hotwheels (11 of 11)

Evan is an East Coast based automotive journalist and a Certified Engineering Technologist. He is an avid autocrosser, hack mechanic, and a member of AJAC. If you don't find him driving or writing about cars, you'll probably find him in the garage breaking one.

There are plenty of Hot Wheels at the Toronto AutoShow this year. No, not the fancy metal in the AutoExotica booth, we mean real Hot Wheels. Five life-sized Hot Wheels cars on display, as well as the Sweet 16 original Hot Wheels die-cast cars and a big range of real cars that would all be offered as Hot Wheels, die-casts if we had our way. With only a few days of the show left, this is a display you have to see.

The Hot Wheels Sweet 16 is the original set of cars the company released back in 1968. There were mild customs like a Mustang, Firebird, and Camaro. There were also the crazy Hot Wheels designs that would make the company a legend. The Beatnik Bandit, Deora, Silhouette, and Hot Heap were all part of this first year of die-casts.

Next up: The full-sized cars that were built based on Hot Wheels die-cast creations.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-174853" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/hotwheels-1-of-11-scaled.jpg" alt="darth vader hot wheels" width="2560" height="1707" />

The ones on display include the Darth Vader car from 2014. This one is Darth Vader's helmet transformed into a full-sized work of art. One of the highlights is the lightsaber side pipes that glow in Sith red.

Hot Wheels' 2001 Twin Mill will be on the display. The Twin Mill was the first time a Hot Wheels design was ever turned into an actual vehicle. It has two 502-cubic-inch big block V8 engines. They both work and give the car more than 1,400 horsepower.

This 1971 Chevrolet El Camino first appeared on Hot Wheels World's Best Driver. The Chevy has a 650 hp 502 V8 under the hood, along with a pair of Pratt &amp; Whitney jet engines mounted in the cargo tray. Yes, it's as cool as it sounds.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-174855" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/hotwheels-3-of-11-scaled.jpg" alt="hot wheels toronto auto show" width="2560" height="1707" />

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-174860" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/hotwheels-8-of-11-scaled.jpg" alt="hot wheels toronto auto show" width="2560" height="1707" />

Also on display is Kevin Huth’s 1973 Toyota “Tokyo Trams-Am” Celica. This ride was the sole Canadian semi-finalist in the Hot Wheels Legend Tour, meaning that it was very close to being turned into a die-cast model.

It's easy to see why, with the look that is "what if Toyota entered Trans-Am racing against Ford and GM in the 1970s." With a healthy dose of patina and a big V8.

Rounding out the collection are a handful of locally-built cars both new and old that 100 percent need to be immortalized in your local toy aisle immediately. Those include a Jeep Gladiator that has been slammed to the ground and transformed into a dually, a widebody Chevrolet Corvette that has been transformed into a speedster-style open-top car, and what might be the coolest Cadillac we've ever seen. With more louvers than a fleet of '90s Camaros and absolutely sublime paintwork.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-174862" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/hotwheels-10-of-11-scaled.jpg" alt="hot wheels toronto auto show" width="2560" height="1707" />

If you're looking for more, the booth will have a space to play with Hot Wheels RC cars as well as tracks set up so that kids (sure, kids), can have some fun with a range of Hot Wheels die-casts.

Admission to the Hot Wheels display room (but not the arcade) is included with admission to the AutoShow. Just look for the signature blue and orange. The Canadian International Auto Show runs February 17-26 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

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Hot Wheels Come to Life at the Toronto AutoShow