Each year Hot Wheels allows collectors to choose one casting that will be made into a premium collectible. Eight cars are nominated, and then voted on by the Hot Wheel Collectors community in a March Madness-style bracket elimination. This year, the Datsun 240Z won the championship against a Shelby Cobra 427 S/C, making it the first Japanese car to do so.
Hot Wheels has been running the Red Line Club contest since 2004. Prior to this year, the furthest a Japanese car has advanced was the Datsun Bluebird 510 in 2016, which made it to the final four. This time around, the 240Z was up gainst some heavy hitters, including a ’57 Chevy and Honda S2000.
This year, however, with a 240Z already slated to be in the RLC lineup, the powers that be at Mattel have decided to pit the 240Z against the Custom ’72 Datsun 240Z wearing a Pandem body kit. So the winner will be a Z, it’s just a question of which one. Which do you prefer? You can cast your ballot at HotWheelsCollectors.com.
It’s cool, but why’d they put such huge wheels on it?
They aren’t the final wheels. If it wins, it’ll more than likely wear Real Riders or Neo-Redline Wheels.
That is a great casting that they choose thumbs up.
I’d pick the Pandem one just for the more proportional wheels.
Those wheels are absurd. I also would have loved it if they had put a stock 240Z against the custom one. The aftermarket front lower valance and rear spoiler may be common, but they’re not OEM. As it stands, it’s just two custom S30s facing off. My vote’s going for the one that’s not donked out.