Model: Funny Money
Line: Hot Wheels 1977 mainline, blackwall tires
eBay link: Hot Wheels Funny Money
Why it’s in my collection: Hot Wheels’ redline era produced some of the most unique and desirable castings in the brand’s history, and the Funny Money truck is one of them.
First hitting the scenes as a redline in 1974, it has been produced several times since, with this blackwall version coming out in 1977. I love the look of the truck – and it’s deceptive one. To the untrained eye the truck appears to be just a run-of-the-mill Brink’s truck, but upon closer inspection we see the body lifts to reveal it’s a badass drag truck. I mean a custom armored drag truck?! Only Hot Wheels could think of something so freaking cool.
This version has a licensed brand paint scheme on it and features a lift-up body, a black interior, metal chassis and two big blower motors up front.
Even though the lift-up body is a heck of a feature, the body itself is packed full of detail. The rear of the truck has an old school bank-vault style rear door, which in my opinion is the coolest part.
The industrial, tank-like rivets all over the body really emphasize the armored look and add detailing to an otherwise flat surface. The original Funny Money had riveting on the sides of the truck too, but in 1974 the truck released in purple with flower tampos on the side, revealing a new flat-sided design that was easier to tampo. This 1977 version has those same flat sides allowing for the clear Brink’s tampos to be applied without issue.
If you like stacking your collection with vintage castings, then you can bank on Funny Money being a great addition to your coveted Hot Wheels cache .
