The 15 Worst Hot Wheels Cars Of All Time (And The 15 Best)
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Hot Wheels has made some amazing and iconic collectibles over the years. Here are 15 that aren’t so amazing… (and 15 that rock!).
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Mattel is one of the biggest toy companies in the world and responsible for bringing much joy to my childhood with their range of die-cast toy cars known as Hot Wheels. Since the first cars were released in 1968, there have been hundreds of different models created over the years. Hot Wheels were marketed as the “cooler” alternative to Matchbox cars, with many of the early models being based on sports cars. The first Hot Wheels produced was a dark blue Custom Camaro designed by Harry Bentley Bradley, a former car industry designer who was responsible for 11 of the original 16 castings.
Hot Wheels quickly became a success amongst kids and Mattel ramped up production of the car toys, releasing a larger range of cars based on real-life vehicles. The popularity also led to Mattel creating vehicles based not only on cars, but motorcycles, trucks, planes, and everyday vehicles. They also partnered with other retail outlets and companies to release special model Hot Wheels. The toys became so popular there was even a Hot Wheels TV show and over 25 related video games about the toy have been released over the years.
Despite the success of Hot Wheels, not all the vehicles produced have been favored among children and collectors alike. Some look strange or were designed poorly and failed to live up to the high expectations of Hot Wheels fans. From the good to the bad, here are the 15 worst Hot Wheels cars of all time (and the 15 best).
30 Worst: This Design Belongs In The Toilet
Most Hot Wheels are accurate castings of commercially available cars but every now and then something like the Hot Seat finds its way into the public domain. The Hot Seat was a giant drivable toilet with a plunger for a steering wheel. The driver sat in the actual toilet bowl with the engine protruding out of the back of the toilet system.
This really is a horrible toy but no doubt got kids laughing when they saw it in stores.
The original model came in porcelain white with later versions coming in a multitude of colored toilets. Unfortunately, the Hot Seat was eventually scrapped for being inappropriate for kids, but you can find plenty of them for sale on Ebay if you’re really keen on getting your hands on one.
29 Best: It’s The Bomb!
The Beach Bomb is high on Hot Wheels collectors lists as a must own piece of toy history. A prototype of the Beach Bomb that eventually went on sale in 1969, this original version of the Volkswagen came in a bright rose color and featured different wheels to the Beach Bomb that made it onto the shelves. A popular car when it was released in the real world, it’s easy to see why collectors are big fans of the Beach Bomb. The coolest thing about this Hot Wheels was the ability to remove the surfboards in the back, just one reason why its price tag is in the region of $125,000.
28 Worst: In The Rough
Originally going by the name Tee’d Off before it was changed to Fore Wheeler, this Hot Wheels model was based on the design of a golf cart. This over the top model featured a massive engine protruding from the rear, oversized wheels, and a poor white and maroon color scheme, with the one in the picture above coming in a much more attractive metallic blue. The top of the cabin also featured the words Miller CC Country Club in purple, silver, and green. The Fore Wheeler is something I’d imagine someone who’s extremely wealthy to be seen driving around the golf course and way out of my price range. Fun fact; the toy also doubles as a golf tee, with a divot on the engine created so you can tee off on your local par 3.
27 Best: That’s One Heavy Chevy
The Heavy Chevy was released in 1970 as part of the Spoiler series of Hot Wheels cars. The cool thing about these cars were that they didn’t have an engine hood, with the motor sticking up out of the engine bay for all to see.
This was something fresh and new, not seen with many toy cars at that time.
The first version of the toy came in a wicked blue with white racing stripes on the roof. The number two is also printed on the side of the doors in the image above, but many different numbers were used, with the interior all white. The Heavy Chevy is an impressive looking Hot Wheels and one of the better muscle cars Mattel produced, with a creamy pink colored prototype worth around $5000.
26 Worst: This Is Madness
When The Fast And The Furious came out in 2001 the interest in street racing and Japanese cars exploded. Hot Wheels capitalized on this with numerous toys based on Japanese sports and drift cars, with one of the worst being the Mad Manga. The car is modeled on a Nissan Laurel 2000SGX and styled like a Japanese bosozoku, a custom styled vehicle first created by Japanese road gangs. The car had two huge exhaust pipes along with wide fenders and skirts and came in a variety of explosive colors.
The huge scoop on the front made it look like a modified snow plow.
A fairly faithful reproduction of the tricked out Japanese cars, it didn’t really do much for me, with a little too much going on.
