Drift Fans Will Crave Mattel's New Hot Wheels Slide Street Set

With all the new Hot Wheels sets coming out this year, it will be challenging to avoid overspending. The lack of space is also a problem, as I dislike keeping my collectibles tucked away in a box out of sight. You'll always find at least five to ten cars sitting on my desk, and they always bring me joy.

Last year, I compiled a list of 25 vehicles that would look great in a Hot Wheels blister. And one of them is coming to Car Culture in just a few months (the Subaru Forester STi). In recent years, I have been happy to see more drift-themed collectibles coming out from Mattel. But I always felt the diecast manufacturer could do more about it. I guess my wish will come true with the sport's rising popularity. And the most recent Car Culture set proves it.

Slide Street first appeared in 2021, featuring a mix of four Japanese and American drift cars. The Falken-themed Pandem Subaru BRZ and Vaughn Gittin JR's Mustang were two highlights in that set. And I'm sure every drifting/Hot Wheels fan worldwide has been praying for a follow-up. So, without further ado, let's see what Slide Street 2 offers.

2023 Nissan Z

Lindsey Lee designed the 2023 Nissan Z for its 2022 Mainline debut. After one more variation, Mattel developed a Premium version of the casting. It wasn't all that impressive, and we got three more basic iterations before the Z jumped to the Boulevard series.

The Slide Street 2 release is the ninth and arguably the best in three years. Chris "The Force" Forsberg is one of the iconic figures in North American drifting, as he has been competing in Formula Drift since its early days. Not only that, but he is also one of three drivers with three FD titles under his belt.

This new version of the Z uses the same Real Riders 5-Spoke Modern wheels that we saw on the 2022 2-Pack model. If you've seen Forsberg's actual car, you may notice that the Hot Wheels version doesn't feature decals from his main sponsor (which I assume happened due to licensing). Either way, this is still one of the most exciting vehicles in Slide Street 2.

LB-WORKS Lamborghini Huracán

The LB-WORKS Lamborghini Huracán Coupé debuted in the 2021 Mainline Speed Graphics series. Ryu Asada designed a replica of Mad Mike's famous Nimbul show car. Even though people refer to it as a drift Lambo, it's nowhere nearly as insane as Daigo Saito's Lamborghini.

Sure, it's a cool car, and Mike Whiddett put on a nice show in it at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. But it's not a purpose-built, competition-level drift car. Of course, Mattel always tries to bring balance to its new collections. And for people who aren't necessarily hardcore drift enthusiasts, the Huracan might be the highlight of Slide Street 2.

I wouldn't mind having one in the collection, but it wouldn't be my first choice here. The best part is that it's finally a Premium collectible after all these years. That's right; this fourth iteration has a metal base and a nice mix of Aero and 8-Dot Real Riders wheels to show off.

2023 Toyota GR Corolla

While the Lambo is new to the Premium line, the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla is new to Hot Wheels entirely. Mark Jones designed this replica of Ryan Tuerck's Formula Drift competition vehicle. Tuerck has been competing in Formula Drift for as long as I can remember. And he has always been a force to be reckoned with, coming close to winning the championship on several occasions.

Some of you may remember seeing him competing in a Pontiac, a Chevrolet, or even a Nissan. However, he has had a tight connection with Toyota for many years now. After driving the FR-S and the GT 86, he switched to a Corolla, which he also uses today. You don't often see hatchbacks in drifting, so that's one of the reasons why this casting is so cool. The yellow Rain-X livery and white 10-Spoke Modern Real Riders wheels also play an important role here.

And I can't help but wonder what future color combos we will see on this casting (maybe the old Gumout livery in red?). That question already has an answer, though: the GR Corolla is also the Chase item for Slide Street 2. That means it got the black-on-black special treatment, and it's also interesting to point out that it uses 6-Spoke Mag Real Riders wheels instead. Finding this collectible won't be easy unless you don't mind spending $50 to $100 to get it on eBay.

Nissan 240SX (S14)

The Nissan 240SX (S14) has been part of Mattel's portfolio since its Original Fast debut in 2019. That First Edition alone could cost up to $60 if you must have it in your collection.

The S-Chassis cars are some of the most prolific vehicles in professional drifting, having won more titles in the Japanese D1GP Series than any other cars. Despite being 20+ years old, they're still a crowd favorite but won't come cheap. So far, this casting has been a Premium-exclusive, with seven variations in six years.

Three of them are replicas of Letty's car from The Fast and The Furious, so it's nice to have something different for a change. Silver is a cool choice for the S14, but any drift enthusiast would have chosen a more vivid wheel color. I understand why that's not the case though, as this looks more like a "streeto" (street-drifting) machine than a race car. And that seems to be the case with the final item in Slide Street 2.

2018 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5

Making a list of the Top 50 all-time most amazing Hot Wheels castings could be daunting. There are so many cool cars to choose from that you'll almost surely miss out on something. But I think I'd include the 2018 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5. And I felt that way ever since I saw it in the 2021 Slide Street set.

The black finish with the contrasting green wheels is just what you'd expect from a drift car, and it proves that Vaughn Gittin JR fully understands the importance of style in the sport. Mattel has released five versions of this casting so far (two for Vaughn, two for Chelsea Denofa, and one for Adam LZ). With Chelsea out of the team and Ben Hobson taking his place, we might see a replica of his car soon. And the same goes for James Deane, who fully deserves his spot in the Hot Wheels Hall of Legends.

We're now looking at a replica of Vaughn Gittin JR's car. It is a 10th Anniversary Mustang RTR Spec 5, only 10 of which were ever made. It looks phenomenal in Leadfoot Gray with the Hyper Lime accents, and it instantly reminded me of the former FD Champion's former Ford GT. The latest variation uses the same 10-spoke rims as some of its predecessors, which is pretty awesome if you ask me. As for the whole set, I've already spotted someone trying to sell it for $65.

We're talking about a pre-sale here, and it just doesn't make sense to pay that much for it. Just give it another month, and you can buy it for a fraction of that price. With Japan Historics 4 coming up this year, I hope we'll see Slide Street 3 in 2025. And if anyone at Mattel is reading this: for the love of God, please create a D1GP-themed collection with all the iconic drift cars of yesteryear!