The Summer of '69...Hot Wheels Style...Part One

Mattel had a huge hit in 1968 when they brought out the first 16 cars. Suddenly every boy was scrambling to get the latest cars...and Mattel was more than happy to help!

1969 would see the release of 24 new vehicles. They came out with 16 "standard" cars and eight "Grand Prix Series" cars. This was the first of quite a few special series.

I have the whole 1969 run, so I thought I'd share them with you! Now, 24 cars are a bit much for one post, so I'm going to serve them up eight at a time. So...here we go!

First we have the Brabham-Repco F1. This Grand Prix Series car is a model of an actual Indy racer.

The Chapparal 2G is also a Grand Prix car based on a real Can-Am racer. This car came in the regular "Spectra-flame" colors...and white enamel. This is the enamel version.

I had the Classic '31 Ford Woodie as a kid, and it was one of my favorites! I really like this purple example!

The Classic '32 Ford Vicky has style to burn! It's also a pretty heavy car, which means it tends to be pretty quick on the orange track!

The Classic '36 Ford Coupe has a working rumble seat. The chopped and raked look was popular for this car in the '60s. 

The Classic '57 T-Bird was actually only twelve years old when it was released. Note the racing windshield. Nice touch!

The Custom AMX was a real American Motors car. Hot Wheels included cars from all of the major auto companies at the time.

The Custom Charger is a 1968 Dodge Charger. This car usually sells for a premium due to all the Mopar lovers out there!

Well, there you go! These are the first eight cars, alphabetically. We'll look at the next eight next time! Until then, keep searching for treasure!