Hot Wheels Car Rare or Valuable? (How To Tell)


Hot Wheels collectors are always looking for the latest rare and valuable toy cars to get their hands on. But if you are new to collecting then trying to know whether a Hot Wheels car is a collector’s item or mass produced can be difficult. 

This is especially true because there are so many people who collect only the rarest Hot Wheels cars that you have to compete with. Some collectors even have thousands of cars in their collection! 

This hobby can be quite lucrative if you end up with rare and valuable cars like the Hot Wheels Red Baron with white interior. These rarer Hot Wheel cars are manufactured in limited quantities as a part of Mattel’s marketing strategy or are they order vehicles where most of the models have been lost or destroyed over the years. 

As these cars are rare, collectors are willing to pay virtually any amount of money to add them to their collection which in turn is what makes them some of the most expensive Hot Wheels cars that exist.

Some of the rare models made by Hot Wheels are even more valuable than real cars are! One such model is the 1969 Pink Beach Bomb which is worth a staggering $175,000 according to experts

However, assuming you don’t have some of these hot rods, how can you tell if your Hot Wheel car is rare or valuable.

Rare Hot Wheels are either the oldest models (the Red Lines) or special edition cars that were released in limited quantity. The easiest way to know whether your Hot Wheels car is collectible and worth a lot or just a few dollars is to do some research online. 

To date the top 10 most expensive Hot Wheels cars of all time according to Car & Driver are:

  1. 1969 Pink Beach Bomb (estimated 175,000)
  2. 1968 Over Chrome Mustang (estimated $40,000)
  3. 1968 Over Chrome Camaro (estimated $25,000)
  4. 1969 Mad Maverick Base On Mighty Maverick (estimated $15,000)
  5. 1969 Brown Custom Charger (estimated $13,000)
  6. 1971 Purple Olds 442 (estimated $12,000)
  7. 1969 Ed Shaver Blue AMX (estimated $10,000)
  8. 1969 Brown ‘31 Woody (estimated $8,000)
  9. 1969 Cheetah Base with Python Body (estimated $6,000)
  10. 1971 Spectraflame Purple Bye Focal (estimated $6,000)

But if you don’t have one of these ten most valuable Hot Wheels how can you tell how much your Hot Wheels car is worth?

Since this is just the list from when Car & Driver put out their most valuable Hot Wheels. But what if I told you there was a much more accurate way to get the value of your exact Hot Wheels model? 

Well that’s exactly what I’m going to do in this next section.

Many toy cars in a row

How To Check How Valuable or Rare Your Hot Wheels Models Are

There are four basic ways you can use to figure out whether your model is rare and valuable. The third method is by far the most accurate though and I will go into more detail about how you can tell if your model makes the list of Hot Wheels rare models or not. 

1. Use reverse image search

A great way to tell if your Hot Wheels car is rare or valuable is by simply taking a picture of the model that you have and doing a reverse image search on Google. What this does is allows Google to try and find a similar image on the internet. If you find your Hot Wheels car on a list of most valuable or rare Hot Wheels then you know you have a collector’s dream on your hands. 

Google explains exactly how you can do a reverse image search on your computer or mobile device in this article.  

If you are unable to pull anything up using a reverse image search don’t worry. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your car is worthless. 

2. Check Whether Your Hot Wheels Tires Have Red Lines

The next thing you will want to check is whether the tires on the Hot Wheel car have red lines on them. As long as it isn’t a reproduction of the red line cars then those red lines on the tires mean that the car is old and rare. 

Hot Wheels did make a Red Line Series in: 

  • 2002
  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2015

So if you have Hot Wheels with those dates on them then they are not the original red lines. If you have older Hot Wheels that have red lines on the tires then these are likely the original red line models (made from 1968 to 1977). 

3. Look For Copyright Date

If you don’t have any red lines on the tires the next step is to search the copyright date (on the bottom of the vehicle). You should be able to see all of the designs of that specific copyright date and then determine how rare your Hot Wheel car is. 

