2016 Hot Wheels kicks into high gear with the Porsche 356A Outlaw & Nissan Fairlady Z…

The Mattel/Porsche love affair is in high gear now, and I hope everyone is enjoying it.  Not that I am implying “enjoy it while it lasts”, because it seems this isn’t ending anytime soon.  This is more of an “isn’t this cool!?!” implication.

Obviously we have seen Hot Wheels Porsches for a long time, but nothing like the current output.  Since the Cayman was released a few years ago, we have seen Panameras, 918’s, a 914, and a slew of modern 911’s.  Some were spot on, while others, like the Boxster, left a little to be desired.  But this Porsche Renaissance isn’t about quantity.  As great as those models mentioned are, what makes this Hot Wheels Porsche era so great are three models – the 934, 993, and now the 356A Outlaw.

If you need evidence that the designers at Hot Wheels are car guys, look no further than those three.  If the plan was to do a handful of classic Porsches, there are three home runs right there.  Not just a 934, but an RSR Turbo.  Not just a 993, but a GT2.  And not just a 356A, but an Outlaw.  Dropping knowledge, them!

And not that I am endowing the designers with the Lamley seal of knowledge.  There is no such thing.  It is these designers that have been giving me the education.  Hell, I had to do an internet dive on all three just to make sure I can sound even remotely like I know what I am talking about.  You know you have done it too after certain models are released.  It is fun.  Anyway, these aren’t just classic Porsches, but they are iconic.  There are others that could round out this batch, like maybe a 964 or a classic mid-60’s 911 or 912.  (Although I think the latter is one for Matchbox to tackle.  They have the wheels.)

To the 356A.  The card art and the model bears of the Urban Outlaw logo of the Porsche-guru Magnus Walker, and he helped design the model.  Whether or not that means the casting or just the deco I have no idea, but it is gorgeous.  The black is dense, and the gold trim spot on.  But in case you didn’t know, the “Outlaw” in the name of this casting isn’t a Magnus Walker thing, but instead its an Emory thing.  The modified Porsches from Emory Motorsports were dubbed “Outlaws” because they weren’t allowed to sit with the stock Porsches at the cafeteria table.  They might have been scoffed at by some then, but now the 356 Outlaws are the bee’s knees.  Queue Petrolicious:

And that is why the 356A is a Hot Wheels Home Run.

As great as this model is, it is its future that might be the most exciting.  I see all kinds of colors, and hopefully, real riders on this thing.  If it isn’t part of the upcoming Car Culture series, it should be.  Sitting on steelies.  In primer gray.  With a plain jane number on the side.  And a miniature me in the driver with a cigarette dangling from my bottom lip telling the world what I think of it with the use of one finger.  Hell yeah, I’m an outlaw.

But that isn’t it.  As much as I liked the Chevy Luv in Batch A, and the Chevy II in Batch B, both are dwarfed by the giants of Batch C.  The Outlaw of course, but Jun Imai’s Nissan Fairlady Z as well.

There isn’t much I need to say about Jun’s Kaido Z.  Japanese Nostalgic Car covered it all, especially since Jun himself gave them the background behind its creation.  It’s a model that will sit comfortably next to the older 240Z casting, as well as the Mad Manga.  Classic plus culture.  It’s all Jun, and knowing his love for Porsche, I am sure he had no qualms sharing the Batch C spotlight with Magnus’ Porsche.