55 Years of Hot Wheels Corvettes: the Exciting '90s

After looking at the first 22 years of Hot Wheels Corvettes, here we are delving into the third era of the legendary American nameplate. This includes the period between 1990 and 2000, and it seems that Mattel was already starting to speed up production back then.

The company released eight different Corvette castings for the first 22 years, but now it would come up with 10 of them in just half the time. And Larry Wood designed five of them! But these items only add up to about 200 variations, which is just slightly less than we saw with the second era of 1/64 scale Corvettes.

Let's start by looking at two of the most prolific castings introduced in the '90s. The 1958 Corvette Coupe came to be in 1995, and some will say it was long overdue. After all, Chevy's iconic vehicle made its debut back in the '50s.

Most of the early Hot Wheels replicas had a big engine sticking out of the hood, but there are versions of it that don't include this feature. The very first iteration was part of the 1995 Model Series. It featured a Hot Pink color and was using the classic Black Wall/Basic Wheel setup.

Some variations featured an opening hood, which is always a neat little treat. Several models also had Real Riders wheels, so there are a lot of things to look out for before checking the marketplace.

At first, collecting the '58 Corvette Coupe replicas might not be as prohibitive as is the case with other models. We've even found a set of nine items for just over $25 on eBay. Mattel hasn't used this casting since 2013 when it was featured in the 60th Anniversary of the Corvette series. You can get that lot of eight cars for about $65, and that's a great way to boost your collection.

The second most popular 'Vette casting released in this era is the '97 Corvette. Dave Weise designed this for its 1997 release, which was a Metallic Green version with Lace Wheels. This also coincided with the introduction of the fifth-generation Corvette, which was probably planned all along. There are about 45 different versions of this casting, as opposed to the '58 Corvette's rating of 57.

A Convention-exclusive model came up in 1998, and it looks like Mattel made just 500 of these. You'll find several of them listed on online marketplaces, and will probably set you back at least $200. While we haven't seen the '97 Corvette in stores since 2018, it seems that it will be included in the Hot Wheels lineup for 2023!

While we could go on and on about the previous two models, let's also have a brief look at the ones that have only had between 21 to 30 different versions released so far. The Corvette Stingray came out in 1990 as part of the Power Command series, but you shouldn't mistake this for the 1976 Stingray.

The front end, the rear window, and the rear spoiler are elements you should look at to avoid confusion. Since its introduction, we've seen 24 variations of it with the latest one coming out in 2022. You can find a 2019 Super Chromes Treasure iteration for less than $30 on eBay today.

The '65 Corvette released in 2000 has had slightly more success with 28 versions released until 2020. When it first came out it was called the '65 Vette and it featured a Metallic Black paint job with a red interior.

If you're a big fan of rare collectibles, we'd recommend you search for the 2005 RLC sELECTIONs model in Spectraflame Anti-Freeze. Hot Wheels limited the production to 7,832 units and shockingly enough you can pick one up for as low as $30.

The Corvette Stingray III was introduced in 1993 and would survive up until 2004, with 14 versions of it released in between. This concept car was supposed to provide a glimpse into the future, as it tried to influence the development of the fifth-generation Corvette.

The first iteration of this scale replica was part of the Demolition Man series of nine cars. There's a Treasure Hunt Stingray III to look out for, and it might surprise you to see that it will only cost you $10 or less.

Now on to the final tier of Hot Wheels Corvettes released in the '90s. These are the ones that have had less than 11 versions, and they add up to a total of five castings. The 1996 Corvette Coupe was an original Corgi design and featured an opening hood.

You'll even find one of these in a McDonald's playset dating back to 1998, but some might be trickier to get than others. The 1998 Corvette Convertible had Real Riders wheels, and came in either Silver or Black. Mattel used a box instead of a card for these, which probably increased the cost per unit and ultimately led to it being axed.

The '53 Corvette casting came out in 1998 and had a similar way of approaching collectors, with a more detailed build. All seven iterations had Real Riders wheels, and six of them featured a clean unmodified paint job. In 2001, a black version with white, yellow, orange, and magenta flames came out as part of the Haulin'Heat 4-car set.

You can find a Factory Case of 12 cars for $300 if you fancy gifting some of them to your friends or family for Christmas. The last two castings released in the '90s are the 1967 and the 1982 Corvettes, with seven and five different versions respectively. We can't help but wonder if there is anyone out there that has managed to collect all of these items. We just hope that they've also bought a 1:1 'Vette to match their diecast lineup.