Inside the Hot Wheels AutoStrasse Series: 1973 Volvo 142 GL Is the New Star

And the goodies just keep on coming. We've seen five Hot Wheels Car Culture sets this year. The most recent one had some of Jay Leno's cars inside, but now we're moving on to an exclusively-European line-up of machines.

The AutoStrasse is the sixth set of the year, and if you're lucky enough, it will contain six cars inside. Why six instead of five, you ask? Well, as we've seen with the previous series before, there's a special Chase model included in a limited number of cases.

But retailers are well aware of this special treat, and some have had the audacity to remove the Chase cars from said cases and sell them for a significant profit. Of course, that's not going to happen with every single store, but you should be aware of this information before making an online purchase.

The Chase car for the AutoStrasse series is the 1973 Volvo 142 GL. You'll recognize it by the fact that it's all black and is numbered 0 out of 5 items on the lower right side of the card.

Meanwhile, the base car features a shade of Teal called Medium Blue Metallic. And we're happy to note that this is a brand-new casting for Hot Wheels, and Mark Jones is the man who designed it. There seems to be an influx of Volvo cars being licensed by Mattel in recent years, and most of them are older models that have a solid fan base around the world.

The second-oldest vehicle in the new series is the 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280 SEL 4.5. This is the third iteration of the German casting, as the first one was introduced in 2020.

A second version came in 2021, so you could say this is a rare model when it comes to Hot Wheels diecast cars. We can only wonder if Mattel will decide to issue a mainline version of it in the near future or not. For most people, the highlight of this series is probably going to be the BMW M3 E46.

It has always been in high demand with collectors, and the previous two iterations sold like hotcakes, to say the least. It's still a shame that the new variant comes in Imola Red, as we've seen a shade of red before for the Team Transport set of 2021.

One can only hope Mattel will consider a Phoenix Yellow or Velvet Blue variant in the near future. Moving on, there's a car that might not be as popular with the new kids on the block: the Alpine A110. This machine carries on the legacy of the A110 nameplate, and the French manufacturer is spending a considerable amount of money on its F1 racing program.

The new A110 might not have a lot of power, but it relies on a lightweight chassis to be fast around the corners. Similar to an Alfa Romeo 4C or a Lotus Exige, this car is all about agility instead of pure grunt.

Last but not least, you're looking at the Lamborghini Urus, which features a bright shade of orange called Arancio Borealis. While the wheels on it are quite spectacular, this SSUV's stance is almost unbearable to look at. We're not sure what it is about that puts us off, but Lamborghini fans might like it anyway.

Right now, a sealed case of 10 cars will set you back $75.49, but with any luck, you might find a Chase model inside too. We can't wait to show you the next Car Culture set, which will be an all-Japanese affair!