touring Car

RACE DAY 5/5

The sophomore release of the #’94 AMG-Mercedes C-Class DTM Touring Car isn’t as strong as the first but that isn’t a slight against this one — the first in Deutschland Design was just that awesome! Unlike the replica livery on the first, this one features more of a gratuitous one as Hot Wheels currently licenses with Agip and not ProMarkt. Still, the yellow is bold and very much stands out in this mix.

From Graham Heeps, @diecast215 on Instagram: The C-Class DTM was one of my favorite models of last year. Mark Jones did a great job on the casting and the all-over deco of ’94 champion Klaus Ludwig’s silver D2 car was spectacular. I’m less excited by this new yellow release, which unless I’ve missed something, is supposed to evoke the ProMarkt-sponsored machine of Jörg van Ommen. The Agip logos feel way out of place though, especially as the real car carried Shell branding! At least there’s a neat Zakspeed connection between this model and what for me is the star of the set, the Group 5 Capri.

From Von Sail on YouTube: This is sure to be the standout from the set and it’s hard to argue with. Just the second version of the 94 DTM Touring Car and it seems as authentic as the first. With a yellow base that pops off the card, the AGIP livery lending some proper racing credentials and those blacked out Euro style wheels, Hot Wheels have produced a model that stands up well against offerings from rival brands. This could be in contention for best executed premium of 2023.

From @grunty_diecast on Instagram: This was my favorite Premium model of 2022. That isn’t going to change now with this release, with a second accurate racing livery; while it may not be as complex as the previous livery, it still looks just as good. With models looking as good as this, I keenly await more touring car designs like this in the future from the brand.

From Reece Brennan, @aussiehotwheelscollector on Instagram: As Hot Wheels builds their catalog of classic DTM cars, the Mercedes C-Class was an obvious choice. The first version was a near exact replica of the real life ‘D2’ car and was an instant collector favourite, appearing on many “end of year lists”. This sophomore version also takes inspiration from a real car, with the Hot Wheels version replacing the ‘Promarkt’ sponsorship with ‘Agip’. I’m sure it will look great next to the D2 version, and be a welcome addition to our collections.

POWER RATING: 3.7

Casting Choice = 4 • Deco/Livery = 4 • Cool Factor = 3

Audi R8 LMS

RACE DAY 3/5

There is clearly a drop-off in interest here which seems a bit strange considering the #Audi R8 LMS was a bonafide hit when the casting debuted in #Car Culture / EuroSpeed in 2018. Maybe it’s another release in white (with wrapped livery) or it’s because the casting hasn’t really shown up at retail since 2019. The casting is still a good one and we could have a sleeper here.

From @grunty_diecast on Instagram: I love me some Mark Jones design. This might be the oldest car in this wave of cars but, boy… does it look the best. The livery is easily my favorite of this series, with blue, red and white streaking across the car. The casting itself may be a simple design, but it is a perfect car for a race day, any day.

POWER RATING: 3.0

Casting Choice = 3 • Deco/Livery = 3 • Cool Factor = 3

Aston Martin Vantage GTE

RACE DAY 2/5

With all the great Hot Wheels castings out there, sometimes we (as collectors) wonder why certain models from basic get called up to the collector “big leagues” in premium — especially so soon. The #Aston Martin Vantage GTE debuted just last year and wasn’t as big of a hit as other castings, but does fit this series very well. The lack of side detail could pose a problem at retail as the car definitely looks a lot better from a front 3/4 view (like on the card). As Jeff mentions below, the lack of casting side mirrors hurts the livery on this one as the red accents would have helped complete the look of this very modest deco.

From Jeff, @jghopwheels on Instagram: Any new Aston Martin is a welcome edition to Hot Wheels premium, and the Vantage GTE is no exception. It was a nice surprise when HW introduced it to mainline, but so far the first few have been a bit boring IMO. This first edition to premium, while it tries to replicate the livery of the real race car, I also feel it’s bland. For some reason the side profile is lacking the necessary livery details. I know HW is limited with licensing, but they have plenty of licenses to throw in as substitutes. The casting itself is pretty well done even with the big backend spoiler which is due to limitations of it being a “toy.” I would loved to have seen side mirrors with the added red accent. That may have just helped them pull off this side profile look. With all that said, it’s a nice new edition to premium and slots in well with the rest of the set.

From @grunty_diecast on Instagram: When this model first came out, I always felt that this needed the Premium treatment. I think Sonny probably did too. But now, it has gotten the Premium treatment and it does not disappoint. With a largely accurate racing livery (minus the sponsors, of course) and finally, for the first time, taillights, this model is a fine addition to the Aston Martin stable.

There you have it! Our fourth #Power Ratings here on OTD for #2023 Hot Wheels #Car Culture. What do you think? Do you agree with these ratings? Let us know in the comments below!

If you’re keeping score at home, here is how the OTD Power Ratings presented by 1 Stop Diecast stack up thus far for 2023 Car Culture:

John at the Lamley Group received the physical models from Mattel. Check out his showcase here: