TheDetroitBureau.com reports from SEMA 2013 in Las Vegas that Ford Motor Company (F) has rolled out some very hot wheels. Ford is the latest carmaker to honor Hot Wheels the popular Mattel (MAT) toy line with a running, life-size model. This one based on the latest Ford Transit Connect van.
The Hot Wheels Ford Transit Connect van is dark blue with bright orange accents. It has a flaming “Hot Wheels” logo, fins, and fender details one might expect on a toy car.
Hot Wheels Ford Transit Connect van
“The Hot Wheels design team jumped at the chance to hot rod a Transit Connect van. The idea was to create a race-inspired support vehicle for the average guy to spend a weekend at the track testing his Hot Wheels race car,” said Felix Holst, vice president of creative for the Mattel Wheels Division.
It’s no surprise Ford came up with the flashy version of its all-new 2014 Transit Connect. The Hot Wheels brand has been around since 1968. Kids – as well as many adult fans – have snapped up 4 billion of the line’s model cars since then.
The Hot Wheels Transit Connect is more than just a van with a flashy paint job and decals. It is powered by Ford’s 2.5-liter 2.5-liter Ti-VCT four-pot. The sliding side doors are replaced by gull-wing doors. The rear wheels are widened with the body panels flared out to accommodate the larger wheels. There are three shark fins on the back of the roof and scoops on the hood. To complete the package, there are three widescreen TV sets inside the author reports.
“It has everything you need to spend a weekend at the track,” suggested Mr. Holst. The blog says he didn’t say whether that meant the race track or the little orange plastic tracks that Hot Wheels cars run on.
There’s no word on whether Ford plans to offer any of the modifications made for the Hot Wheels Transit Connect concept, though the use of gullwing doors in a production vehicle seems unlikely speculates TheDetroitBureau.com.
That said, Chevrolet debuted its homage to Hot Wheels at the 2012 SEMA Show. last year. Chevy displayed the Hot Wheels Camaro at the 2013 Woodward Dream Cruise and sold it as a limited-edition Hot Wheels Camaro.
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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.