Here is one for you to decide. Is this a hidden #Fast & Furious release or not? Hot Wheels just released a new version of the #Honda Civic Si in the 2024 #HW J-Imports mini collection. It has been flying off the pegs because Hot Wheels #Civics have been extremely popular as of late. One has to wonder though… Is there more to this one?

In 2003, 2 Fast 2 Furious hit big screens, and some collectors (like myself) wondered how long it would be until we saw #Fast & Furious Hot Wheels. The cars in the movies had star power and other diecast brands had already jumped on the license. Unfortunately, 10 years would pass before we ultimately saw the first Hot Wheels Fast & Furious vehicles. I still am not sure why it took so long for a product line that seemed like a slam dunk at the time, but alas, we are now in Fast & Furious overkill — though, I am not one of the collectors that are complaining. Keep ’em coming!

In 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), there was the infamous chase scene where Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) and Roman Pierce (Tyrese Gibson) solicited the help of the Miami street racing underground to evade the police. They successfully do so by pulling into a warehouse, swapping cars, and having a “good ol’ fashioned scramble”. In this mix were dozens of cars. One of them being the Honda Civic you see below, which we only see for a split-second here and there.

The 2 Fast 2 Furious Honda Civic 2-door coupe is gold, with a black hood and wheels — so is this 2024 Hot Wheels version. Now, it could be purely coincidence that Hot Wheels released this #Honda Civic Si in the same paint/hood combo, but allow for me to play devil’s advocate here.

If you follow the Hot Wheels #Fast & Furious releases — there are over 300 now — you’ll know that for some reason, Hot Wheels releases some of the same cars over and over again. Said vehicles have been stars while others have been background cars that have no more screen time than the Civic we are talking about here. There could be a multitude of reasons as to why this car isn’t badged as a Fast & Furious release, and I would venture to guess, most would stem from licensing.

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During the shooting of the first movie (and I believe the next two that followed) extras who had movie appropriate cars were given screen time — well, mainly their cars. The stars cars were from the collection of Craig Lieberman, the Technical Advisor for the first three movies. Craig mentions on his site that this gold Civic seen in 2 Fast 2 Furious is one of the original black, heist Civics from the first movie. There were quite of few of these and they were treated poorly during filming since they didn’t hold much value. The survivors were given new body kits and a fresh coat of paint for this warehouse scramble scene.

Of course, I am speculating here, but I wonder if it’s possible that Hot Wheels doesn’t want to pay more licensing royalties for cars that only appear for a split-second. Or could it be that Universal doesn’t have the rights to this car? Or is it because this is the wrong generation of the Civic? Or could the graphic designer simply given a small nod to the Civic in the movie? Or is it really just a coincidence?

The similarities are there. Gold paint, black hood, gold spoiler, sunroof, similar body kit, 2-door coupe, black rims, all check out. Where the Hot Wheels release falls short are the missing logos on the hood and beneath the side mirrors. Also, the movie car doesn’t appear to have a red interior like the Hot Wheels release, nor does it have a red lip on the rims. In addition to those, this is also the wrong generation Civic. But man, these are so close, I am contemplating putting this #Honda Civic Si in my Hot Wheels #Fast & Furious collection. What do you think? Should I include it, or omit it from the collection? I think I will defer to you…