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It was like we had entered a time warp to the future. This toy was like no other. The tracks were easy to assemble and well adapted for indoor play. We quickly set up all kinds of dare devil tracks and soon became immersed in the toy. Next thing I knew it was time to go home for dinner. I had trouble sleeping that night because we had plans to meet again the next morning to resume play. Soon vacation ended and we were back in school. At lunch and recess every conversation seemed to be about HOTWHEELS. The winters were colder back then and we were snowed in a lot more which meant more time spent indoors playing. We prayed for snow days we could devote to HOTWHEELS. They had released sixteen cars in 1968 and we were all excited to hear about the different models and race sets. A new era in toy cars had ushered in. History The majority of the executives at Mattel were against taking on the British giant and felt it would lead to dire consequences. But in 1968 the first HOTWHEELS sets were released along with sixteen different cars. Not confident in his achievement Bentley quit Mattel to return to the auto industry. When Mattel tried to hire him back Bentley recommended a close friend, Ira Gilford. as his replacement. Gilford picked up where Bentley left off designing the next HOTWHEELS models which included the Twin Mill and the Splittin’Image. In 1969 twenty three new models designed by Gilford hit the market. His designs, along with the success of Bentley’s, propelled HOTWHEELS to the top of the small model toy market in the USA. HOTWHEELS success sent the competition reeling. Matchbox was forced to change their designs and productions to emulate HOTWHEELS. HOTWHEELS was the trend setter. Collecting As far as a collecting hobby HOTWHEELS is ideal. The car hasn’t changed much in price since its inception and are still produced today with many promotions. Cars I played with as a child were part of the redline series--they had a redline on the tires. This series ended in 1977. As time went on the paint changed along with the design of the cars. A collector’s tip is to purchase HOTWHEELS that were painted in hot pink. Few of these cars were made because pink was considered a girl’s color. The Rear-loader Beach Bomb, a replica of a Volkswagen bus with two surfboards sticking out of the back window, is highly sought after because a small number of these were made and given to HOTWHEELS employees only. There is an estimated 25 in existence today and are worth about $600. A hot pink Rear-Loader Beach Bomb sold for $70,000 because there are only two in existence. To aid collectors in their search Mattel set up a web site www.hotwheelscollectors.com which has a message board, chat info on new releases, and upcoming promotions. There is also an annual collector’s convention held in southern California. There is a quarterly Hot wheels newsletter, started by Mike Straus who is considered the man behind the movement. There is a lot of info on Hot wheels on the net which are still being produced to day. So if you have any don’t throw them out till you know what their worth. The following sources were used in writing this article. —Frank Thanks to these sites for information:
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I
remember Christmas vacation of 1968 as being especially fun. That
vacation I went to my friend's house to play with his new toys.
He brought out a toy by Mattel called HOTWHEELS. The box said
”Stunt Action Sets new from Mattel.” The promotion
read ”The fastest miniature cars you have ever seen”
The excitement grew. We all had experience with miniature cars
such as matchbox and Johnny Lightning but this new car boasted
to be even faster.
Who
was the mastermind behind HOTWHEELS? It all started when Elliot
Handler, one of the founders of Mattel, decided to launch a campaign
to take on Lesney Matchbox cars which dominated the market. He
hired Harry Bentley Bradley from the automotive industry. Bentley
started the ball rolling with a dark blue custom camaro. 
