Study of a Hot Wheels #1: '33 Ford

Every time me and my long suffering girlfriend go shopping for food we follow a very particular routine. Walk past fruit and veg to cheese counter, try this week's cheese sample, then go down the toiletrys aisle, then the pet food isle, then to the bakery, then to the cake aisle (painting a healthy picture huh?) and eventually she'll get to the frozen meat section and spend a good ten minutes pondering which leg of lamb to buy. This bores me, pretty much to the point of tears (if I werent a bloke), every week. All is redeemed though, when we finally get to the crisp asile. Not just for the delicious crunchy snacks, but because the end of the crisp aisle is where the Hot Wheels display is.

Checking out the new selection of Hot Wheels every week is the highlight of my Tuesday morning. At no other point in my regular routine do I get so excited by such small, cheap playthings. So, rather than bore my missus to the point of homicide any more, I wanted to share some of my cool Hot Wheels buys here.

Now, I'm no Hot Wheels collector, lets get that established right away. I AM a member of the Hot Wheels Collectors site, I DO post on their forum now and then, and I DO have a load of Hot Wheels on my wishlist. But I'm DEFINITELY not a collector. Convinced? Me neither.

Regardless, this is what I picked up last week, just cos it's top of the page in my Fotki right now. The designers at Hot Wheels have got to be some of the most creative and prolific designers in the car world. Ok, so this design isn't the most original (wait until you see the weird stuff we got coming!) but it IS a beautifully designed roadster.

Black paintjob with a subtle flake, blood red interior and subtle references to it in the almost burgundy coloured grille and two tone stripe down the side. Chromed independent front and rear suspension and 5 hole pepperpot style wheels up front, billet looking three spokers at the back. Even if you're not in the street rod scene as much as the hot rod scene, the use of colour and finish has gotta push a button somewhere in you...

Simple, and beautiful. In my book that adds up to a sweet car, whatever the scale.

JB