missing tire in MSCHF’s hot wheels car pays homage to a newbie driver’s beat-up vehicle

MSCHF and Mattel Creations release Not Wheels collectible car

MSCHF and Mattel Creations join forces to pay homage to a newbie driver’s often pre-loved and beat-up vehicle. They do so by bringing out ‘Not Wheels’, a collectible toy car that’s missing a wheel. Because of this, it can’t and doesn’t roll. No speeding away involved; just a passive ride in stasis. Hot Wheels may have started as children’s toys, but they soon lured in collectors, and MSCHF’s rusting, grayish memento may be a missing piece in their trove.

The duo says they drew inspiration from 1990s Japanese imports when they designed the MSCHF Hot Wheels car. It’s a die-cast vehicle with three different wheels: two Real Riders classic tires, one yellow spare tire, and one that’s missing, replaced by a rusted wheel hub. They say their collectible has tons of personality, and maybe they’re right, given the bright blue door, flag-like stripes and colors at the rear, stitches on the side, and blue stripes on the roof.

all images courtesy of Mattel Creations and MSCHF

dusty, rugged, and tarnished ‘not wheels’ car

There’s a reminiscence of childhood memories in MSCHF and Mattel Creations’ Hot Wheels car. The fogged-up windows have drawings of what’s supposed to be someone’s face, but the slogan emblazoned on the rear takes the limelight: ‘WASH ME!!!’. No one can wash the collectible car clean. It remains dusty, rugged, and tarnished as it should be. It’s dented and amateurishly repaired, as the art collective and the toy company describe, and that’s fine. The Not Wheels car wants to show how hard it’s been driven and how much it’s been loved anyway.

Someone has rolled down the driver’s window and left it open halfway before storming out. Perhaps the MSCHF Hot Wheels car has gotten into a car crash by the looks of its busted front windshield. There are parking tickets tucked between the wipers, but the driver has not bothered to take them out. Rust and dirt slowly gnaw at the bleached-out gray paint of the exterior. If the collector looks inside, the tan-colored seats appear as if they’re made of candle wax. And if they look closely, they’ll see the seat belt hanging out the door. MSCHF’s Hot Wheels car goes live on August 30th, 2024, priced at 30 USD per collectible.

the WASH ME!!! inscription at the rear of the MSCHF Hot Wheels car