Back in the sixties, when we played with toy cars, most of the time we played with old plastic pieces of junk that we bought from a discount store. We collected Matchbox cars, because they were die cast and very detailed. Works of art, for us. So, we didn’t do much with them except set them on our dressers for show. In 1968, when Hot Wheels were introduced, that changed. Suddenly, our toy cars came alive.
Hot Wheels Were all The Rage
Hot Wheels were all the rage. They were fast, and cooler still, they came with their own tracks. The television was plastered with commercials touting these new mini-vehicles – the newest tracks, the newest sets. Self powered, they weren’t expensive, even when you purchased the track that came along with it. And they were a hit in our neighborhood. Before long, all of the boys had at least two cars and a set of tracks, complete with a loop. Then someone came up with a great idea to have racing tournaments. It was beautiful. Single elimination, winner take all the pennies or nickels in the pot. With just one victory, you’d win enough to buy another car or maybe more track. So, in the summer of 1968, the boys in our neighborhood held our own summer drag-racing tournament. We did it with Hot Wheels.
Hot Wheels Left Matchbox Cars in the Dust
Because of the popularity of Hot Wheels, the prices of Matchbox cars begin to drop. We simply weren’t buying them because they couldn’t compete with the coolness of the Hot Wheels’ sleek, racing design, bigger tires, and awesome models. But there was this kid, Larry. Larry refused to get on board with the awesomeness of the Hot Wheels. We told him, “Larry, if you want to be a part of our racing summer circuit, you’ll have to invest in Hot Wheels.” He flat out refused. But he did agree to meet us halfway.
You see, his dad had been out of town visiting relatives in Mississippi. And while there, he bought Larry a Matchbox car. When he gave it to Larry, it turned out that he already had that particular model. He couldn’t be returned the Matchbox because it was purchased in another state. So, since Larry had two of the same models, he told us that he would race one. He just wanted to be a part of it all.
Larry Never Won a Race With His Matchbox
Larry never won a race with that car. He came in last every time. Matchbox cars just couldn’t keep up with the speed of Hot Wheels. It didn’t matter to Larry, though. He loved the idea of hanging out with everyone. Anyways, after a summer or two, the attraction of Hot Wheels wore off as our interests moved toward baseball, football and girls. We boxed up our tracks and cars, put them in shoeboxes and stored them in basements and attics. The we went about the business of growing into young men.
A few years back I ran across Larry. I asked him what he’d done with all his Matchbox cars. He told me most of them he sold for a nice sum online. Said it helped him pay for his fully restored 1965 Ford Mustang. And then he asked about my collection of Hot Wheels. I smiled and said, “The racing we did destroyed my Hot Wheels. I threw all of my cars away, years ago.”
Larry may not have won the races, but in the long run, he did win the marathon.
