Nationals Icons returns to the HW Vintage Assortment. This series features five iconic vehicles from five iconic automobile manufacturers from five iconic countries. The card art features the country to which each vehicle’s manufacturer is from.
1/5 – Lamborghini Countach LP 5000 QV
Italy
Something about a Lamborghini Countach in white just seems so right. Maybe because the original Hot Wheels Lamborghini Countach came in white and was essentially released for three years (1988-1990) in that color. It was the car in my brother’s childhood collection that remained on a pedestal because it was too wide for track and didn’t meet the sandbox. I digress…
This is only the 5th release (4th color) of the Lamborghini Countach LP 5000 QV which first appeared in premium in 2022. This release also signifies the first time this casting has been released in a line outside of Hot Wheels Premium, and with that, the metal body & metal base follow. I think this one will be the star of the case — a unicorn of sorts.
2/5 – Aston Martin 1963 DB5
United Kingdom
The DB5 looks great in this blue. Call it cyan, call it turquoise, call it something else…. it looks amazing. I’m actually surprised we haven’t seen a Hot Wheels Aston Martin 1963 DB5 in this color before. I know there are a few 1:1s out there in this color so it’s very welcome to see after having countless releases in silver, gray, and dark green.
3/5 – ’69 COPO Corvette
United States
There are so many American cars, it’s hard to choose one, but you can’t go wrong with a Corvette representing the USA. The card art doesn’t seem to depict any one city, whereas with the Aston Martin you know it’s front of Big Ben in London.
4/5 – ‘73 Honda Civic Custom
Japan
There is a nice collection of the ’73 Honda Civic Custom building from Hot Wheels basics to premium, to everywhere in-between. Most of the releases of this stout racer have had some sort of racing-inspired deco, so it’s nice to see it in something more subtle. The card art features Tokyo (I assume), with may easter eggs in the billboards. I can spot the Feline Lucky, Kei Swap, and Duck ‘n Roll. What else do you see?
5/5 – Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
Germany
While the white unicorn in this case might by the Countach, don’t sleep on this mint green Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. It also has a metal base and comes in this darling, era-appropriate color. The 300 SL collection from Hot Wheels is shaping up quite nicely. Whether you choose to only collect this casting that had been use in Basics, Silver Series, and Premium — or choose to include the ultra-premium and Elite 64 versions with gull-wing door — there is no shortage of releases for the to track down and admire.
I unboxed one of these 10-count cases on the OTD YouTube Channel within the Case Report that you see here. Tune in and let me know what you think. Let me know your thoughts.
QUICK LINK! Buy the 2026 Silver Series / NATIONAL ICONS from Jcar Diecast
The Hot Wheels Vintage assortment cases (HRT81) are sold through hobby dealers and through some smaller retailers. These cases contain only 10 vehicles, unlike Hot Wheels basics cases which have 72. In this mix, you will get the case breakdown seen below which can also been seen in the unboxing video above.
Vintage Asst / National Icons
- Lamborghini Countach LP 5000 QV x2
- Aston Martin 1963 DB5 x2
- ’69 COPO Corvette x2
- ’73 Honda Civic Custom x2
- Mercedes-Benz 300 SL x2
To view previous unboxings of Vintage Racing Club, check out the videos below.
Categories: Case Report
