Photo courtesy www.1stopdiecast.com
Two of the more criminally under-represented categories in small-scale diecast have been vintage Trans-Am (which have only lately been tackled to any serious degree; the old Hot Wheels 100 percent Pony Power castings were nice, but didn’t have authentic liveries) and vintage Pro Stock. So weren’t we pleased to hear about Hot Wheels’ upcoming 2011 Vintage Racing line, which will feature cars from both of these series, along with NASCAR.
The models appear to be basic-line castings, so roll cages likely won’t appear inside, and the chassis may be a little more street-stock than is strictly correct, but all will feature metal bodies and bases, plus authentic liveries and Real Rider-type soft tires. A total of 30 cars will make up the line. Pro Stockers will include the Hemi Darts of Dick Landy and Shirley Shahan, Dick Landy’s ’70 Challenger, Dave Strickler’s ’70 Camaro RS, a ’73 Sox & Martin Duster, and more; the Trans-Am brigade will include Dan Gurney’s ’68 Cougar, AJ Foyt’s ’65 Mustang, George Follmer’s #16 ’70 Boss 302, an AAR Cuda, and other liveries to be named later. (We’d be shocked – SHOCKED – if the BRE Datsun 510 and Z-car didn’t turn up in this line.) We’re told that most of the other machines that fill out the 30 will be vintage NASCAR pieces, like Richard Petty’s record-setting ’67 Plymouth seen here. (Drag Strip Demons is being put to rest, and there will be no floppers scheduled for this new series.)
And just like that, Pro Stock and Trans-Am models are no longer untended categories in an enthusiast’s collection.