I dig the Barn Finds. The thrilling story of the million-dollar gem buried under layers of lumber, rags, and dust, just waiting to be discovered, restored, and revered. I do my share of traveling through small rural towns, and do wonder what rusty old treasures might be hiding in those decrepit barns.
Most of the time I don’t need to wonder, because the rusty old treasures are parked on blocks, or are the centerpiece of a weed salad in the side yard. If there were gems, they would have been long discovered. But among those aging buckets that are long past “barn find” and well into “piece of shit” status, there are always curiosities. Old trucks of course, 80’s borefests with names like Cutlas, and, of course, cars that were nothing in their day, but have taken on hero status to the current generation of car nerds. Badges like Honda, Mazda, and of course, Datsun. Too rusty and dusty to ever consider a second life, but “what if?” you wonder. “That 180SX is just sitting there, rotting, and think if I were to…”. (Tractor to pass, podcast to listen to.)
The Roadkill Datsun “Rotsun” might have the greatest second life of those forgotten and “whim in passing” cars. The Z of course has always been a hero car, but for every pristine beauty at JCCS, there are a kajillion living on essentially as parts, or evidence of days gone. But the Roadkill gang resurrected one. Completely brought it back from the dead, let it keep its scars, and have allowed it to live long enough to be immortalized as a Hot Wheels car. This is the comeback story for the ages.
Except it gets life as two Hot Wheels cars. Two very special Hot Wheels cars, that could only be acquired by committing to a year of content from MotorTrend. That doesn’t seem like too much torture. You buy a year’s subscription to all of MotorTrend’s really good content ad-free, they give you a car. A really cool car. Could be worse.
If you remember, a few months ago MotorTrend and Hot Wheels ran a special promotion, offering a year’s sub to MotorTrend and before-and-after versions of the Roadkill Datsun.
Those smart enough to jump got their sub, and their “Before” version of the Datsun, a rust bucket version of the long-time 240Z Hot Wheels casting. Even without the Roadkill identifier, this car is insanely cool. I mentioned I love barn finds. I would love to see Hot Wheels do more “in-the-barn” versions of collector faves. A rusty ‘55 Bel Air, a dusty Alfa, a muddy 190E. Logistically and design-wise it might be a task and a half, but the Roadkill Datsun shows it can be done, and done really well.
And those of you that jumped will also be getting the “after” replica. A brand new casting made exclusively for this MotorTrend promotion. The Roadkill Rotsun, complete with its makeshift engine, rust decay, and hand painted graphics. It’s stellar.
Then there is the rest of you. Those that didn’t jump. Bummer, right? Well, wrong. A new promotion is here. Starting today, MotorTrend is offering that same year of ad-free content for $29.99. You snag that sub, they send you the brand new Hot Wheels Premium Rotsun. Some collectors might be willing to take a kick in the shin for a year to get this model. Thankfully all they have to do is watch cool car shows instead. Decent deal.
The deal will last as long as there are models available, which won’t be long. This is the way to get the Rotsun, so jump. You’ll be glad you did. Like the Rotsun itself, you are getting that second chance.
It’s definitely a cool promotion, but it’s a shame it’s limited to only US residents, and you have to purchase a second subscription even if you have one already. Hopefully these will be available without the subscription at some point so people outside the US don’t have to resort to eBay.
Except for Canadians, who aren’t eligible, motortrend subscription or no.