The 1965 Ford Mustang was one of the most successful cars ever built, selling over one million in the first eighteen months. This iconic car formed the basis for the 1965 Shelby GT-350. In 1964, legendary Carroll Shelby was approached by Ford to produce a race version of the popular 1965 Mustang. Shelby had been a racer in the 1950′s; by 1960, he had retired, becoming a designer of high-performance cars
Shelby built 100 of these cars by the first of the year in 1965. All were painted white with blue pinstripes. This super-tuned version of the Mustang was designed to give the Mustang name an image of high performance, and it was very successful at doing exactly that. The car won five of the Sports Car Club of America’s six divisions in its first year, and went on to be the SCCA’s B-production champion for three years in a row. They are said to be as close to a street-legal racing car as has ever been offered by an American motor company.
Differences from the regular Mustang included a pumped up engine and reinforced suspension. Shelby added a big four-barrel carburetor, free-flow exhaust headers, and other high-performance modifications. A rear axle from the Ford Galaxie replaced the stock assembly, along with bigger drum brakes in the rear and new disc brakes in the front. A set of cast-aluminum wheels and high-performance Goodyear tires, as well as a quick-ratio steering box, made the Shelby GT-350 handling much more impressive than that of the standard Mustang, known to have a strong understeer. The Shelby GT-350 had a top speed of 130 miles per hour, and was rated at 306 horsepower versus the 271 horsepower of the standard Mustang. An optional supercharger reportedly boosted the horsepower over 400, cutting the zero to 60 time to just five seconds.
On the exterior, the steel hood was replaced with a fiberglass one with a functional hood scoop. Inside, the Shelby included racing seatbelts and a missing back seat, to qualify the Shelby GT-350 as a sports car under SCCA rules. Though the first 250 or so were white with blue stripes, the last several hundred came in red, blue, green, and black, all with white stripes. Shelby eventually added an optional fold-down rear seat.
Read the rest of this page »
Hot Wheels are metal diecast toys that are manufactured by the Mattel Toy Company. They debuted in the marketplace in the year 1968 and were a smashing success. The original line of Hot Wheel cars included 16 different cars, which are now more commonly known as the “Sweet Sixteen”. These 16 diecast cars came in assorted colors and makes and were originally manufactured in plants located in the United States and Hong Kong. As of 1972 all Hot Wheels cars are produced in Hong Kong exclusively. In the early years between 1968 and 1972, Hot Wheels came with one very distinctive trait on each car. Each set of tires had a red line emblazoned on them much like our modern automobile tires have white walls. This was a very effective trademark of the diecast cars as those early models were affectionately dubbed the Redlines and thus the Redline era was born out of it.
Redline Hot Wheels are probably in every males past for the past 40 years. Early Redlines were patterned after popular car models of the era and were thus ingrained into the American culture. In fact 9 of the original 16 Redlines diecast Hot Wheels were patterned and mimicked actual automobiles of that time. The 7 other diecast Redlines were fashioned like race cars and exhibit cars.
The early Redline Hot Wheels had many other specific traits as well as the redline tires. For example they mostly were painted in brash metallic colors called Spectaflame paint and had chrome styled hot rod type rims. The styles invoked the imagination of young boys around the world. The cars were also packaged in blister packs with flashy colored cardboard backs.
Most young men are now enthused with capturing these childhood memories and now the hunt is own to collect these rare vintage early Hot Wheels. Much like baseball card collecting, Redlines and Hot Wheels collecting in general is on the rise. With the dawn of the giant internet auction house eBay, it has made it easier to find and buy even the rarest of old Hot Wheels from reputable dealers and individuals. Make sure to identify the grade and shape of the Redlines you are buying and do not be afraid to ask for close up pictures before making a bid or buying. In the age of the internet, it will not be hard to find Redline Hot Wheels for sale.
Well by the looks of the market I would say a whole lot of people collect diecast cars. You can find them for sale at just about any convenience store, department stores and even grocery stores. I have even seen them in car dealerships; they setup some real nice displays, under lock and key most times.
The next time you go to your local dealers’ parts department have a good look around and I’m sure you will find them there as well.
There are different types of collectors; some people collect them to play with and to show off to their friends, they would be young children of course. Then you have the older crowd that collect for a hobby, they may collect a specific diecast like NASCAR or muscle car, etc… and some may collect on impulse they see it, they like it, and they buy it. Then there are the investors, they the collect in hopes of making big profits down the road. They mostly buy the diecast and never even take them out of the box to ensure maximum profit, by being able to say that the box has never been and the diecast and packaging is in mint condition.
Model planes are another largely collected item as is vintage trucks and cars. Some people collect stamps, art work, antique furniture and so on; there is always something to collect.
Me, I collect diecast cars to display them in nice display cases for everyone to enjoy. You may not be into diecast cars but I’m sure that there’s a diecast something you have always wanted, so go out and get it, it could turn out to be the hobby for you. Who knows you could always turn your hobby into a business.
