2023 Hot Wheels Boulevard Mix 1 Promises Five More Exciting Cars to Look For in Stores

Hot Wheels Boulevard is one of the most exciting series of premium collectibles Mattel has come up with in the past few years. The first set arrived in 2020 and featured vehicles such as the Nissan Skyline GT-R and the '83 Chevy Silverado 4x4. There were four different mixes in 2020 and an additional four in 2021. But the diecast manufacturer upped the ante for 2022, as it released five sets throughout the year. This means that the new 2023 Mix 1 is the 14th set to hit the market since the debut of the series.

'20 Ford Shelby GT500

The '20 Ford Shelby GT500 is the first item to come out of Mix 1 and we can't help but think that it would have been perfect without the race number and BP decals on the side. Mattel had Lindsey Lee working on the design of this tiny GT500, and it made its debut in 2020.

Back then it was painted Metalflake Antimatter Blue and it was just a mainline release. In 2021 it made a big impression as it was upgraded to Super Treasure Hunt status, featuring a Spectraflame Grabber Yellow paint job. These days you might end up paying over $150 to get one of those. It seems quite strange that this new Boulevard model is the first premium variation of the casting.

While the Oxford White paint job isn't all that spectacular, at least it's complemented by blue stripes running down the middle and both sides of the car. You have to appreciate the detailed headlights and stop lights, and we couldn't have picked a better set of wheels than the Real Riders 10-spoke Modern design.

Volkswagen Caddy

The Volkswagen Caddy is the oldest casting here, as it was first introduced in 2015. Felix Holst was the designer that worked on the project, and the First Edition model was an Orange mainline release. Up until the new Boulevard mix, VW enthusiasts could only collect a total of 12 variations for this casting.

And the 2018 Car Culture: Shop Trucks was the only premium iteration so far. The Beige color scheme looked decent but lacked the excitement you should get with these tiny vehicles. But Mattel has hit the ball out of the park with the red Caddy that's coming up soon. The Mini Classic 4-Spoke Real Riders wheel fits the theme perfectly.

And the only way this car would have looked better was if it was sitting closer to the ground. After all, using fender flares means you need to be extra careful with the fitment too. The side decals read "Porsche Renndiest" which is German for Porsche Racing Service. All you need now is a nice Porsche Garage diorama and a few 911s to brighten up the spot and you've got the perfect setup for a diecast photo session.

Dodge Van

As you might have figured out by now, the Hot Wheels Boulevard series is not all about sports cars or race cars. Pickup trucks, SUVs, and even station wagons are all part of the show. So it's not that shocking to see that for this new Mix, Mattel has opted to use the Dodge Van as well.

This Ryu Asada-designed casting has only been around for about two years now, but it has received widespread acclaim even though it was used solely in the mainline series. The 2022 Super Treasure Hunt iteration was quite popular but it was missing a crucial ingredient for complete success: a metal base. We're happy to see that the seventh variation of this casting is now a premium model, which deals with the aforementioned issue.

It has a simple black paint job, but the flames instantly elevate it to hot-rod status and the Real Riders 5-spoke wheels further add to the beauty of it. We can't remember the last time we wanted a 1/64th-scale van so badly, and this is also going to be a lot more affordable than the RLC-Exclusive '70s Dodge Van we talked about a while ago.

'98 Subaru Impreza 22B-STI Version

After two cars from the USA and one from Germany, it's time to move further to the East with the first Japanese collectible in the new Boulevard mix. The 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STI-Version is one of the rarest JDM cars ever made, and I've only ever seen one up close about a decade ago.

It's arguably the best Impreza casting made by Hot Wheels today. Even though it first showed up in 2020, there are already eight variations of it on the market. Only two of those are premium models, and the most recent one was part of the Car Culture: Ronin Run series everyone is still raving about today.

So the new Boulevard release is the third variation to feature a metal base and Real Riders wheels. While yellow isn't quite the color you'd associate an STI with, we think this is the best iteration of the 22B so far. And it's difficult to think how Mattel can come up with a better color combo than this one.

LB-ER34 Super Silhouette Nissan Skyline

Last but not least, here's the star of today's story, the LB-ER34 Super Silhouette Nissan Skyline. It's amazing to see how influential of a brand Liberty Walk has become in the past decade. Going to SEMA, the Tokyo Auto Salon, or any other big automotive event there's a big chance you'll see at least one of their flashy cars there.

And there are plenty of diecast options on the market as well. There are quite a few Liberty Walk castings you can collect, and most of them are Nissans just like this one here. For the time being, the LB-ER34 is a Premium-exclusive model, having been launched with the Car Culture: Mountain Drifters set in 2022. It was also selected to be the Chase version for that mix and later on it was used in the Team Transport series too.

The new White iteration features black accents both front and rear and a plethora of Liberty Walk-related decals. While this tiny Skyline is rolling around on the same Real Riders 5-spoke wheels as the First Edition model, at least Mattel has opted for a different color to make them feel more exclusive.

Some eBay sellers have already opened a pre-order for this model. But if you want one before it hits the stores, you could end up paying as much as $50 for it. That's more than what the whole set will be going for while giving you access to all five cars. So it may be smarter to just wait for the official release instead. With that being said, we can only hope that a replica of the Japanese tuner's RX-7 will be making its way into a Hot Wheels series too.