These Are the Most Valuable Hot Wheels Cars of All Time

The Hot Wheels brand celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018, and so before the year was out we checked in with über-collector Bruce Pascal to get a bead on the values for the most sought-after versions of these die-cast toys. While many of these Hot Wheels represent the most popular and common editions in the brand's history, many of the variations possess distinctive traits, such as unique color schemes and graphics or mislabeled bases. Others were simply produced in low volumes or are prototypes that somehow escaped the confines of Mattel's HQ. As with any collectible market, values for these toys are subject to change (the prices shown here are estimates), and, as the axiom goes, the true monetary value of any collectible is exactly the amount someone will pay for it. But don't let all this talk about money and speculation bring you down; click through and check out some of the coolest and rarest Hot Wheels to date.

Designed by Larry Wood, the Superfine Turbine was one of three new castings released in 1973. It was reissued in 2010.

First issued in 1974, Rodger Dodgers with a black interior are relatively common; those with the white-colored interior are rare, as pictured here, and are the ones that collectors desire.

There is no shortage of Hot Wheels based on the Chevrolet Camaro, which was issued in numerous forms since its introduction as one of the original Sweet Sixteen cars. This brown-over-white version is one of the rarest, and some collectors claim it was only ever used for store display purposes.

Reportedly the first Hot Wheels car to make the transition from the drawing board to production, the Enamel White Camaro was intended as a prototype for designers to use as a muse. Some of them were mistakenly packaged and sent to stores, however, making each one another rare find.

The first Japanese import vehicle to be cast as a Hot Wheels car, the Datsun Z-car-inspired Z-Whiz was issued in 1977.

Rarity does not always beget value, but in the case of the blue-colored Rodger Dodger model, it does: It was produced in ultralow volumes and is very desirable.

The Red Baron is one of the most popular Hot Wheels of all time, and it has been in production on again and off again for decades. Sensing a theme yet? It is the early production model with the white interior that sets this ultra-collectible Red Baron apart from those with black interiors.

Designed by Paul Tam, the Open fire is based on a stretched AMC Gremlin. Because if there's one thing this world needed more of, it was more AMC Gremlin . . .

The Olds 442 was issued in the the usual array of Hot Wheels colors, but those with the combo of a red exterior and black interior are anomalies, believed by many collectors to be pre-production pieces. Some authorities claim that fewer than 15 examples exist today.

Based on the car of the same name designed by the legendary Ed "Big Daddy" Roth of Rat Fink fame, the 1968 Beatnik Bandit was one of the original Sweet Sixteen Hot Wheels issued in 1968. Available in approximately 18 colors, the Beatnik Bandit's most sought-after hue is this ultra-rare pink. This is the version that brings the bucks.

Produced at Mattel facilities in both the United States and Hong Kong, the Ferrari 312P is almost always found with a black interior. That makes examples that came with a white interior the rarest of the bunch.

Hot Wheels used numerous shades of blue, purple, and magenta for its models, and it is easy for the novice collector to confuse them all. Bone up on your color-wheel skills and find the purple, because it is the rarest of Mattel's Bye Focal colors. This Spectraflame Purple Bye Focal model is also subject to "crumbling," a condition in which the body or chassis develops cracks and literally begins to crumble.

The car that would become the Hot Wheels Python was initially called the Cheetah inside the company. It was based on the Dream Rod built by Kustom Kulture pioneer Bill Cushenbery. Before the decision was made to change the name to Python, a small number of Cheetah prototypes were assembled, and, predictably, a few escaped the confines of the Hot Wheels empire. Reportedly only made in red, these Cheetahs have been hunted by Hot Wheels collectors ever since.

Issued as part of the 1969 Hot Wheels series, the brown '31 Woody is considered by some redline experts to be extremely rare. Many guesstimate that fewer than a few dozen exist, a number that includes some prototypes.

Issued only in the U.K. as part of Mattel's sponsorship deal with racer Ed Shaver, this model has been on the radar of collectors for years. According to experts, the only thing that differentiates the genuine Ed Shaver AMX from the more common non–Ed Shaver models is the graphic treatment. Therefore it is critical that, should you come across one of these AMXs, you determine whether or not the stickers are sly reproductions.

Manufactured exclusively in Mattel's Hong Kong facility in 1971, the purple Olds 442 is considered by many collectors to be not only the rarest Olds Hot Wheels car but the rarest of all production redline Hot Wheels.

Made between 1969 and 1971, the Custom Charger was an extremely popular model. The exception is the brown variant, of which only a few are known to exist. Many collectors consider it to be a prototype, not a series production model.

Everyone knows what a Mad Maverick looks like, so we focused on the important part here: the base. While there is no shortage of Mighty Maverick Hot Wheels in circulation, there only are a few with its original name, "Mad Maverick," cast into the baseplate. It was changed due to a copyright issue with rival toy manufacturer Johnny Lightning, which had previously issued a Mad Maverick, so the pre-name-change cars are highly sought after.

While there are many lime or "antifreeze" Hot Wheels, this is a rare antifreeze-over-chrome-finish Camaro used for advertising purposes. Made the same way as a Christmas ornament, the Camaro showed up in commercials with higher production values, and only 20 Hot Wheels cars with this special finish are known to exist.

Widely heralded as the most collectible Hot Wheels extant, the rear-loading Beach Bomb is a prototype that for years remained in the possession of a Mattel employee. Unique in that its surfboards load through the rear window, the Beach Bomb proved to be too narrow and top-heavy, so the design was replaced with a slightly different version that featured side-mounted surfboards and a full-length plastic sunroof for a lower center of gravity. Although a few additional copies in different colors managed to slip into public hands, only two Pink versions are known to exist.