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Hot Wheels Values: How to Determine the Value of a Redline Hot Wheels Car

As a Hot Wheels buyer and collector of vintage Hot Wheels (known as Redlines, in collector circles) for over 16 years, I have determined my own ways of determining the value of Vintage Hot Wheels.

It all comes down to putting Hot Wheels into groups, based on popularity and rarity, and using a price guide or eBay to see what current prices reveal.

In this article, I’d like to provide a broad overview of what makes a Redline Hot Wheels car valuable.

Popularity

This may remind you of high school days, but in the same way that some people were just popular and some weren’t, certain Redlines are more popular than others and there’s no getting around it.

We can divide the popularity into three main categories:

Category 1: “real” cars and “muscle cars”

Let’s face it, the reason most people collect diecast cars in general and Hot Wheels in particular is that it allows them to live out the fantasy of owning and driving lots of cool cars. When it comes to Redline Hot Wheels, this is a powerful draw for cars that were actually produced by real auto companies in the 60s.

Some collectors may have had the experience of being driven in a ’67 Cougar or ’57 Nomad and those little cars represent a fond memory that is relived every time the collector looks at the cars.

So, as you’ll learn, real cars tend to sell for more money, simply because people can relate to them on more than one level.

Now, within this realm of real cars, there is an even more powerful appeal and it’s muscle cars.

Anyone who knows the history of the automobile realizes that the years 1965 to 1970 were the “heyday” years for the American auto industry; there was more innovation and excitement throughout those years than at any time before or after.

What caused all the excitement? The muscle car did it!

A muscle car was basically made up of a large engine in a medium or small car, which had the effect of moving that car very quickly in an endurance race.

Those were the years when performance ruled and fuel economy was a far-off concern.

Well, those heady days of roaring high-performance engines and screeching tires instantly burned into the minds and hearts of impressionable children, children who were still too young to drive, but who could easily reproduce the images, sound, and emotions through of their Redline Hot Wheels. and accompanying track sets.

Well, as those memories were implanted in boys (who are now men), muscle cars are therefore the most popular type of Redline Hot Wheels and that popularity means they are the rock stars of the Redline world.

Some of the cars that fall into this category include:

Custom Camaro Custom Mustang Custom Cougar Custom Barracuda Custom Dodge Charger Custom AMX Olds 442

And don’t forget the drag racing upgrades of these cars (called “Spoilers”) like:

Heavy Chevy Boss Hoss Nitty Gritty Kitty King Kuda Evil Weevil

While Spoilers don’t come close to the value of Muscle Cars, there are some that, when in the right color, can dominate even more than Muscle Cars!

There are other “real” cars that are also popular, like the Volkswagen Custom and Beach Bomb, but they do not fall into the realm of muscle cars. When it comes to these “real” cars, a typical collection can contain between 10% and 15% of these cars.

Category 2 – Concept Cars

While the late 1960s was a period of intense innovation in the automotive performance market, it was also a time to discover the world of customization.

Many unusual designs were conceived and created by the likes of George Barris, Tom Daniels, Harry Bradley, and other customizers of the time.

These wild and whimsical concept cars were sometimes one-of-a-kind show cars and other times actual concept cars produced for the factory.

In any case, they were interesting looks into the future, with bubble caps, moving parts, rockets, and giant engines. It should be noted that some “real” cars also fall into this category; These are generally European cars that don’t convey as much excitement as muscle cars. Cars like the Mercedes 280 SL or the Maserati Mistral or the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow.

These represent the second level of popularity and value when it comes to Redline Hot Wheels.

Some of the cars in this category include:

Silhouette Beatnik Bandit Bullfighter Turbofire Carabo Mercedes C-111

A typical collection would be made up of approximately 30% of these types of cars.

Category 3 – Common Automobiles

The common cars are called common because it seems that more of these were produced and, to add insult to injury, they are also the least in demand because they are “ugly” designs or are racing car designs of the day. (that turned out to be something exciting back then, but nowadays, not so much)

These common cars make up the bulk of most collections and are nowhere near the value that the published price guide places on them for the above reasons.

Cars that fall into this category include concept cars and race cars, such as:

Paddy Wagon Red Baron Jack Rabbit Special Indy Eagle Brabham Repco F1 Shelby Turbine Lotus Turbine Lola GT70 Ford Mk IV McLaren Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

Most collections are made up of around 50% to 60% of these types of cars. So as you can see, there is a hierarchy of values ​​when it comes to Hot Wheels values, primarily based on popularity and demand.

There are other determinants of value, of course, such as a particular car’s color or rarity (prototype, FEP, or store display) that I’ll cover in another article.

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