A True California Custom

Yesterday, we looked at the Hot Wheels Sho-Stopper/Seared Tuner casting which was also designed by former Hot Wheels Designer Eric Tscherne. Today, we look at the Hot Wheels Switchback. First released as part of the 2003 First Editions, the Switchback represents the Hot Wheels brand today just as much as it represents the early years.

The Switchback casting is a true “California Custom” as it is something you would probably see driving down the Pacific Coast Highway. Dropped & Lowered, with Surfboards on the back tonneau cover, this Switchback screams Surfin’ Safari. If there was ever a modern casting that encompassed that California Custom mentality, this is it! One can only imagine what the Switchback would look like with Real-Rider tires and a two-tone Spectraflame paint job…

Since 2003, the Switchback has come out in 9 versions with some very neat variations. The last version of the Switchback to appear was the one shown above which was released in 2011. The “Surf’s Up Rig” was part of what is commonly known as the Truckin’ Transporters–a line that features a hauler/rig/semi paired with a 1:64 scale Hot Wheels casting. This Switchback looks great in yellow with “fresh” blue waves on the sides and two racing stripes on the hood that resemble a surfboard. Only time will tell if this Neo-California-Custom will show up again.

Its the weekend! Time to get wild & crazy with Ken Block…

…and his Ford Fiesta Rally Car.

The Hot Wheels ’12 Ford Fiesta shown above was in the 2011 New Models Series and is based off of the Ford Fiesta featured in the Gymkhana 3 video found HERE on YouTube. As you can see in the video, Ken Block, co-founder of DC Shoes and professional rally driver, drives a 2011 Ford Fiesta Rally Car sponsored by his rally team that had previously been sponsored by Monster Energy Drink. A still photo of the car can be seen HERE.

The Hot Wheels release makes a good attempt at capturing the coolness of this car but falls a little short. Still, it is a great attempt for a $1 mainline car and it’ll be interesting if somewhere down the road we see the actual car in a premium line. With the absence of Monster Energy Drink on this car, the “DC” logo and “Block 43” skull take up a good majority of the advertising space. The neon green wheels are traded for green-chrome in the 1:64 version and the Hot Wheels car does not feature a full body wrap like the 1:1 car.

The 2011 New Model shown above was the initial release of the Hot Wheels ’12 Ford Fiesta casting and was followed up with a white version with the same graphics shortly after. The ’12 Ford Fiesta briefly appeared in the Team Hot Wheels: High Speed Wheel line (2012) and Hot Wheels Boulevard line (2013) before coming back to the Hot Wheels mainline in August of 2013 as a secret treasure hunt in the HW Stunt segment. Look for this last version of the ’12 Ford Fiesta to still appear on the pegs of your local retailer.