Hot Wheels Ultra Hots Is One Cool Throwback to the '80s, There Are Eight Cars Inside

Speaking of which, Mattel has doubled down on the idea of taking people on a trip down memory lane. Most adults will still collect Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars today, as it reminds them of their childhood and the dopamine kick they'd get every time they opened up a new item.

But this time it all goes even further than that, as the diecast manufacturer has brought back a series of collectibles that used to be a thing back in the '80s. In one of our recent interviews, a Canadian collector recalled that the Ultra Hots Hot Bird had a big impact on him. And it's quite likely that many other people have had a similar experience.

Hot Wheels marketed the Ultra Hots series between 1984 to 1986 and then tried to revive it between 2006 and 2007. The first Ultra Hots featured Spectraflame-type paint jobs and made use of the UH (Ultrahot) wheel design. Some of these early items can cost hundreds of dollars each on the market but don't be surprised if you'll see them going into the quadruple-digit area as well.

Fast forward to 2022, Mattel has already put out a set of Ultra Hots earlier this year. That was all about American horsepower, including items like the '66 Ford Fairlane 427 and the '87 Buick Regal GNX. You can find the first eight Ultra Hots of 2022 on the market for less than $100 altogether.

For Mix 2, there's a bit of diversity going on which is great! Once again we are looking at a total of eight collectibles, two of which are of Japanese origin. Everything about these items is a throwback to the '80s, starting from the Card Art to the type of paint used and the wheels.

The '68 Mercury Cougar is the first collectible in Mix 2. This casting has been around since 2014, and some of you might remember that there are also two Super Treasure Hunt versions of it from back in 2021 and also 2019.

The new Ultra Hots variation looks great in Spectraflame Red, and the UH wheels aren't half bad despite looking a bit odd overall. The 1974 Brazilian Dodge Charger is up next and it looks similar to the Cougar, albeit without the numbers on the side.

The casting was first introduced in 2014, but there are only seven variations of it around without counting in the Ultra Hots Spectraflame Orange version. One thing you'll notice with Mix 2 for 2022 is that seven out of eight cars are riding on UH wheels, but we'll get to the exception in a minute.

The third car on our list today is the '67 Shelby GT500. Jun Imai designed this casting for its release back in 2008, and it was retooled further down the road in 2011. The last time we saw this item in stores, the year was 2019. With the Spectraflame Yellow paint job, this thing almost looks like a Super Treasure Hunt, and you can't help but notice the detailed headlamps and taillights!

The drift-spec Nissan Silvia S14 is a rather unexpected appearance for the Ultra Hots series, but it will help bring in a younger audience for sure. You'll notice that the front bumper is missing leaving the front-mount intercooler exposed. Also, the front wheels are colored purple, and the whole car feels like an accurate depiction of a real-life drift machine. Chances are that this item might be the most popular in Mix 2, especially considering that this is only the second variation of this casting!

The '70 Pontiac Firebird is up next, and this is the car we were talking about earlier. Instead of the UH wheels, it's rolling on five-spoke rims. Mattel first used this casting in 2007, and it was designed by Jun Imai. This might not be the best Firebird design from Hot Wheels, but at least you can appreciate some of its details like the exposed engine parts up front.

The Honda Civic SI is the second Japanese collectible in Mix 2 of the Ultra Hots series, and it's also one of the oldest castings here. It was introduced in 2001, and there are quite a few variations to look for if you're planning on a complete collection. With the Spectraflame Blue paint job and the flame decals, this looks like it came out straight out of a "The Fast and the Furious" movie, and it's only missing a bit of underglow action to achieve epic status.

The '71 Chevy El Camino is up next, and its Spectraflame Black body is complemented by white and yellow accents. The wheel gap might be disturbing for some collectors, but overall it's nice to see more diversity in the series. Speaking of which, the last car here is the Volkswagen SP2 in Spectraflame Apple Green.

Just like the El Camino, this casting has been around since 2010. If you're wondering how come you've never seen one of these before, it's because Mattel only created nine variations of it in all these years. Brazilian fans are bound to be ecstatic about this collectible given their history with the real-life version of the SP2.