Hot Wheels RLC Exclusive Membership Car for 2023 Is a '93 Ford Cobra R

Hobbies can be quite expensive beyond a certain level. An average monthly income will make it difficult on you to cope with multiple passions at the same time. Of course, it all depends on how immersed you are in those activities and what kind of passions you have. But if you have a project car, a motorcycle, and a Hot Wheels collection at home, you might find yourself struggling from time to time. At first, it may seem that getting diecast cars is a cheap alternative to owning several vehicles.

"Why wouldn't it be? I mean, one of these diecast cars costs just $2!" But you can easily find yourself spending up to $2,000 a month on Hot Wheels alone. That adds up to $24,000 a year, or $120,000 over five years.

With that kind of money, you can buy a brand-new sports car, motorcycle, and a daily ride. It all depends on which of these choices will make you happier. While it's always nice to look at your display of diecast cars, it doesn't come close to driving or riding out there in the real world.

So I've got mixed feelings looking at the new Hot Wheels Red Line Club exclusive collectible. The 1993 Ford Cobra R is the Membership car for 2023, and it looks tempting, to say the least.

"But Dragos, it's only $25!" And you're right. It's not all that expensive. But if you keep saying the same thing for the next one and the next one, where are you going to end up? Members of the Red Line Club can buy over 20 exclusive collectibles each year. And there are older items to think of too!

And that's where it gets quite painful. That's because you'll find yourself searching through two decades worth of diecast releases, and some of those items can cost several thousand dollars apiece. But for now, let's get back to the '93 Ford Cobra R that has just been introduced by Mattel a few days ago.

This casting was designed by Brendon Vetuskey, and it was first introduced in 2021. Reportedly, there are only 4,000 iterations of the First Edition Metalflake Cyan model around. And you'll need to pay between $200 to $400 for one over on eBay.

But some people are asking for as much as $600 for the second release of this casting, which was painted in Spectraflame Red. Even though the Spectraflame Black model was just recently released, some people have already listed it for as much as $100 on various online markets.

This is an RLC Membership car. That explains why it's not "Sold Out" just yet. But that doesn't mean it will be as common as other premium Hot Wheels models either. The limit has been set at 1 item per customer, and we think it's safe to assume that it will still be around for a few more days.

You can't help but love the opening hood, which provides a glimpse of the tiny "small block" V8 inside. The Cobra R is sitting on Real Riders 6-spoke Mag wheels, and we're happy to see that Mattel didn't ruin the design of the car by using an overcomplicated livery.

If you're going to buy this, it's nice to know that an embroidered patch and a Hot Wheels pin will also be included in your package as a sort of tribute to the early days of the company. With the real-size Cobra Rs selling for over $100,000 today, buying a diecast version might be comforting in a way for some Mustang fans. But even driving an entry-level Fox Body is still going to be a lot more fun at the end of the day.