My Hot Wheels Redline Alive 55 Lemon Yellow Chevy Nomad

For over two years I had this Hot Wheel on my Ebay queue. But I never had the chutzpah to make an offer I thought the seller would accept. In that two years I probably only saw a handful even close to it sell. For some reason I really wanted this one.

When I was in single digits my friend Brad down the street had the best Hot Wheels collection on any kid in town. We didn't so much play with his Hot Wheels as we gave audience to them. Sure, me and my brother had many Hot Wheels, but we had a nasty habit of actually playing with them. And they often met tragic ends. Many an avalanche of boulders claimed one of our even most prized Hot Wheels.

Because they were only a dollar. Less than a dollar. You got them on your birthday. You always got one for gift exchange at school. They weren't considered special or something to be treasured. They were toys to be played with.

Little did I know somewhere out there were many kids like Brad who thought differently about their Hot Wheels. I thank them now for being such good curators of these cultural artifacts.

The first day we got our baseball mitts my brother and I were out the door and didn't have much time for any toys after that. But a few years ago I just had this desire to start collecting redline Hot Wheels.

Lemon yellow Hot Wheels Alive 55 redline

All Alive 55's were made in Hong Kong. 

Auguest 12, 2026 update: This was the last Hot wheel I sold on Ebay when I let go of the collection. 

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My Next Two Hot Wheels

My Hot wheels collection is coming along slowly. After seven years of collecting I have 35 Hot Wheels. The next two I want are tricky ones, but fun. 

The Beach Bomb was a second year (1969) addition to the Hot Wheels line. Originally they had a rear loading surf board, but this made the Hot Wheel too narrow to go through the power station on the tracks, so they widened it and put the surf boards on the side. It's one of the coolest and most collected Hot Wheels. I'm seeking one in copper, but I wouldn't pass up one in brown like this. Every year we go to The Pec Thing and this one collector has the same Beach Bomb for sale, and it's nice, and I almost buy it, but since I'm taking my collection so slow I'll just hold out for exactly the one I want. I'd actually prefer one with some of the Hippie or Champion spark plugs or Hot Wheels decals that came along with these when they were released. I'll know it when I see it, and overpay. 

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The Spectraflame paint of the first five years of Hot Wheels was awesome. Nothing compares. But some of the enamel Hot Wheels, like this lemon yellow Alive 55 were almost equally striking. We beat the heck out of these station wagons when we got them as kids because we saw them in the demolition derby, so naturally we considered them beaters. This particular one will now run you about $250 in near mint condition. I probably had for or five of these that I destroyed. In fact, this is an actual Alive 55 I'd like to buy, but the asking price is about double what I think it's worth. This is the color I want, but I would also like an orange one. This car from 1973 is just magnificent, and I'll be happy when I get mine. Might not be any time soon, but this is what mine will look like.

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What's In the Box Friday.

From the people who brought you the hit show "Why Should I Give a Shit?" comes the new spinoff "What's In the Box Friday." I got this idea from watching my four year old watch two hours of people opening toys on You Tube. So, I know you're all waiting with baited breath, asking "what's in the box?"

What possibly could be in this box? And why don't the people downstairs ever leave their apartment? One of these questions is about to get answered.

One of the sweetest redline Gremlin Grinders I've ever seen

A Gremlin Grinder! Yay! Do you think my four year old will read this blog? Me either.  Pin It

1970 Hot Wheels Sand Crab In Spectraflame Magenta

In my opinion some of the best cars ever made in America were the initial batch of Hot Wheels made those first five years. Realism was the key for the new company, but they also had a whimsical streak in them, as was evidenced even the first year with the Hot Heap, Beatnik Bandit, Deora, Silhouette, and Python. The Sand Crab was issued in 1970, the third year of Hot Wheel production. This one has magenta Spectraflame paint, and it glows. It is an example of the combination of imagination and attention to detail that made those early Hot Wheels magic. All that engineering and artistry for .99. Unless I'm wrong, these were still hand painted and assembled. For .99. 

1970 Hot Wheels Redline Sand Crab in Spectraflame magenta.

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Hot Wheels Red Baron With Iron Cross Tampo

Hot Wheels redline Red Baron

When I started my Hot Wheels collection, one of the first Hot Wheels I remembered was the iconic Red Baron. The story behind this casting is complex - in 1968 (possibly due to the popularity of the "Peanuts" cartoon character Snoopy's imaginary battles with the Red Baron) Monogram introduced a model kit of a stylized hot-rod incorporating a WWI German infantry helmet (Pickelhaube) and an Iron Cross motif on the radiator. In 1969, Chuck Miller built a working life-size version of the car, and the Hot Wheels casting appeared in 1970. Interestingly, although the Hot Wheels version has fenders (UK: mudguards), neither the Monogram kit nor Miller's car has them.

The Red Baron seemed to be the one Hot Wheel every boy had. It seemed to come in every multi package set, and was one of the few Hot Wheels released in multiple years. Because of this it was not one of the first Hot Wheels I added to my collection. I decided to buy the Hot Wheels I didn't have. But recently I took a second look and decided this is just a cool Hot Wheel. 

Mine arrived a couple of weeks ago. It's a 1970 Spectraflame Hong Kong casting with tampo of the Iron Cross and black interior. It looks mostly like this one in the picture, which is probably from 1973-1977. I'm very happy to have one again.

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Street Snorter

Lime Street Snorter

This little imp is the Street Snorter, Hot Wheel's version of the Ford Maverick, released in 1973. The 1973 Street Snorter is  based on the Mighty Maverick from 1970. The large rear spoiler has been removed. This stylized casting is based on a real car built by the Ford Motor Company: the 1969 Maverick. In its first full year of production, 1970, the Maverick broke the first year sales record previously held by the Mustang. This is a case where the Hot Wheel has really added some hot lines and curves that weren't  there in the real life model.

