New Hot Wheels Car Culture Set of Six Cars Is a Stunning Mix of Race Ready Machines

It's all a normal stage in the life of a Hot Wheels collector. You get a dopamine rush when you order or buy that Super Treasure Hunt, RLC, or vintage casting you wanted. But then, when you have it, you realize you've traded your hard-earned money for a small piece of metal and plastic. Still, you tend to forget about the ups and downs with every new release.

And the second Car Culture 2-Pack mix for 2024 is on its way. There were no new castings in the first mix of the year, but it was still pretty good with the '04 Mazda Mazdaspeed Miata and the Ford Rally cars. Mix 2 excludes Japanese cars, focusing only on European and North American models.

Lancia Rally 037

Mark Jones designed five of the six castings in this new mix, and the Lancia Rally 037 is one of them. It's one of my favorite castings, and I occasionally like to drive one in the EA Games WRC game.

The Group B icon debuted with Mattel in the 2020 Car Culture: Thrill Climbers set. With four iterations coming out until 2022, it's still a Premium-exclusive model today. The 2021 Period Correct release is still the most coveted one, with prices ranging between $100 and $150 for a single item.

That same year, collectors were in awe of the Gulf Racing Lancia Rally 037 that showed up in Team Transport. So the new 2-Pack appearance isn't something we haven't seen before. Rehash or not, it's still bound to be popular among enthusiasts. And I don't think this one ever stands a chance of becoming a peg warmer.

Fiat 131 Abarth

The Fiat 131 Abarth is the newest model here, debuting in 2023. It looked great in Modern Classics, sporting a red paint job with no livery and bronze Mini Classic 4-spoke Real Riders wheels. If you are eager to see a new release, learn you'll see at least two iterations in 2024.

One of them will be part of the Team Transport series, and I'll do a write-up on that soon. The other is packed alongside the Lancia Rally 037, sporting the same highly popular Gulf livery. It has fewer decals than its counterpart, and I'd say the black wheels aren't that good of an option. Others have argued that the Delta Integrale would have made a much better choice.

Ryu Asada's casting would have turned this 2-pack into a real winner! And either one of the two Stratos castings should have provided the same outcome. I wonder if an Alitalia is up next for the little Abarth.

Ford Bronco R

After two rally icons, we still have two more off-road "warriors" to look at. The Bronco R debuted in the 2021 Car Culture: Hyper Haulers mix alongside cool castings like the '99 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning and the '20 Jeep Gladiator.

There's an ultra-rare variation of the Bronco R to look for, with 24 units in total! However, it might cost around $3,000 to buy the Super73 iteration if you can find someone willing to let go of it. After an appearance in the iD series, we saw the model returning to Car Culture in 2022. The Aqua/White model was a real peg warmer when it came out, and I remember seeing it in this one store for months in a row.

The Collector Edition Bronco R wasn't half bad in Spectraflame Pale Pink, so it'll cost around $50 today. The new Tan and Black livery suits this beast, and I'm sure off-road enthusiasts won't skip this one.

'17 Ford F-150 Raptor

Ryu Asada designed the '17 Ford F-150 Raptor, the oldest casting of the lot. I remember picking up the First Edition Raptor when it came out in 2016, and I must have bought a few more iterations since.

The F-150 graduated to Premium level in 2019, becoming part of the Car Culture: Desert Rally line-up. We have only had two more equally impressive iterations since. And I'm sad that the newest appearance is just a throwback to the past.

That's one of the things you can expect from the 2-pack series: Mattel mixes existing designs with new ones in hopes that will be enough to convince fans to make a purchase. To top it off, it's probably the least desirable item in the new mix, which may also jeopardize sales for the Bronco R.

Volkswagen Jetta MK3

And now, without a doubt, here is the hottest collectible in the new Car Culture 2-Pack mix. Jesse's Volkswagen Jetta MK3 might not have been that big of a deal 20 years ago. But Fast & Furious and Hot Wheels enthusiasts are quite fond of it in 2024. Up until this year, this has been a Premium-exclusive casting.

Three of the five first iterations were replicas of Jesse's car. If you want one with Chad Lindberg's autograph, it could cost up to $350. The 2020 Salon Mexico variation won't come cheap either. Recently, I've spotted people almost fighting over the non-premium release of this collectible, which was part of the Fast & Furious: HW Decades of Fast mix.

Too many repeats will lower people's appetite for it, so it's nice to have a new design finally. I recently wrapped my Panasport G7 wheels in Michelin tires and debated whether to paint them yellow. Seeing the Jetta has further amplified that dilemma, as I think they look stunning. The Bilstein livery is just as good, and I hope we'll see more of this design style soon!

Volkswagen ID R

Last, it's the only EV in the set: the Volkswagen ID R. It reminds me of my recent interview with Horia Platona, who plans on racing his BMW i4 at Pikes Peak this year. The ID R casting debuted in the 2020 Car Culture: Thrill Climbers set, featuring a simple Light Grey finish with black accents.

The Team Transport was more exciting in blue and black, using the same Real Riders Aero wheels. Unsurprisingly, Mattel used the same item in the new 2-Pack mix, which caused mixed feelings within the community.

On the one hand, you can get it now if you missed the opportunity last time. But if you already have it at home, buying the set just for the Jetta might be downright annoying. Do you plan on getting any of the cars in the new mix?