Mar 10, 2008

Hot Wheels Hits 40

What did you do when you hit 40? Assuming, of course, that you have. An automotive icon has just hit the big four-oh, and the celebration has begun. Each year the latest high-tech toys and games are displayed side by side with all-time classics at the annual Toy Fair. This year, Hot Wheels enters the Toy Fair right on its 40th birthday, and hitting that advanced age makes all of us nervous. So in an effort to stay hot and trendy in the $22 billion toy industry, Hot Wheels is celebrating with a major tune-up. For the first time ever, the company decided to have outside designers to create the newest Hot Wheels cars.

The toy maker invited several major automakers to submit ideas using their brand's own essence in the Hot Wheels Designers Challenge, and six automakers jumped at the opportunity to produce a commemorative design. The design process was very similar to that of a real car, but this time there were no federal regulations, no speed limits to worry about and no limit on price. Amaury Diaz Serrano of Chevrolet took inspiration from both childhood memories of his own Hot Wheels and the 1957 Corvette SS to design the Chevroletor. Other top designs included Ford's Gangster Grin, the Dodge XP-07, the Honda Racer, Lotus Concept and Mitsubishi's Double Shotz.
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