Rare Hot Wheels cars often come with a few distinct features. Although the cars look similar to other models, there are some tell-tale signs which help you to identify a rare car.

4. Check Online Sold Listings

If you have gone through the three methods above and still have no idea how rare or valuable your Hot Wheels car is then you are in luck. There is a simple method that you can use to check for specific models and their values. 

However, there is a massive downside to using this method… it only shows the Hot Wheels collector’s cars that sold in the last month. 

That is why I saved this method for last as if your Hot Wheels car is really rare it might not have any sales in the last month and I would hate to have you think it is worthless when it is really one of the most expensive Hot Wheel cars ever. 

To check online sold listings the easiest method that I have found is by using eBay’s completed listings. To do this all you need to do is go to eBay and type in the Hot Wheels model that you have and are looking to get the rarity or value on and then click search. 

Ebay Search Bar for Hot Wheels Cars

Once you have done that the next thing that you will need to do is find the listings for that model that have actually sold. Now remember this is only in the last 30 days so if you don’t see any sales you likely have either an extremely rare model or one that is in such high supply that no one is buying them at all. 

To find all of the sold listings, after clicking on the blue search button you are going to scroll down on the left hand side until you see the box that shows the “sold items” (as pictured below). Then you will need to click the little check box next to where it says sold items. 

Ebay checkboxes for complete Hot Wheels sales

Once you have checked the sold items box it will also automatically check the “completed items’ box (since when an item sells it is also completed. Then the page will reload only showing you the Hot Wheels models that have sold. 

At the top right of that page there will be a little box that will say “ended recently”. That is a sorting box that you can use to sort this page of sold Hot Wheels cars. When looking to see how valuable your Hot Wheels are it’s a good idea to sort by price high to low (to see the highest priced items) and low to high (to see the lowest priced items). 

That will give you a good range of values that your specific model has sold for in the last 30 days. 

Ebay sorting features

It is important to look at what the difference is between the highest and lowest priced models that sold. Maybe some of them are newer reproductions or maybe one is in excellent condition and one is in poor condition. 

Whatever it is, just be honest with yourself when you are looking at the sold listings so you don’t think your Hot Wheels car is worth thousands when it is actually only worth a few dollars because of its condition. 

Toy cars arranged in a circle

Most Expensive Recent Hot Wheels Car & Lot Sales (in the last 30 days)

So having a list of the most expensive Hot Wheels of all time is nice but most of us won’t have those cars (or sets) in our collections. So I decided to make a list of the most expensive Hot Wheels cars and sets that have been sold recently. 

Below I will give three different groups of sales. Those that have sold for more than $5,000, those that have sold for between $2,000 and $5,000 and those that have sold for between $1,000 and $2,000. 

These lists will include both individual Hot Wheels cars as well as sets and lots of Hot Wheels  that are extremely valuable. 

However, the fourth section will be super interesting to a lot of people. In that section I will only give the individual cars that have sold for more than $500. That way if you constantly buy Hot Wheels as a collector you will know which individual models to keep your eye out for. 

Hot Wheels Cars & Lots/Sets That Sold For Over $5,000

Below are the individual Hot Wheels cars and lots that have been recently sold for more than $5,000. Each of these items would be considered extremely rare and valuable. 

  1. 2020 Hot Wheels Premium Fast And Furious Fast Tuners 5 Car Set ($10,109.90
  2. Hot Wheels Hunt (1) 1994 Lamborghini Countach W/ Paint Errors & Guh (Moxlnc) ($10,000)
  3. 2018 Hot Wheels Rodger Dodger Id Employee Prototype 0000, 0001, Very Rare Mea 3 Cars ($10,000)
  4. Hot Wheels Hunt (1) Leo + (1) Pink & (1) Chrome Gleam Team Porsche 959 Uh Rims ($7,030)

As you can see there are only 4 Hot Wheels cars and lots that sold for over $5,000 in the last 30 days. Now again, that doesn’t mean your Hot Wheel vehicle isn’t worth over $5,000. It just means that not many items sold for over that amount. 

