5 Hot Wheels Cars That Are a Great Tribute to Paul Walker

"Ask any racer, any real racer," and they'll tell you that the first three movies of the Fast Saga are still the best ones. Paul Walker was the main star of the first two: The Fast and the Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious. While we were all a bit surprised that he didn't return for Tokyo Drift, Dom's cameo at the end of that movie promised a continuation of the franchise.

At the time, neither of the original actors probably had any clue as to how big the phenomenon would become. And whenever there's a new automotive trend sweeping the world, Mattel is there to act on it. I've yet to count all the Hot Wheels Fast and Furious castings and variations released so far, but I'm sure it adds to quite the collection. Today, I will only discuss the five Hot Wheels cars that are a great tribute to Paul Walker.

1. '95 Mitsubishi Eclipse

When I think of the "buster," the first car that comes to mind is the '95 Mitsubishi Eclipse. After all, this is the first vehicle we saw him driving in the movie, outside of the Dodger Stadium. I feel that the Eclipse is such an underrated car, especially considering the GSX is essentially an aspiring two-door Lancer Evo.

"My car topped out at 140 mph (225 kph) this morning" isn't going to make it any less appealing, and the design has aged quite well compared to other tuned cars of the early 2000s. Mark Jones designed the Hot Wheels casting for its 2019 release, and I'm surprised it took Mattel that long to deliver on this project. The First Edition Eclipse was part of the Fast & Furious: Original Fast Series, which can be pretty expensive to buy these days.

Fans weren't happy with the Real Riders 6-Spoke wheel design, but Mattel quickly addressed the issue with a second, much better variation in 2021. A third Eclipse arrived the following year with a different set of rims, alongside three Nissans and an Acura. In 2023, the diecast manufacturer finally introduced a more affordable version of the Eclipse as part of the Fast & Furious-themed basic assortment of cars. That adds up to five replicas of the neon green hero car, and we're just getting started.

2. Ford F-150 SVT Lightning

Anyone who owns a project car knows that you still need a daily to go about your life. Carrying parts, furniture, and groceries is more challenging if you've got a small sports car, although you can try it. That's not to say that the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning is the go-to option for a cheap, reliable vehicle. But it can be good at hauling and moving around somewhat undetected.

This truck makes several appearances in the first Fast and Furious movie, and its most significant moment is when it's carrying parts for Brian's new project while being flagged by Toretto's squad. Mattel had the same designer working on this casting, and it first appeared in 2020. Naturally, it features The Racer's Edge decals on the doors, and you can even throw in some "overnight parts from Japan" in the bed for extra-added realism.

Someone is selling that kind of setup for $250 on eBay, but you can recreate it yourself for a fraction of that price. The First Edition of the SVT Lightning featured Real Riders Mag-Style wheels, and it's stunning in its simplicity. The diecast manufacturer opted for a more modern look with the second variation of this hero car, which showed up in 2022. If you're not keen on spending more than $15 for a Hot Wheels collectible, Mattel also has a similar Mainline casting, which is more affordable but less exciting.

3. Toyota Supra

"More than you can afford, pal, Toyota." Am I doing this right? That scene with the Ferrari, right before Brian's discussion with Toretto at Neptune's net, had us all jumping with joy. The underdog had prevailed. David had defeated Goliath. The poor kid had won against the rich kid. That scene alone may be responsible for creating an entire Supra fan base despite it's not always what it should be.

You'll still hear kids saying that they'd much rather drive a Supra than a Ferrari today, and that can sound pretty silly most of the time. The movie's producers used the montage technique to take the "10-minute" Supra and turn it into a 10-second one. And that's how the legend was born. No wonder this is one of the earliest Hot Wheels Fast & Furious designs, with its 2013 debut.

Mattel improved the design for the second iteration, as the Supra now had painted headlights and a more detailed hood. But it took several more years before a Premium variation took the collector community by storm. It was part of the 2020 Fast & Furious: Collector Set and featured a set of Real Riders 6-Spoke Mag rims. Right now, there are eight variations of the hero car that Paul Walker drove in the first movie, and you might have to spend between $200 and $400 for all of them. And you can throw in the 'Tooned Supra version while at it.

4. Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)

If you need more clarification about how Brian Spilner moved from Los Angeles to Miami and ended up with a Skyline GT-R, watch the Turbo-Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious. It shows the story's hero racing across America, eventually purchasing a beat-up R34 from a used car vendor. Although it's a low-budget production, it's still fun to watch and further builds up the excitement for the second movie.

I only know that I watched his arrival on the drag race stage hundreds, if not thousands of times. Moving from an Eclipse to a Supra and up to a GT-R is quite the progression, and it's no wonder you'll find several replicas of the car in Mattel's portfolio. The first one was part of the same set as the second orange Supra, and it, too, received an updated tooling with the next iteration. The first premium variation of Brian's car arrived in 2019 as part of the Fast Imports series, alongside the Mona Lisa S15 and three more cars.

Interestingly, Mattel used this design in the iD series one year before the Replica Entertainment release with black Real Riders wheels. All in all, there are ten iterations of the R34 GT-R that Paul Walker drove in the second movie. But you can make it 11 if you like the Supra-Skyline Mash-up that we saw earlier this year and stirred a lot of attention throughout the community. And there's also the Team Transport release of a more aggressive-looking casting with the Liberty Walk Silhouette body kit to look for.

5. Lancer Evolution 7

You may have noticed that I've listed these cars in chronological order. After the Police caught Brian racing the Skyline, he would switch to another vehicle. Seeing that he started with an Eclipse, it's cool that he jumped back in another Mitsubishi. This time, it was the brand new Lancer Evolution 7, and there's quite the story behind it all, but I'll talk about it some other time.

"Evo? Where'd you get an Evo from?" Mattel has been using this casting since 2007 but has yet to release a new variation since 2021. There are two replicas of Brian's Evo, but neither is spectacular. The first one appeared in 2019 and featured an Antifreeze finish and PR5 wheels, while the latter came out in 2021 with a Metalflake Light Green paint job and MC5 rims. This casting is quite old, and the only Mattel can do a proper job at recreating the 2 Fast 2 Furious hero car is by starting from scratch. I imagine a Premium version of the Evo would sell out instantly despite it not being as popular as the Supra.