’67 Shelby GT 500

The Shelby GT 500 is a legend, even amongst other legendary Shelbys and Mustangs. The 1967 model was the first of the GT 500 line which is a Mustang tuned by Shelby to produce 345 hp.

This particular example is a brilliant metallic green adorned with tastefully set racing lines in gold. The side racing line with the GT 500 text also complements the car and gives a nod to the original. It even has the Shelby Cobra emblem printed on the front fenders. Markings of the door handles are a nice touch and the red glass is unique. The casting itself is great. It gets the proportions just right without being over the top. The flares, the spoiler, the side vents, the hood vents and even the louvre is done gracefully. It even had twin exhaust and the casting reflected the rear backing lights and front fog lights. The only letdown for me is the oh-so-normal looking 5SP wheels.

I have to note that this is counted as a “new model” for 2010. There was already a ’67 Shelby GT 500 in Hot Wheels’ stable that was released in 2008 and was designed by Jun Imai. That version of the GT 500 was based on the “Eleanor” GT 500 from the movie Gone in 60 Seconds. This 2010 casting by Kevin Cao is based more on the original Carrol Shelby designed GT 500. And it’s all for the better.

2016 Ford Focus RS

The Ford Focus RS is Ford’s darling Hot Hatch taking on the likes of the Volkswagen Golf, Honda Civic, and Renault Megane RS among others.

This is the second Ford Focus RS from Hot Wheels with the first RS based on the 2009 Focus and this new model based on the 2016 model. This particular model caught my eye because of the livery. I am a sucker for liveries. And this one came with Koni livery. You can’t go wrong slapping a high-performance part livery on a car that was meant to perform. And the graphics on this car complemented this look very well. Being a mass-produced Hot Wheels mainline model meant that Mattel was free to skimp on a few details though. And they did skimp. There are no headlights and taillights on this model. It is properly cast, but it neither comes with paint nor tampo. It’s a shame because this car comes with a white base color and having no details on either head or tail is just a missed opportunity to make this car great. The shape and the stance are good overall though and the black J5 wheels with red chrome accent fit the aura of the car nicely.