Toy cars parked in lines

Hot Wheels Cars & Lots/Sets That Sold For Between $2,000 and $5,000

Below I will cover the Hot Wheels cars and lots that sold for between $2,000 and $5,000 in the last 30 days. Remember these are actual sales not just what some sites will “estimate” a Hot Wheel will go for. 

  1. Hot Wheels Huge Lot Of 178 Rlc Cars Loose Near Mint ($4,200)
  2. 1995 Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Series Set (1-12) With ’67 Camaro Brand New ($3,890)
  3. Hot Wheels 1995 Treasure Hunt J.C. Penney Set Of 12 W/ ’67 Camaro All Original ($3,824.99)
  4. Pixar Motor Speedway Of The South Cars Hot Wheels Red Line Set#97/1000 Disney Zq ($3,651.79)
  5. Huge Collection (Almost 1800) Of 1979 Hot Wheels Cars ($3,600)
  6. Hot Wheels Huge Lot Of 61 Rlc Cars New In Package Near Mint ($3,476)
  7. Lot Hot Wheels Rlc Candy Striper 55 Chevy Gasser 589/4000 Pink ~orange 2863/4000 ($3,465)
  8. Hot Wheels Huge Lot Of 44 Rlc Cars New In Package Near Mint ($3,176.76)
  9. Hot Wheels Huge Lot Of 108 Rlc Cars Loose Near Mint ($3,100)
  10. Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Twelve 1995 Treasure Hunt Cars In One Limited Edition ($3,050)
  11. Hot Wheels Rlc Original Sweet 16 Display Cars In Tray 50th Anniversary ($3,025)
  12. Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Twelve 1995 Treasure Hunt Cars In One Limited Edition ($3,000)
  13. Hot Wheels Japan Convention Camaro/Panel#23 Matching And Bone Shaker #83. 4 Sets ($3,000)
  14. 1995 Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Series Set (1-12) With ’67 Camaro (Brand New) ($3,000)
  15. 2003 Hot Wheels Rlc Highway 35 World Race 36 Car Set #155/1000 – Low Number ($3,000)
  16. Hot Wheels Rlc Original 16 Display Set 50th Anniversary Low Number 370 Of 1500 ($2,740.30)
  17. Hot Wheels Lot Of 90 Rlc Cars Loose Near Mint ($2,650)
  18. Hot Wheels Rlc Original 16 Display Set 50th Anniversary Never Used 568/1500 ($2,604.07)
  19. Hot Wheels Id 2022 C Case End Of Production, Last Series!! ($2,580)
  20. 2003 Hot Wheels Rlc Highway 35 World Race 36 Car Set #456/1000 ($2,525)
  21. 1995 Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Series – 12 Car Set – Certificate Of Authenticity ($2,520)
  22. Hot Wheels 4 Nfth Treasure Hunts Garage Series 1 Vvhtf 1 Unriveted Bone Shaker ($2,511.60)
  23. Hot Wheels Acceleracers 36 Cars, 4 Teams ($2,510.25)
  24. 1995 Treasure Hunt Box/Set Has Original Flier & W/ Original Pennys’ Shipping Box ($2,502)
  25. Full Set (5)Hot Wheels Garage Series 1 Physical Cars Bone Shaker Sealed New ($2,499)
  26. 2003 Hot Wheels Redline Club Rlc Highway 35 World Race 36 Car Set #D 26/1000 ($2,405.90)
  27. Hot Wheels Rlc 2003 Factory Sealed Complete Master Set #21 Of 250 ($2,359.79)
  28. 2015 Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt X-Raycers Arrow Dynamic F1 Yellow & Turquoise Rare ($2,207.99)
  29. Pixar Motor Speedway Of The South Cars Hot Wheels Red Line Limited Hologram ($2,120.99)
  30. Hot Wheels Acceleracers 36 Cars, 4 Teams ($2,110.95)
  31. Hot Wheels Toy Fair 2016 Gold Porsche 934 Turbo Rsr ($2,010.50)
  32. Hot Wheels Bone Shaker Premium Garage Series 1 Physical Nfth ($2,000)
  33. Hot Wheels Vw Drag Bus Mea 2017 Very Rare ($2,000)
  34. Mattel Chevrolet Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary 1967 – 2018 Camaro 2 Car Set Rare ($2,000)
  35. Rare Htf Tyco Matchbox Gold Collection (’96) Porsche 944 Turbo (Red) 1/5000 Mib ($2,000)
Kids playing with toy cars

