This pair brought a race-style deco to the RS1600 for the first time. Both Broadspeed and Zakspeed raced Castrol-sponsored RS1600s in the 1970s so the choice of Castrol here is spot on. The hood of the white car in particular is very close to an actual Broadspeed livery. As with many recent Hot Wheels castings, the RS1600 has had plenty of mileage as a licensed Fast & Furious movie model. The real car was driven in Fast & Furious 6 by Brian O’Conner, played by the late Paul Walker. We’ll step through all 16 versions of this beautiful Escort in a minute, but first some notes on its creation from designer, Fraser Campbell. Mark also sent this shot of the Mk2 with Fraser Campbell’s Mk1, which is already one of my favourite Hot Wheels castings (see my earlier Collection Update article for the full rundown on this model). You’ve seen this one before, right? Well, kind of. With its 5SP rims, it’s very similar to the debut release and has a lot in common with both the earlier, metallic Fast & Furious car and the Car Culture edition. Note that this one has tinted windows compared to the mainline debut’s clear ones and there’s no Hot Wheels logo ahead of the rear arches.

With such a long rally career behind it (and getting longer by the week), the livery and customizing possibilities for this model are pretty much endless, but we’re starting with a white-and-blue Ford scheme from Steve Vandervate that matches not only the other models in the set (’70 Escort Mk1 RS1600, C-800 transporter and Transit Supervan) but also the new Team Transports RS200, trailer and Rally Van combo. The following year saw another premium release of the Escort, this time in the best of the Fast & Furious versions seen to date. It’s a special model, with great detail printed all around the car (including the correct London license plate at the rear, YLV 7J), fantastic weight from the metal base and some well-chosen Minilite-style wheels. All it needs (again) is a continuous white stripe!

With the exception of the Super, I’ve been fortunate that all the Escorts issued so far have been relatively inexpensive to find. I’ll continue to hunt down future versions of the RS1600, too. The real cars were raced and rallied so extensively that there are still plenty of untapped ideas for future decos. I’m getting a little tired of the recent Gulf overload, but there was a real racing Escort in Gulf colours that would make a great model, for example. The distinctive Alan Mann racers in gold and red would look fantastic, too, as would one of Ford’s most famous rally machines, Hannu Mikkola’s London to Mexico World Cup Rally-winning car from 1970. How about it, Hot Wheels? Detailed taillamps, eggshell blue, mid blue & navy blue stripes, "RS2000X" on sides, "HWS RS2K" license plate Two years have passed since I last found an STH item, and it felt like it would never happen again. Short cards are tough to find; only some people ever find two in a year. Most collectors would agree that the Evija is in the Top 5 best Super Treasure Hunts in the 2023 series, and this is one collectible I don't think I will ever sell. Alas, Mattel is already rolling out the 2024 collection, and today, we'll be looking over the highlights of Case A.

Another authentic 70s Escort colour is the basis for the last mainline release to date. The fictitious rally livery isn’t the best and the model has warmed the pegs in my local supermarket for some months. Detailed taillamps, pale pink, red & maroon stripes, "RS2000X" & "RED" on sides, "HWS RS2K" license plate Fraser adds that the Escort may have been his first licensed car with chrome bumpers. “One of my favourite castings is the Matchbox 1972 Lotus Europa Special, which was created by Ryu Asada,” he explains. “He had a lovely method to get those thin bumpers so I used it on this.” Ryu himself adds that the Matchbox Lotus was a favourite project. “I had to fight hours or days to keep those chrome filler caps as separate parts,” he says. Here’s a look at the Europa and Escort together. I was instantly taken with the Hot Wheels ’70 Ford Escort RS1600 when it first appeared in 2015. The casting has fantastic proportions and a great stance – something that can’t be said for the Fast & Furious Escort that Mattel made in 1:55 scale. Add in the Mk.1 Escort’s incredible rally and circuit racing pedigree, plus a high-profile movie connection, and it’s a winning recipe.The two Gumball 3000 issues from 2019 are nicely done. I especially like the off-white version, which has a vintage rally look about it and would make a good basis for a custom rally car, if I had the time and talent!