Eight Years of Hot Wheels Car Culture: Who Is the King?

I'm afraid to start adding up the number for the Car Culture series. I mean that from a financial standpoint. Mattel began the line in 2016, so we've had eight years with 264 Premium cars. That does not include the Car Culture 2-packs or the Team Transport collection. There are another 195 vehicles to worry about there. Some of them are identical to the ones we're discussing today.

But that won't stop most collectors from buying them either way. This story aims to find which manufacturer is the King of the Car Culture series. To recap, Nissan ruled the 2-Pack series with 11 cars. Chevrolet was on top of the Super Treasure Hunt collection with 52 items. It also dominated the Boulevard series with 11 vehicles. Do you see where this is going? The results of today's story are similar to what we've observed in Boulevard, with a tiny exception.

I'll get to that in a minute. Mattel has used cars from 42 brands in Car Culture, with 50 sets coming out in eight years. Europe leads the way with 22 companies, North America takes P2 with 12 manufacturers, and Asia comes in third with eight representatives. We have only seen two "fantasy" cars in all these years. But they're much better than what you'd typically see in the Mainline series.

One is the Baja Bouncer, an unlicensed Trophy Truck casting. The other is Jay Leno's Tank Car, so there's some logic behind this one. You're about to read a Top 5 list, although it contains seven brands. It was a close call for Mazda and Lamborghini, with ten cars each. Datsun and BMW were close behind, with nine models each. I'm sure Hot Wheels enthusiasts would love to see more Bugatti and Pagani variations here, as these two companies only racked up three appearances in the series.

5. Toyota/ Volkswagen/ Mercedes-Benz: 17 Cars

Yes, this is correct. Three brands have equal representation in the Car Culture series. Toyota came first, though, as it was part of the debut Japan Historics set in 2016. Strangely enough, Mattel took almost three years to feature another one: the red Supra from Cruise Boulevard.

Some have pointed to a licensing issue to explain the scarce appearance of the brand for several years. But all that changed in 2021. The Slide Street set featured a Supra and a Corolla. Then Mattel developed a Toyota-exclusive set of five cars to balance the scales.

The '95 Toyota Celica GT-Four debuted in the 2022 Mountain Drifters mix, while the '98 Toyota Altezza showed up in Modern Classics last year. The Chase version of this is one of the most expensive Car Culture Toyotas, with prices going up to $195.

The first Volkswagen to become a part of the Car Culture series appeared in the second mix of 2016. A blue Golf MK7 isn't what you'd call exciting, so let's focus on the next VW that came up that year.

You wouldn't normally expect to see a VW in a Track Day set, and that was the last time we saw the Karmann Ghia race car. 2017 brought a new influx of vehicles, as the Air Cooled series featured a Custom Beetle, a Custom '69 Squareback, and the SP2. The Red Line Club exclusive set included the '65 Fastback, which had an epic trick.

I'm a fan of the Thrill Climbers IDR and the Jetta MK3 that came out in 2020. Thinking of 2023, we can be grateful for the Royal Violet Corrado VR6, the only one of its kind in all these years.

Mercedes-Benz was off to a strong start in the Car Culture series. Mattel used this occasion to debut the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 EVO II, a brand-new casting for 2017. The market value for this model ranges between $35 to $100.

It was so good that the diecast manufacturer returned it for the 2018 Eurospeed mix and the 2019 Open Track set. The '16 Mercedes-AMG GT3 appeared in the later package, with a grey and yellow finish for the First Edition model. The '88 Mercedes Unimog U1300 was an unexpected appearance in Car Culture, but this diversity is always welcome.

Time and time again, Mattel has used Car Culture as a launchpad for new castings, including the '72 280 SEL 4.5 and the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG. Look for the two black Chase MB cars if you want something rare for your collection.

4. Ford: 19 Cars

After two European brands and a Japanese one, it's time to head to the USA as Ford takes P4 on the list with 19 cars. The Blue Oval had two vehicles in the 2016 Car Culture series. While the '72 Ranchero was pretty good, the Metalflake Blue F-250 was on another level!

But it saddens me that Mattel hasn't released a new iteration of the casting in all these years. The Transit Supervan was a weird choice for a Gulf livery, but it might not have been as desirable without it.

I almost don't remember seeing the '60s Econoline Pickup, but the '69 Mustang Boss 302 is not something anyone can forget. The 2014 Custom Mustang was mostly exciting thanks to the Real Riders Exotic wheels, and I'd sooner pay for the Thrill Climbers RS 200.

3. Nissan: 21 Cars

The gap between the top four manufacturers is smaller than you'd imagine. And this ranking will look different by the end of 2024. Since day one, Nissans have been part of the Hot Wheels Car Culture line-up. The first Japan Historics set featured two classic Skylines, a GT-R and a GT-X.

Japan Historics 2 produced even better results, as collectors could opt for the Fairlady Z, the Laurel 2000 SGX, and the Skyline C210 this time. The Laurel also had a Gulf iteration in 2019, and you won't see a Mainline version anywhere. The HKS GT-R that came up in 2019 is one of the most epic Car Culture Nissans yet, alongside the red Skyline Silhouette.

S-Chassis fans will surely remember the Street Tuners Silvia (S15) and 180SX Type X. All I can say is that halfway through this story, I'm even more determined to start adding some of these items to my collection.

2. Porsche: 23 Cars

Once you begin talking about Car Culture Porsches, you'd better have a decent-sized budget set aside. With 23 cars to look for, you could spend $1,000 or more to have them on display in your home. The moment you see the black Euro Culture 993 GT2 is the moment you risk spending a good chunk of your salary for one single casting.

The 911 GT3 RS from the same set isn't nearly as exciting, but the two Track Day items will bring you back on the right path again. The Dark Blue 356A Outlaw is one of this model's most exciting iterations, and I'd choose it over the STH 356A any day.

The 2017 Race Day set arrived with two iconic Porsche race cars, but let's be honest here. The vehicle everyone is crying over is the RWB 930. Typically, you'll need at least $50 for this item. But there's a strong chance that Mattel will return it in 2024!

1. Chevrolet: 24 Cars

Well, well, well, will you look at that! Chevrolet is once again on top of another Hot Wheels list. The bond between the two brands runs deep and has done so for decades! With 24 cars under its name, we've had an average of three Chevy collectibles for every year of the Car Culture series. A yellow Silverado laid the path for future models, the first of which was a '70 Chevelle with eight-spoke wheels.

HW Redliners was the first Car Culture mix for 2017, and it included three Chevrolet vehicles: the '68 Copo Camaro, the '55 Bel Air Gasser, and the '69 Corvette Racer. I've seen this set going for as much as $200, which is what you'd expect for the Chase version of the Corvette C8R. The Red Line Club Exclusive set featured an exciting Gulf version of the '13 COPO Camaro, and I can't help but wonder why Mattel won't come up with more Premium iterations of this bad-to-the-bone dragster.

There are a few other 1/4-mile machines to look for, including the '64 Nova Gasser that was part of the Dragstrip Demons set. The Big-Air Bel-Air is the latest Chevrolet addition to the Car Culture series, and there's no information as to which the first one for 2024 will be.