Hot Wheels Cars & Lots/Sets That Sold For Between $1,000 and $2,000

The next group of Hot Wheel car sales that I want to cover are those that sold between $1,000 and $2,000. In this list you will find a lot more individual cars whereas above there were many lots and sets that sold for the higher dollar amount. 

  1. Hot Wheels Bone Shaker Premium Garage Series 1 Physical Nfth ($1,999.99)
  2. Hot Wheels / Red Lines / 18 Car Lot ($1,959)
  3. L9-6 Hot Wheels 1969 Red Line – Amx Custom / Yellow – All Original – Sealed Nib ($1,902.90)
  4. Hot Wheels Rlc Real Riders ’83 Chevy Silverado – Series 8 #2484/3000 ($1,875)
  5. Hot Wheels 1995 Treasure Hunt ’67 Camaro W/Case Real Riders The Holy Grail ($1,864.10)
  6. Hot Wheels Bone Shaker Nfth Garage Series 1 Vhtf 1/394 In Hand Most Limited Hw! ($1,841.77)
  7. Hot Wheels 2013 Boulevard Series 1971 Datsun Bluebird 510 Wagon Real Riders Lot ($1,814.62)
  8. Hot Wheels Id 2022 Case C Hdh85-979 C – Complete Set Of 12 ($1,799)
  9. Hot Wheels 26th Convention Gold 1966 Tv Series Batmobile Lower #254/1100 ($1,775)
  10. 1969 Hot Wheels Redline Maserati Mistral Rare Orange W/ Black Top ($1,759)
  11. Hot Wheels Collectible Lot 1990’s To 2000’s Nib (765) Cars Total ($1,649.99)
  12. Hot Wheels 2014 Rlc ’55 Chevy Bel-Air Gasser Candy Striper Low # 00415/04000 ($1,735)
  13. Hot Wheels Toy Fair 2016 Gold Porsche 934 Turbo Rsr ($1705.50)
  14. Hot Wheels Period Correct Mercedes Benz 190e Evo 2 ($1,600)
  15. Hot Wheels Porsche 935 Toy Fair 2022 Exclusive Brand New ($1,600)
  16. 1995 Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt And Rlc Club Lot Of 40 ($1,568.50)
  17. Hot Wheels 2003 Highway 35 36 Car Set All Mint In Original Box #305 Of 1000 ($1,558.30)
  18. Hot Wheels Rlc Factory Sealed 2011 Master Set  453 Cars ($1,550.05)
  19. Hot Wheels 2016 Club Car Rlc 55 Chevy Bel Air Gasser Black Chrome Red Blue Error ($1,533.27)
  20. Hot Wheels Highway 35 World Race Complete Set Cars Tokens Books Case ($1,519.05)
  21. Hot Wheels 29th Convention ’71 Datsun Bluebird Wagon Super Low #14 New (T182) ($1,506.15)
  22. Hot Wheels Hw Red Liners 55 Bad Gasser Lot ($1,500)
  23. Hot Wheels Toy Fair 2022 Porsche 935 ($1,500)
  24. 2004 Hot Wheels Mattel Model Shop Employee Vw Micro Bus & Volkswagen Beetle Bug ($1,499.99)
  25. 12 Pack Lot Hot Wheels Acceleracers 15 Card Booster Pack Sealed G8727 Rare ($1,499.99)
  26. Hot Wheels Complete Set Of 10 Carded Rlc Party Pink Cars Datsun Batmobile Bug ($1,499.99)
  27. Hot Wheels – Greatest Checkmate Chess Set – 56 Cars – Includes 5 Pawn Variations ($1,499)
  28. 2022 Hot Wheels Mario Kart Dry Bowser Standard Kart Case U ($1,489.50)
  29. Hot Wheels Highway 35 World Race Ultimate Track Set Sealed!! ($1,418.55)