25 Best: A True Street Beast
It took them a while to get round to it but Mattel finally released a Hot Wheels based on the traditional American hot rod in 1976. The Street Rodder is fashioned after the old school American cars and featured a massive engine and shiny exhaust pipes along the side of the vehicle. The black paint job also incorporated red and yellow flames down the doors to make it go faster and an exposed cabin. As far as good-looking Hot Wheels go, it’s hard to get past the Street Rodder. Its success with consumers is also a high factor in the car’s longevity, with the Street Rodder one of the most popular cars still in production today.
24 Worst: That’s One Gaudy Roadster
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hot Wheels and the production of the 4th billion Hot Wheels car, Mattel decided to release a one-off design to showcase at the 2008 American International Toy Fair. Crafted with help of celebrity jeweler Jason from Beverly Hills the car is made up of 2,700 blue, black, and white diamonds.
The diamonds covering the white gold frame of the car weigh in at 23 carats.
The underside of the car also featured black and white diamonds with red rubies used for the brake lights. As you can imagine this Hot Wheels wasn’t cheap and has been valued at $140,000. While it might be one of the most expensive Hot Wheels it’s also one of the ugliest.
23 Best: If It Ain’t Broke
Based on the ’73 Dodge Charger SE the Rodger Dodger was another Hot Wheels that’s still in circulation and a favorite amongst collectors. The original casting came in purple with yellow and red flames across the bonnet and roof or in yellow with purple flames. Later editions came in a wide range of colors but all had one thing in common, the oversized engine protruding from the bonnet. The original Rodger Dodger’s released in 1974 are collector’s items, with some fetching quite a pretty penny. A limited edition black and gold 50th-anniversary version of the Rodger Dodger was released this year and retails for around $60.
22 Worst: Psychotic Design
Few Hot Wheels are as hideous to look at as the Motor Psycho. Getting its name from the fact the cockpit looks like a popsicle – it was first called Popcycle – this strange creation was first released with the Wild Things 5-Pack.
The car featured a bicycle on the inside where the driver was supposed to sit.
The passenger seat was at the very front of the car in front of the driver, which doesn’t make much sense. On the opposite side to the see-through cabin is a huge engine and exhaust that makes that side of the vehicle resemble a motorbike. The Motor Psycho is a strange hybrid of vehicles that sounds just as weird as it looks.
21 Best: Larry’s On Call
As Hot Wheels began to sell, Mattel began looking at new ways to keep the toys fresh and went about recreating everyday vehicles for children and collectors to purchase, with the Ramblin’ Wrecker one of the more successful alliterations. Based on the classic American tow truck, the Ramblin’ Wrecker came in white with a blue tow on the back. The side of the truck was adorned with “Larry’s 24hr Towing” and phone number.
It turned out designer Larry Wood put his actual phone number on the toy.
This proved problematic as Wood was inundated with calls from young children who rang the number. Wood had to change his contact details and removed his number from later versions of the toy.
20 Worst: This One Stings
Part of the woeful Speed Demon line of Hot Wheels, the Eevil Weevil was what happened when designers had a little too much creative freedom. Larry Wood, the man responsible for the majority of Hot Wheels bestsellers, took an L with this one. The basic premise of the car is a scorpion on wheels, with the vehicle featuring pinchers at the front and a curled tail. Although it’s a horrible looking car the Eevil Weevil is still in production today, with the car coming in a variety of different colors, including blue, purple, red, and yellow.
19 Best: Who You Gonna Call?
The Retro Entertainment series of Hot Wheels recreated vehicles from a range of popular films and television shows. One of my favourites from this ongoing series of cars was their take on the Ectomobile from Ghostbusters. A wonderful replica of the ambulance/hearse hybrid, the toy featured proton packs modelled in the interior along with a police scanner on the dashboard.
The roof contained a large ghost-fighting contraption just like the one seen in the film.
The detail was super, with the Ghostbusters logo proudly displayed on the doors and the red detailing matching the film version. An updated model of the car was released when the Ghostbusters reboot was released in 2016, but this 2010 edition of the car was still the best.
18 Worst: It’s The Wurst
Why Mattel thought a Hot Wheels that looked like a hot dog would be a success is anyone’s guess, but they went ahead with it in 1993. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was designed by Harry Bradley and somehow managed to stay in production for almost two decades.
While there have been different versions of the car over the years they all have one thing in common, a hot dog in a bun.
