LAUGHLIN 'HONORED' BY HOT WHEELS RELEASES

by Ian Tocher    Mon, 2021-05-10 19:14

 

Alex Laughlin came to Atlanta Dragway focused on winning the final NHRA Pro Modified event to be held at the track located outside of Atlanta, Ga. He didn't qualify at the top, nor did he get a round win, but there was plenty for the versatile drag racer to remain upbeat. 

On May 1, the final day of qualifying for the Southern Nats, Mattel released its second Hot Wheels replica of one of Laughlin's race day rides.

"It should be hitting stores soon," he said. "But for it to be a car that has meant so much to me, you know, the Corvette that won Lights Out and whatnot, it's awesome just to see it made.

"And for it to be not only a Hot Wheels, but a premium car is even better. The premium is the $5 car in the bigger packaging and it's in the Hot Wheels Boulevard collection, which they say is based on a street that if it were a real road in America these would be the kind of cars that would drive up and down it.

"So this car has a metal body, metal chassis, rubber tires and a liftoff hood so you can see the motor and everything, where the mainline cars, the $1 cars, are usually a metal body with plastic chassis and wheels--but still the best toy value in the store, by a long shot."

Laughlin said development and production of his C7 Corvette drag car required more than two years, slowed down some because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the interim, a Hot Wheels mainline version of his NHRA Pro Stock Camaro has been available for several months.

"When I got started working with these guys back in 2018, we started talking about potentially recreating one of my cars and the one we really decided on was the Corvette, but they said it would be at least a two-year project," Laughlin explained.

"So with how long that was going to take, they decided for the interim that they already had a Pro Stock die made and it's a car that they've recolored and used in several different scenarios, so it fits well and took only about 10 months to come out with that first car."

Laughlin said he feels "honored" to have his cars represented as Hot Wheels creations.

"At the end of the day everybody is a fan of Hot Wheels and everybody has always wanted, you know, one of their cars, their first car, a family car, something that means something to them to become a real-life Hot Wheels car. And that's what they've done for me."


 

 

 

 
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