Redline Hot Wheels are the names that the original Hot Wheels cars have become known as. They’ve earned this distinguishing title due to the fact that when production of the Hot Wheels line began in 1968, one of the unique features that set them apart from their competition were Redline wheels. Other unique characteristics that these originals brought to market were Spectraflame paint jobs and a suspension that allowed them to race around Hot Wheels tracks.
Redline Hot Wheels featured an etched red line into the side of the wheels on the cars and that’s where the nickname came from. This was an extremely popular look as it was a nod to the muscle cars of the same era, drawing fans from the boys and boys at heart. Even adults found Hot Wheels fun since they could now buy the muscle cars parked in their garages and driveways in miniature form. The tires themselves were often slicker, too, so the cars could perform well on Mattel’s Hot Wheels race tracks.
A special plastic was used in the tires as well as the race tracks to make a low friction surface perfect for gaining the maximum amount of speed out of these little Redline Hot Wheels cars. This plastic, known as Delrin, was cheap and durable so it created a perfect compound to work with in toy manufacturing. At first, the Delrin plastic was used to create a bushing behind the tire between the axles to eliminate as much friction as possible. As a result, the cars could attain scale speeds of up to 200 miles per hour on the tracks. In 1970, these bushings became phased out and were replaced with a flat black backing and an outer cap.
Eventually, in 1977, the Redline Hot Wheels were discontinued. The move helped to reduce production costs but was as much a move due to design as it was one for cost reasons. By 1977, designers felt that the redline wheels so popularly displayed on the rims of muscle cars everywhere were no longer a current design element. As much as it marked to move the end of an era for Hot Wheels cars, it marked the end of an era for their real counterparts. Today, Redline Hot Wheels are still some of the most sought after cars by collectors. Originals from 1968 can fetch astronomical sums of money that most of us can’t even fathom.
1968 Redline Hot Wheels For Sale
Subscribe To
Posts
Comments