  30. Hot Wheels Tfox 2017 Nissan Gtr R35 Prototype Tanner Fox Fep #141 ($1,409.85)
  31. Hot Wheels 30th Convention Honda S2000 #315 New On Card ($1,406.24)
  32. Hot Wheels Red Line Club Rlc Real Riders 83 Chevy Silverado 2479/3000 ($1,386.60)
  33. Huge Lot 1750+ Hot Wheels 1990s – 2000s. First Editions, Series, Old Cars ($1,380)
  34. Hotwheels Period Correct Mercedes-Benz 190e  2.5-16 Only 750 Made 1/750 ($1,375.67)
  35. 13x Bundle – New 2022 Hot Wheels Rlc Exclusive Nissan Skyline R34 Gtr Hgk73 ($1,300)
  36. Hot Wheels Bone Shaker Larry Wood Design Malaya Hobby Shop Complete Set ($1,268)
  37. Rare Hot Wheels High Speed Wheels Ford Gt-40 2014 & Maelstrom 2 Cars ($1,258.50)
  38. Hot Wheels Nissan Skyline Gt-R Lot Of 2 ($1,214.85)
  39. 2009 Hot Wheels Real Riders Series 8  Set Of 6 Cars ($1,212.87)
  40. (Lot Of 36) Hot Wheels 2016-2021 Collector Edition Mail In Complete Set 6×6 Pcs ($1,180)
  41. Hot Wheels 30th Convention Honda S2000 Stickered Ryu Asada Jdm ($1,170)
  42. Lot Of 28 Hot Wheels Rlc Cars Htf New In Box Red Line Club Sdcc Hw ($1,163.15)
  43. Hot Wheels 2021 Series Master Set, Collectors #444/1000, Factory-Sealed ($1,149.95)
  44. Hot Wheels Legends To Life Don Prudhomme “The Snake” 1:24 Diecast Funny Car ($1,100)
  45. Hot Wheels High Speed Wheels Ford Gt-40 2014 ($1,100)
  46. G. Barris Signed Sdcc Hot Wheels 1:18 1966 Flocked Tv Series Batmobile ($1,099)
  47. Hot Wheels Fast & Furious ‘94 Toyota Supra Copper Rare 2015 ($1,081.65)
  48. Hot Wheels 2016 Rlc Membership Set Of 3 ’55 Chevy Bel Air Gasser Black Blue Red ($1,064.75
  49. Hotwheels Period Correct Mercedes-Benz 190e  2.5-16 Only 750 Made 1/750 ($1,050)
  50. Hot Wheels Toy Fair 2022 Porsche 935 ($1,045)
  51. Hotwheel Green Skyline Gtr [Bnr34] ($1,013.70)
  52. Mattel Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary 1967 Camaro From 2 Car Set ($1,010.89
  53. 10 Hot Wheels Rlc Lot Gulf Raptor Lamborghini Volkswagen T1 Rockster Datsun Etc ($1,010.52)
  54. 85 Hot Wheels Camaro ($1,007)
  55. Hot Wheels Toy Fair 2017 ’73 Bmw 3.0 Csl ($1,002)
  56. [70 Cars] Full Set + Bonus Hot Wheels Premium Fast And Furious 1/64 Diecast Cars ($1,000)
  57. 1991 Hot Wheels #209 Blue Card 31yrs Old Lexus Sc 400 Rare In Blister Pack ($1,000)
  58. 1/64 Hot Wheels 100% Hot Wheels Invader And 3 Hw Gtos 2007 All Stars ($1,000)
Old Hot Wheels on Blue Table

Individual Hot Wheels That Sold For $500- $1,000

Below are the individual Hot Wheels cars that have sold for between $500 and $1,000. I have omitted all of the sets and lots since there are a lot of them in this price range and I believe many collectors want to know the prices of individual Hot Wheels cars, not just random lots or sets. 