In some cases the real life cars were much nicer than the Hot Wheel's versions of them, but in the case of the Maverick, I'll take the Hot Wheel's version any day. The hot wheel is probably worth more than the actual car these days.

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The Gremlin Grinder

Gremlin Grinder

This Gremlin Grinder was made by Hot Wheels from 1975-1977. It never excited me very much as a kid but I find it growing on me lately. I remember in the early 70's we had a lime green Chevy Vega and an uncle who was 6"9. It was a lesson in physical comedy watching him try to get in the backseat of that car. Memory is such that I remember that car far more clearly than the second or third car I ever had. I like this Hot Wheel, and it's another one you can get in good condition rather inexpensively. It is also available in the super chrome version, which is actually far more common.

For those who like shiny objects, the superchrome Gremlin Grinder is for you.

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The Most Beautiful Hot Wheel Ever Made

Hot Wheels Classic Cord Rose

In my estimation the most beautiful Hot Wheel ever made is this Classic Cord, produced in 1971 and 1972. A thing of beauty. You could get this for less than a dollar. I won't sicken you by telling you how much you'd have to shell out to get one of these now, but a thing of beauty as Keats said. The Classic Cord is a favorite among many collectors and commands a relatively high value for all casting colors. According to Jack Parker, a former Mattel design engineer, the Cord was selected specifically to "target" the collector market which has proven to be a successful strategy. Having been produced for only two years, the Cord is a relatively hard to find casting in any color. I don't have much of an emotional connection to this beauty, like I do with many other Hot Wheels I remember from my youth, because I don't remember having this one or any of my friends having it, either. Not that I would mind having one of these, it's just not at the top of my list as a collector.

The Hot Wheels casting is based on the 1937 Cord 812 which was originally conceived by Errett Lobban Cord (1894-1974).Cord teamed with auto designer Gordon Buehrig to create this American classic.

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1974 Sir Rodney Roadster Hot Wheel

As I get closer to collecting all the Hot Wheels I have an emotional connection with from my youth, one that keeps growing in my esteem is this little Sir Rodney Roadster. I always remember choosing it nearly last when we pooled our collective Hot Wheels then chose teams. This was made only in 1974 and in Hong Kong only. There was an alternate orange and green superchrome version, but this is the one I remember. This casting was based upon the 1970's Lotus Seven S4 roadster, and unless you're bent on finding the rarer green variant, it's rather one of the easier and cheaper classic Hot Wheels to find, although chips on those fenders are common. 

If you want this green variant of the the 1974 Sir Rodney Roadster be prepared to shell out a couple hundred dollars, but I'll be happy just to get a run of the mill yellow one in great condition.

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Hot Wheels 57 Chevy Redline

Another favorite Hot Wheel I remember from my youth has eluded my collection. The 57 Chevy. Issued in 1977, I remember getting this in a set that Christmas. Along with the 31 Doozie, 56 Hi Tail Hauler, and the Second Wind, you'd be dropping close to $250 just to collect those four in good condition these days. Add that to the original Star Wars figures I had the audacity to take out of the blister packs and play with, I could have been a much wealthier man today if I just had the toys I got for Christmas in 1977. That summer the city used the vacant fields across the street to dump hundreds of mounds of dirt. Each mound was roughly six feet high. What a Nirvana it was for us neighborhood boys, and we gleefully destroyed our Hot Wheels and action figures, never dreaming it would cost us a fortune to reclaim these items 35 years later. Pin It

Hot Wheels Second Wind Redline 1977

1977 was the last year Hot Wheels released their famous redline cars. I remember I used to go over to my friend Paul's house because his parents weren't home after work and he had all the good cable channels. One of the shows I remember watching with him was Speed Racer. The Second Wind is obviously based on the Mach 5 featured in the cartoon. It's relatively hard to find, especially in the condition the one in this picture is in, because Hot Wheels also released all their 1977 cars with blackwall tires, too. I haven't managed to find one of these withing the striking range of cost and condition yet, but it's one I remember fondly and would eventually like to add to my collection.  Pin It

The Hot Wheel That Broke My Heart

The first car I can remember my family having was a lime green Chevy Vega. Probably a 1973. I remember this car more clearly than cars I've actually owned as a result because I have an uncle who is six foot and nine inches tall and it was an exercise in comedy watching him try to get into that car. 

It's odd the things you remember and the things that will traumatize a four year old boy. For me one of the lingering traumas of my childhood was when I lost my pink Hot Wheel in the crevice behind the back seat of this car. I remember the car being a super shiny magenta with a bubble hood and it reminded me of the Jetsons. In my little boy brain it seemed more like a flying saucer than a car. Maybe I didn't even cry when it disappeared into that seemingly irretrievable void behind the seat. Maybe I did and no one thought enough to look for it. Either way I lamented the loss of that toy my entire life. Until three years ago when I saw...

The 1968 Beatnik Bandit. That was it. The thing that was lost forever, found again. Needless to say I bought it straightaway, but I did more than that. I bought myself the entire 

The original 16 Hot Wheels from 1968. Reclaiming lost aspects of your past is a very important component in Gestalt Therapy. Unfinished business. The Hot Wheels I played with as a boy aren't as old as these, but it's nice to start somewhere, and the beginning is often a good place. I have a goal to own one of every redline Hot Wheel ever made eventually. Maybe that's overkill, but it feels good to get this far down the road and be at peace with things. 

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