Choosing to collect the Texas Drive ‘Em was knowingly not going to be easy — yet, I did it anyway. This lifted 1970s Ford F-series pickup had appealed to collectors from the moment it appeared in Series 5 of the Hot Wheels Classics in 2009. For me, this Larry Wood design screamed personality. It was lifted. It was spectraflame. It had a witty name based on my favorite card game at the time: Texas Hold ’em. The TDE was headed out-of-town for some high-stakes, dirt biking action!

Texas Drive ‘Em seemed to strike a chord with collectors at the time. In the early 2010s, the high-value castings at the time were the Thunder Roller, Volkswagen Drag Bus, Blown Delivery, Dairy Delivery, Convoy Custom, and the TDE — all large castings that had a higher perceived value due to the amount of ZAMAC in them. You could find them in most premium lines at the time and were often chosen for collector conventions. Those that were picking a line knew that if they could get the Texas Drive ‘Em in it, collectors would instantly be driven to the pegs. The TDE was a chase casting before chase cars and variations had infiltrated every line.

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2009 – Hot Wheels Classics Series 5

Since we’re on the chase factor, the initial releases of the Texas Drive ‘Em would launch the TDE craze. In Classics Series 5, chase cars were introduced to the line. These low-run variations with Real Riders were introduced to the line to help draw collectors back in. Sandwiched in-between being a hot new model, and a desirable chase piece, TDE popularity rose quickly. Ultimately, there would be 8 variants of the TDE from Hot Wheels Classics Series 5 to collect. The last one in spectraflame red would come as part of the Classics Series 5 “chase” box set — where all the vehicles in this series came in an additional color, with Real Riders.

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2009 – Holiday Rods

By the end of 2009, three more variants would be available via the Holiday Rods — a Hot Wheels premium line at the time. Holiday Rods carried a higher price tag than the Classics. Naturally, you get more detail with that. We got two tastefully-done versions, released in red and in blue. As a bonus, variation collectors got a delectable treat: a transition variation known as the “chrome rim” variation on the red version.

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2010 – 4th of July

Nothing says ‘merica more than a lifted truck with American flag flames ready to go dirt bikin’. When the 4th of July themed assortment hit retailed in the summer of 2010, the TDE was quickly scooped up. It was a chance for collectors — especially those who customize — to grab this elusive casting for a buck.

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2011 – Troy Lee Designs

The rarest Texas Drive ‘Em is the Troy Less Designs release. Only 1,100 were produced for this collaboration. This cool piece in red, white, and blue features brands like Adidas, Lucas Oil, PPG, and of course, Troy Lee Designs. It is the grail of any TDE collector because of it’s nearly $1,000 price tag on the secondary market. Believe it or not, most collectors scoffed at the original price of $50 — which exceeded the price of any new release. Add the fact that it didn’t have Real Riders, and that turned collectors off even more. These eventually sold out on the Troy Lee Designs website, and after that, demand (and price) would steadily increase.

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2012 – HWC Series 11 Real Riders

If the Troy Lee TDE is the grail, the HWC Series 11 release is the crown jewel. It is by far, the most detailed release, and was (at the time) the most expensive HWC/RLC vehicles ever-produced from a cost standpoint due to the dozen or so paint masks to fully color the bikes in the back. The end result is a piece that stands out in any collection that is still on the semi-rare side with only 4,000 being produced.

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2013 – Flying Customs

The 2013 Flying Customs line at Target was one of the more diverse lineups of Hot Wheels castings that we’ve ever seen. The lone pickup truck? The Texas Drive ‘Em. The light blueish gray bikes in the back closely match the tampo of the same color on the sides. This was the only TDE release to feature bikes of that color, and the only release to wear construction (CT) wheels.

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2014 – Pop Culture / General Mills

If I have to put one single release out there as the easiest to find, it would be the 2014 Pop Culture release wearing these “Cuckoo for” Cocoa Puffs graphics. I remember grabbing a dozen or so of these, holding out hope that I would one day find the time (and patience) to strip them down, repaint them, and detail the bikes in the back. That clearly never happened as one year later I would start OTD — the biggest time suck of my life.

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2014 – 7th Annual Mexico Convention

We have our first convention release of the Texas Drive ‘Em! And guess what? It wasn’t in the US. The folks hosting the Mexico convention decided the TDE was going to be their souvenir vehicle for 2014.

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2015 – Heritage / Real Riders

The hunt was on at retail for this Texas Drive ‘Em as the Heritage line brought us alternating mixes of Redlines and Real Riders. This one was obviously in the latter segment. The “Dirt Track Construction” livery makes this an utility vehicle with an obvious nod to the dirt bikes in back. For me, this one brought back some fun Excitebike memories on the original Nintendo where I once constructed some dirt tracks myself.

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2016 – RLC sELECTIONs Series

Four years after that very-detailed release in HWC Series 11, the Texas Drive ‘Em was voted by the collectors to return to the Red Line Club. Spectraflame Smoke narrowly defeated Spectraflame Dark Green in the color vote. Perhaps the coolest thing about this truck, isn’t the truck itself. Rather, it was the precedent it set moving forward. A HWC user pointed out to the design team that the Knobby Real Riders Deep-Dish Wheels had been retooled in 2013, allowing for other existing hubs to be used with the knobby-style tires. This allowed for this release, along with a couple others, to stray away from the frequently-used DD hub, using other wheel choices when it came to the TDE and other castings that use the knobby tires. On top of that, in the spirit of Texas “No Limit” Hold ’em, this was the first sELECTIONs release to remove the purchase limit. This allowed collectors to buy as many as they wanted, a trend that continues to this day when it comes to the made-to-order RLC sELECTIONs Series.

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2016 – 30th Annual Collectors Convention

The first US convention release of the Texas Drive ‘Em came in the fall of 2016. It was a very tasteful release in Spectraflame Black with the 30th convention logo on the top. If you were at that convention, this souvenir make evoke some memories — as it does within myself. This is also one of the more limited TDEs as this one is 1 of only 2,600 pieces to be produced.

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2017 – 17th Annual Collectors Nationals

Six months later, the Texas Drive ‘Em would get it’s second (and last) convention release. The 17th annual Nationals event in Pittsburgh is known for being one of the last conventions with very low quantities on souvenir vehicles. This release in bright orange had only 2,800 pieces produced. This was also the first TDE release to feature Knobby Real Riders 10-Spoke Wheels and the last TDE release to feature detailed dirt bikes in the back.

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2018 – RLC Holiday Exclusive

The Texas Drive ‘Em returned to RLC once again. This time, the bikes were gone and replaced with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer standing in a pile of snow in the truck bed. In addition to the celebrity payload, this release came in Double Ransburg Red, giving this release a very cool looking paint job that mimics an ice effect over spectraflame paint. This very unique release of the TDE makes me smirk every time I see it. It’s the gift that keeps giving, spreading joy 10 years later.

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2022 – Car Culture Premium Display

Unceremoniously, the Texas Drive ‘Em was retired in 2022 with this Premium Display release in the set nicknamed, “Beach Trucks”. The set had no real theme other than four cool trucks sitting outside a beachfront restaurant. I thought it was cool but overall, collectors didn’t seem to appreciate the set as it became a shelf-warmer very quickly. It was the TDE’s first (and last) foray into Car Culture. For a casting that deserves consideration as one of the top of all-time, it was certainly an unceremonious ending to what had been a great run.

What are your thoughts on the Texas Drive ‘Em? If you’ve made it this far, I’d love to hear your thoughts about the TDE’s legacy. Which release is your favorite? Which is your least favorite? Do you have any memories surrounding the TDE? Let’s hear them!