“A man’s most expensive hobby starts with 97 cents.” Can you relate with that? I damn sure can! My first Hot Wheel, a silver 1983 Corvette with the red gut and the faked suitcase under the hatch, was given to me before I was walking properly and to this day, I still own it. In between that first one and now countless thousands of the mini automobiles have passed through my hands…a 1950s Thunderbird on rubber tires, the late 1970s Firebird funny car, numerous stock car replicas, a scale 1977 Chevrolet Camaro Z28…from birthday gifts to toys I got in Happy Meals, I was all about the little toy cars.

This year is the 50th anniversary of Hot Wheels, and the transformation they’ve made from the original “Sweet 16” to the ones you can find on the shelves today is pretty remarkable. It’s even more remarkable when you see the evolution in design that’s occurred over five decades. From those early all-metal cars with the metalflake paint jobs to today’s units, see how far the little toy car has come.

And if you have to ask about the Dodge Mirada Stocker in the lead photo, you must be new here…