Taking a Chance With The Hot Wheels Speed Graphics 5-Pack

Each year, there's a grand total of about two 5-packs worth getting, and they both revolve around the same theme. One is the annual Hot Wheels Exotics 5-pack, usually featuring five of the hottest European sports cars and supercars, with minimal graphics and occasionally the odd stripe or two. The other is Matchbox's version of the Exotics 5-pack, which is similar but with far better castings and more realistic designs. Otherwise, most of these multi-packs are best suited as children's gifts, for the ones who haven't yet reached the age to differentiate good taste from bad taste.

This year, there's a third, and it's this Speed Graphics fiver. There are two particular models in here absolutely worth having regardless of what you collect, and the rest is a toss-up depending on who you're talking to.

I personally like three of these models: the Corvette Grand Sport, Ford GT LM, and the Toyota Supra. Three out of five, for five bucks, is not bad at all. Last week, I took opportunity of Target's 40% off all Hot Wheels promotion on Cartwheel to snatch this quintet for $3, which brought me to a single dollar for each car I intend to keep.

Now that's more like it!

After examining each of these in person, I felt the Corvette was more ho-hum than I had thought. The yellow base is, naturally, hideous, at which point I had to remind myself that Hot Wheels and common sense are not synonymous with each other. The GT, while a bit simplistic, is pretty as always. The Supra really wowed with its bold colors and perfectly suited (and very underrated) Y5 wheels. It's fantastic and my favorite release of the Mark IV to date.

I think I'll keep those two tucked away safely and toss the others in the donation bin.

The Dodge Charger Drift car is merely a shell of its former self.

Love the colors and the livery, but this casting is plain awful.

Hot Wheels designers sure love their yellow bases!

Quattroporte!

Quite literally, 4 doors.

This is the Maserati Quattroporte, of the previous generation, done by Hot Wheels in 1/18 scale. Man, I just love putting on a fake Italian accent and pronouncing that. The Quattroporte is widely considered the most beautiful sedan ever, so you know why it's so deserving of its name. It's a luxury sedan that isn't so much about its interior appointments as it is its exterior design. Coming from the oft-hailed Pininfarina design studio, you would expect no less.

This low-end model by Hot Wheels is anything but cheap. It's fantastic. They captured the essence of the car without skimping on the details, which are not overwhelming but more than enough. I was left thoroughly impressed that they got the wheels right on this one, an area that Hot Wheels has mightily struggled with in the past. The signature fish gills on the front fenders are wonderfully done without looking fake. All this for a model that has been around for quite a while yet refuses to show its age. A perfect reflection of the car that it's based on.

Models like this show that Hot Wheels is very much capable of dominating the 1/18 market as it currently is in the 1/64 scale. Since losing the Ferrari license, it's like they have completely forgotten about making the big cars. Perhaps they need a friendly reminder...

Gran Turismo Omologato: The Ferrari 599 GTO, by Hot Wheels Elite

The original GTO, the Ferrari 250 GTO, is widely regarded as the most beautiful car of all time. The second GTO, the 288 GTO, is a legend in its own right and the grandfather of Ferrari's hypercar lineage that has spawned machines such as the F40, F50, Enzo, and LaFerrari. I'm sure those names ring a bell.

The acronym, which stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, is therefore not to be used lightly. So when Ferrari souped up their already formidable 599 GTB Fiorano and threw on the GTO namesake, critics questioned whether this modern take of the classic stallion was deserving of the title. And in short, yes. Yes it was.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Ferrari 599 GTO, as done by Hot Wheels Elite in 1/18 scale.

This high-performance and limited-production version of the 599, essentially the 599XX in street clothes, was at the time the fastest Ferrari to lap their Fiorano test track. And how fitting it was, as the car with which it's based on was named after the track itself. The 599 GTO is a modern classic and has seen its value more than double since its release.

There remains a divided opinion on the design of the 599 GTB, but the GTO is what some say the GTB should've been in the first place. A more aggressive exterior packed with more power and carrying less weight. I think the Ferrari 599, any variant, is one of the most gorgeous cars ever made, defying norms that a Ferrari needs to be bold and loud in its design.

This model is produced by Hot Wheels and falls under the Hot Wheels Elite branding, which means it has a high level of detail. That's an understatement to be completely honest, and I did not expect that at all. The detail here would put almost all models in this price range to shame, and it would certainly give a premier brand like AUTOart a run for its money.

Most of the Ferrari models produced by Hot Wheels ironically end up with wheels that are either too small or too large; this one hits the sweet spot. The interior is nothing short of amazing. When collectors say the 599 GTO is one of their best, now I can fully understand why.