I’m not sure what child would want to be driving a hot dog around with their friends, but there was one version of the Wienermobile that came with a floppy disk (remember them?) with three interactive computer games, so maybe kids just wanted to play video games? Either way, this is one Hot Wheels I’m glad is no longer in production.
17 Best: Riding In Style
A limousine might not be typical of a car kids would love to have but the Hot Wheels take on the Majorette Limo is great fun. Looking like the type of car someone famous would ride around in during the 80s, the white décor and paint job give it a classic feel, with the hot pink trim making sure you know what decade this car was from. It looked great and had some fantastic extras, including a movable sunroof. There have been a variety of different versions of the limo released over the years with many different color schemes and looks, but I still don’t think you can go past the classic look seen in the photo above.
16 Worst: Jabba The What?
When it comes to Star Wars merchandise you can get just about anything, so it’s no surprise there is a line of Star Wars inspired Hot Wheels. Having been released over the past few years since Disney took over the franchise, many of these cars are based on characters from the films.
One of the worst designs was that of Jabba The Hutt.
The notorious crime lord got his own Hot Wheels that looked like some kind of hybrid between a truck and a Jawa Sandcrawler. The brown and green color scheme is naff with the front of the vehicle supposed to resemble Jabba. I think. The model holds the carnivorous Rancor in the back that you can see through the grills, but that’s the only exciting thing about this car.
15 Best: A Good Kind Of Sting
Another classic from the Hot Wheels collection is the Corvette. The American favorite is much loved by the public and has been released by Hot Wheels with various modifications for over four decades.
The Corvette Stingray was my favorite version of the car Hot Wheels has produced over the years.
While it may look basic, the car has a slick look with a shapely body and two large tires at the back. The Corvette came in a variety of colors with an array of body prints over the years and is one vehicle synonymous with Hot Wheels. If you’re thinking about starting a Hot Wheels collection, this is the perfect car to begin with. It’s a timeless, classic icon.
14 Worst: We Got Burnt On This One
If a hot dog Hot Wheels isn’t weird enough then how about one that’s modeled after a toaster? The imaginatively titled Roller Toaster was designed by Ryu Asada who thought it would be a good idea to incorporate a toaster into a car.
Looking like an old school van, the Roller Toaster actually had two slices of bread you can push down that popped up when “toasted.”
The original version came in blue with two large chrome exhaust pipes and the words “Roller Toaster” painted on the side of the truck. It’s certainly a unique Hot Wheels but really wasn’t that appealing. I’d much rather have my toast at home from a real toaster.
13 Best: A Military Icon
There have been eight versions of the Hummer released by Hot Wheels, with the most recent looking like the type of car your parents would buy. The best die-cast model of the Humvee was the one released in the mid-90s. While the initial Hummers were based on war vehicles as seen in Operation Desert Storm, the later models did away with the army colors for vibrant paint jobs, such as the Race Team Series III Hummer that came in chrome blue. This toy also featured the Hot Wheels logo on the roof and was one of the heaviest cars available due to being made of real metal. This was great because it meant they lasted longer and could roll further down hills, a key to any successful Hot Wheels.
12 Worst: Not So Hot Tub
If you thought the Hot Seat was awful then get a load of the Hot Tub. Trading the toilet for a jacuzzi, this Hot Wheels design was a drivable hot tub. Part of the 2006 First Editions line, the Hot Tub came in a variety of different colors with the water in the tub changing from blue to green depending on the model.
It amazes me to think someone thought this would be a good idea for a toy car.
There is nothing appealing about the Hot Tub, with the design extremely basic. The car looked like a hot rod with a hot tub as a driver’s seat, and while this does sound quite relaxing, I’m not sure it’s very safe.
11 Best: Better Than The Pizza
The Red Baron experienced a boost in popularity when it was featured in the animated film Toy Story, but serious Hot Wheels collectors have always had a special spot for the model. There are rumors the toy was inspired by the cartoon Peanuts and Snoopy’s imaginary battle with the Red Baron, but whatever the case, it’s a unique Hot Wheels addition. The Red Baron is a souped-up racer with an exposed engine and WW1 German infantry helmet for a cabin. It shouldn’t work but somehow the Red Baron does, with the red paint job adding to the feel of the car. Prototype versions of the model are noted as the fifth rarest Hot Wheels, with some fetching up to $3000 on the internet.
Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/hot-wheels-cars-all-time-best-not-good/