Especially in this price range. 

  1. Hot Wheels Troy Lee Designs Employee Dairy Delivery 118/500 ($999.99)
  2. Hot Wheels 55’ 55 Chevy Bel Air Gasser Treasure Hunt Garage Series 2 Nfth ($999.99)
  3. Hot Wheels Collectors 2022 Rlc Gt-R R34 Nismo #00026 / 30,000  ($992)
  4. Hot Wheels Rlc Real Riders ’83 Chevy Silverado – Series 8 #0571/3000 ($975.50)
  5. Hot Wheels Porsche 917k Chrome Blue & Orange W/Rr Gulf Rlc Hw.Com Low #55 ($973.49)
  6. Hot Wheels 2009 Rlc : Series 8 Real Riders : ’83 Chevy Silverado 1 Of 3000 ($917)
  7. 2003 Hot Wheels World Race Highway 35 Zed Sling Shot ($909.49)
  8. Hot Wheels Red Line Club Rlc 2014 M&M Kool Kombi Gold 1887 / 4000 ($900)
  9. Hot Wheels Vw Drag Bus Mooneyes Japan 2012 Left Facing Low Number #0948/1500 ($899.99)
  10. Hot Wheels Porsche 964 Magnus Walker Urban Outlaw Rlc 2019 Low Number! 00017 ($882.88)
  11. Hot Wheels 29th Convention ’71 Datsun Bluebird 510 Wagon #1337 New On Card ($869.98)
  12. Hot Wheels Rlc Gulf Ford Gt-40 (Real Riders) Low # 3978/4000 ($864.45)
  13. Hot Wheels Rlc Bre Datsun Bluebird 510 ($861.60)
  14. Hot Wheels Nissan Skyline Gt-R Bnr34 Yellow Convention Super Limited Hood Opens ($859)
  15. Hot Wheels Red Line Club Rlc 2014 Club Exclusive Bre Datsun Bluebird 510 ($859)
  16. Hot Wheels 1995 Treasure Hunt Series 67 Camaro Original Blister Card & Poster ($847)
  17. Motor City Mc-68 1:43 Scale 1956 Oldsmobile 98 Hardtop Ln/Box ($845.38)
  18. Hot Wheels 2013 Mea Dinner Dance Corvette Funny Car Coral Reef Fantasea Vette ($812.98)
  19. Hot Wheels 2019 Rlc Gumball 3000 Lamborghini Aventador Lp 700-4 ($800)
  20. Hot Wheels 1998 Convention Zamac ‘67 Camaro 1 Of 500 ($799.99)
  21. 1969 Hot Wheels Redlines Maserati Mistral Blister Pack Black Top No Toning ($764.95)
  22. Hot Wheels Rlc Special Edition Shelby Cobra 427 S/C #2105/#4000 ($735.10)
  23. #797 ’71 Datsun Bluebird 510 Wagon Hot Wheels Convention 29th 2015 ($729.44)
  24. Hot Wheels Rlc Shelby Cobra 427 S/C 03640/04000 ($709.95)
  25. Hot Wheels Legends To Life Don Prudhomme “The Snake” 1:24 Diecast Funny Car Vhtf ($709.65)
  26. Hot Wheels 17th Nationals ’55 Chevy Bel Air Gasser Super Low #58 New (T181) ($706.24)
  27. Hot Wheels Super Van Red Line 62 Kgw Radio Black Orange Mini Car Vintage ($699.99)
  28. Hot Wheels 2009 Employee Holiday Car Volkswagen Drag Bus 1029/2000 Phil Riehlman  ($695)
  29. Hot Wheels 31st Collectors Convention Dinner Datsun 240z  ($693.20)
  30. Hot Wheels Nissan Skyline Gt-R Bnr34 33rd Annual 19′ Collectors Convention Super ($689.95)
  31. Hot Wheels 2008 Dream Halloween “1966” Batmobile Car Collectable Batman ($685.50)
  32. Red Line Hot Wheels Olds 442 (Blue) Minty W/ Button ($683.89)
