Remember the Chevrolet Venture Looney Tunes edition from the early part of the last decade? While that may not have been the official name of the minivan that Chevy partnered with Warner Brothers on, there was Bugs Bunny badge on the car which, in retrospect, seems, well, looney.
Fast forward to now and take a look at another tie-in, this one done with some alignment of purpose, the 2013 Camaro Hot Wheels Edition:
Yes, this is a real car that will go on sale in the first quarter of 2013, in a limited production run. It is going to be offered in coupe and convertible models, with 2LT (or V6) and 2SS (or V8) trims.
Dave Ross, Chevy design manager responsible for performance and specialty cars like this, said that “doing a production car as a toy†was really a whole lot of fun for the Chevy designers and those from Hot Wheels.
And Felix Holst, vp of creative for the Mattel Wheels Div., said, “It’s been nearly 20 years since I started designing cars for Hot Wheels, and I have yet to drive one home.†But this one he can.
The Kinetic blue Camaro is identifiably—though discretely—Hot Wheels. There are the red-lined 21-in. wheels. There’s the Hot Wheels badging on the exterior, as woven into the front seat backs, on the door sills, and on the floor mats. And there are exterior graphics treatments, such as a rear taillight panel blackout graphic and a flame on the fenders.
Look very closely on the top of the rear quarter panel to see the flame graphic.
Hot Wheels and Camaro go back a long way: The Camaro was one of the original 16 Hot Wheels introduced in 1968.
The Hot Wheels package is a $6,995 option. (Recovering lost youth: Priceless.)
