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Hot Wheels cars are a gateway to car fandom. How many people played with 1:64-scale diecasts as kids and dreamed about getting behind the wheel of the real thing? One grown-up enthusiast did things the other way around, taking a rare opportunity to immortalize their full-size 1967.5 Datsun 2000 Roadster in miniature form.
Matt Gabe, owner of the diecast-inspiring Datsun, works for Hot Wheels parent company Mattel. He told The Drive that he bought the car in 2013 because he wanted a “fun, old convertible” that also “stood out in the Mattel parking lot.” Mission accomplished. This second-generation Datsun Roadster was introduced in 1963 and produced through 1970, but never caught on like the later Z-cars. The 1967.5 2000 model is also unusual because it mixed a new 2.0-liter engine (making 135 horsepower) with the outgoing low-profile windshield and flat dashboard. This spec was only made from March to November of 1967.
Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids
As for how it became a Hot Wheels car, that’s down to Gabe being invited to the 2024 Hot Wheels Collector Convention as the guest of honor. The guest of honor gets to choose a car to be produced for the event, and Hot Wheels already had a Datsun Roadster in its standard line to use as a starting point. It was upgraded to a higher-quality “collector” version, with rubber tires and an all-metal chassis and body, and produced in a limited run of 4,000.
“I was able to convince the team to create the parts that would put it at that higher level,” Gabe said. “I designed the toy car using my car as the general inspiration (similar paint color, wheel style, and badging), but added the racing numbers to make it feel a little more Hot Wheels.”
Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids
The full-size Datsun got its own vinyl graphics, along with a hardtop to match the Hot Wheels car. Gabe still has the original soft top, but it’s not currently installed. The car also wears front lowering springs and 14-inch Panasport wheels that are faithfully replicated on the Hot Wheels version.
If you like what you see, you can make an offer on both the 1:64 and 1:1-scale versions right now via Cars & Bids. When we last checked in, the high bid was a reasonable $5,000.
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he’s not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.