  33. Hot Wheels 2007 Gold Employee Holiday Customized Vw Drag Truck #94/200 ($674.99)
  34. Hot Wheels 67 Chevy Camaro Made For 2008 Custom Car Show In Japan Le Of 2500 ($668.05)
  35. Hot Wheels Comic Con Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Sdcc 2010 Mattel.($640)
  36. Hot Wheels 15th Nationals ’69 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Super Low #24 New (T180) ($606.24)
  37. Hot Wheels 17th Collectors Convention Deora Ii #54 Super Low # New On Card(A133) ($606.24)
  38. Hot Wheels 1998 Convention #722 Zamac Ferrari F40… Limited 1 Of 500 ($605.25)
  39. Hot Wheels 2017 Pittsburgh Nationals Convention ‘55 Chevy Bel Air Wicked Gasser ($599.99)
  40. Hot Wheels Hall Of Fame Chrome Deora Ii 2003 Limited Edition ($599.95)
  41. Hot Wheels 2008 Dream Halloween 1966 Tv Batmobile Diecast Car Caaf #2 ($595)
  42. Hot Wheels 2019 Rlc – Nissan Skyline Gt-R (Bnr34) ($580.90)
  43. Hot Wheels Red Line Club Rlc 2014 Real Riders Gulf Volkswagen Drag Bus ($580)
  44. #296 Hot Wheels Rlc Delorean Dmc-12 Back To The Future Time Machine Mr Fusion ($574.95)
  45. Hot Wheels 1/64 Car Culture Trucks Real Riders Chevy Silverado ($568.99)
  46. Hot Wheels Vintage Racing Richard Petty’s 1969 Ford Torino Talladega, 1:64, Nib ($553.71)
  47. Sdcc 2018 Mattel Hot Wheels Exclusive Dc Superman Action Comics 1# Die Cast Car ($552.63)
  48. Hot Wheels Acceleracers Chicane ($538.17)
  49. Hot Wheels Cipsa ($530)
  50. Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary 1967 Camaro ($520)
  51. Hot Wheels 2003 Treasure Hunt 1971 Plymouth Gtx Cuda Silver Gray ($509.11)
  52. Hot Wheels 31st Annual Convention Datsun Bluebird 510 #0630/3000 ($507.90)
  53. Hot Wheels Troy Lee Rocket Oil 2003 Employee Car Factory Sealed #385/500 ($505.99)
  54. ’55 Chevy Bel Air Gasser (Black) Hot Wheels Rlc Exclusive ’16 Club Car 1238/3000 ($505)
  55. 1995 Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Series Vw Bug Limited Edition – 1/10,000 ($504.98)
  56. 2021 Hot Wheels Wrong Car Factory Error! ($500)
Big pile of rare Hot Wheels

What Are Rare Hot Wheels Cars?

In simple words, rare Hot Wheels cars include old or special edition cars. As the cars are not easily available, they can become quite expensive.

Mattel has been manufacturing and selling Hot Wheels cars for about 53 years now. Every year, they come up with different types and models of cars.

These cars are produced in bulk because of great demand. It is safe to say that there are more Hot Wheels cars in the world than actual cars.

However, in order to keep the users interested, Mattel introduced the “Treasure Hunts” series in 1995. It is also known as the T-Hunt series.

It is a line of special edition hot wheels cars.

Initially, 12 cars were introduced every year, which changed to 15 in 2011. 

In the beginning, only 10,000 of each car model were sold worldwide. However, as the demand for these special edition cars amongst collectors increased, the production increased to 25,000 units.

In the Treasure Hunt series, there are Super Treasure Hunts cars as well. These cars are rarer and very difficult to find. These are two types of rare and limited edition Hot Wheels cars.

As the cars are manufactured in limited quantities, they can be very difficult to find as most of the collectors sought after these rare cars.

These cars are randomly added to cases and mixed with ordinary cars. If you are lucky, you will even find these cars in local toy stores. 

Apart from these cars, the “Sweet 16” cars are also considered rare. It is the inaugural set of the first Hot Wheels cars. 

When Mattel first started manufacturing Hot Wheels, they came up with 16 distinctive car models. 

These are the first cars that were sold. 

As these cars are quite old, they are also very rare. If you have “Sweet 16” cars in good condition, you can make good money by selling them to collectors.

Rare Hot Wheels cars also include “Redline Cars”. 

During the first ten years of production, all the Hot Wheels cars had red lines on tires. Most of the cars from this era are also rare.

Old toy cars on a shelf

How To Identify A Rare Hot Wheels Car?

Now that you know what a rare Hot Wheels car is let’s learn how to identify one and differentiate it from ordinary cars. 

As there are many types of rare cars, i.e. Treasure Hunts and Super Treasure Hunts, you have to take different factors into consideration to identify these cars.

Treasure Hunts

This car series was launched in 1995 and continues to be produced even now. During the early days, it was quite easy to identify these cars as from the year 1995 to 2012, you could simply check the packaging to find out whether the car was rare or not.

On the package, there was a green stripe. The words “Treasure Hunt” or “T-Hunt” were also written on it. Most of the collectors used to check the packaging before purchasing the car.

However, from 2013 onwards, Mattel stopped revealing whether the car was special. There is not a green stripe or words written on the packaging anymore. 

However, you can still identify the cars. 

If you slightly move the car up, you will be able to see a “low production symbol” behind it. It is a circular symbol with flames on it. This symbol is also given on the car.

Super Treasure Hunts

This special edition series was introduced in 2007. It is an advanced or premium version of T-Hunt cars. 

Similar to the T-Hunt series, these cars came with a green stripe on packaging until 2012. The words “Treasure Hunt” or “T-Hunt” were also written on it. 

In order to identify these Super-Secret Treasure Hunt cars, you have to look for the “Spectraflame Paint”, “Red Rider Wheels”, and “TH” symbol on the car.

Yellow Hot Wheels VW Bus on yellow background

Distinct Features Of Rare Hot Wheels Cars

If you already own several Hot Wheels cars and want to know if it is rare, you need to check all these distinct features.

Low Production Symbol: 

T-Hunt cars come with this symbol. You will be able to spot a small circular symbol with flame on the car. It can be anywhere on the car body. 

TH Symbol: 

This symbol helps you to identify Super T-Hunt cars. The cars will have TH written on it and it can be anywhere on the car body.

Real Rider Wheels: 

This is another feature that helps you to identify Super T-Hunt cars. These cars will have real rider rubber wheels instead of ordinary plastic ones.

Spectraflame Paint: 

These cars will have a special, shiny and metallic-finish paint. Most of the earlier models of Hot Wheels also had this paint. You can clearly distinguish Super T-Hunt cars by checking the paint.

Special Features: 

Apart from that, the cars will have some special features like different paint colors, markings or symbols. For example, if the number 10 is painted in silver on ordinary cars, it will be painted in gold on special cars.

Redline Tires: 

Most of the oldest Hot Wheel cars came with redline tires. If you have an old car in good condition with such tires, it is rare.

• Sweet 16 Cars:

If you have any of the original “Sweet 16” Hot Wheels cars in good condition, it is considered rare.

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