(Make sure you click on all the photos to enjoy them in large format) 
When I did a bit of research on HOT WHEELS a few years ago, I learned that, if one were to take the number of people under 18 years of age worldwide and used that number to divide the number of HOT WHEELS ever sold, you'd come up with "6" ... That's right, so many of these things have already been sold that there are enough in the marketplace to equal six HOT WHEELS for every person under 18 on the face of the earth.
And HOT WHEELS had a great exhibit in the main lobby at last year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas, exhibits which caught the attention of just about every one of the 100,000-or-so show attendees. I mean, who didn't have a HOT WHEELS toy ... or many of them ... as a kid? And more than a few of us, truth be told, have them today, too.
There are a lot of stories about how Mattels' HOT WHEELS toys came to be ... The one I've
written about concerns Harry Bradley, a paraplegic instructor at Pasadena's world-renowned Art Center College of Design, one of the very few schools worldwide which produces the majority of designers for car, truck and motorcycle manufacturers --- As well as toy-makers of all types. All these artists come under the more general name of "industrial designer", the people who create can-openers to car door handles to sun glasses to milk bottles to Ferrari V12 engines to, well, just about anything which consumers buy and use. In short, everything! Pasadena's Art Center has a sister school in Switzerland. Bradley, the story goes, drove his customized car to Mattel to interview for a job there, and when his future boss looked out the window and saw Bardley's van in the parking lot, Bradley got the job on the spot and his van was one of the very first HOT WHEELS ever produced. Anyway, that's the story told to me ... by Harry Bradley. Anyone has a problem with it, they can talk to Bradley about it ...
So here's the news, and I'm content to let the Mattel people tell it in their own voice, with perhaps an
interruption or two from Yours Truly (all our photos are of the HOT WHEELS 40th anniversary car "under construction"):
Hot Wheels has announced its year-long plans to celebrate the brand's 40-year heritage at the 105th American International Toy Fair, in New York City. Anniversary activities were kicked off with the unveiling of a custom jeweled 1:64-scale Hot Wheels car, designed by celebrity jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills. This one-of-a-kind car, the most expensive in Hot Wheels history, was made to commemorate the production of the 4 billionth Hot Wheels vehicle. (At one time, the guy who ran Mattel was married to Zsa Zsa Gabor, so don't know if that's where the Beverly Hills connection comes from, but I do know, from people who were there, that when this guy had friends and/or business associates over for dinner, and Zsa Zsa was the wife, things normally went very well for this businessman when it was time to discuss numbers).
The diamonds on the custom-made jeweled car, valued at $140,000, total more than 2,700 and weigh nearly 23 carats in total weight. The car is cast in 18-karat white gold with the majority of the vehicle detailed with micro pave-set brilliant blue diamonds, mimicking the Hot Wheels Spectraflame blue paint. Under the functional hood, the engine showcases additional micro pave-set white and black diamonds. The Hot Wheels flame logo found on the underbelly of the car is lined with white and black diamonds. Red rubies are set as the tail lights, while black diamonds and red enamel create the "red line" tires. The custom-made case that houses the jewel-encrusted vehicle also holds 40 individual white diamonds, signifying each year in the legacy of Hot Wheels. (Photo - Gems for the anniversary car).
The vehicle was unveiled by multi-platinum recording artist and car enthusiast, Nick Lachey, who grew up playing with the die-cast car line. In late 2008, this unique Hot Wheels vehicle will be auctioned off to benefit Lachey's charity of choice, Big Brothers Big Sisters.
In 2008, Hot Wheels will honor the partners that have helped make the brand successful and will take to the road to celebrate the brand's heritage with its faithful fans. These activities include:
Hot Wheels® Designer's Challenge
For the first time in its history, Mattel went outside of its in-house design team to seek new car designs and to honor the automotive partners that attributed to the success of Hot Wheels® cars over the years. Car designers from Dodge, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Lotus and Mitsubishi designed their version of a Hot Wheels® concept car based on the brand's attributes of speed, power, performance and attitude. Each submitted design was created in a 1:5-scale model and unveiled this past October at the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas. In late March, the 1:64-scale versions will be available at retailers nationwide as part of the Designer's Challenge product line.
Hot Wheels Cross-Country Road Trip 
This summer, fans across the country will be invited to celebrate the 40th anniversary as Hot Wheels travels Highway 40 to bring together automotive enthusiasts of all ages. Kicking off at Mattel's headquarters in El Segundo in mid-August, the road trip will make stops at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah; Speed, KS; Indianapolis; and Detroit, before culminating in a grand finale celebration on September 5 in Watkins Glen, NY, home to American road racing. There, Hot Wheels will partner with the Grand Prix Festival of Watkins Glen, to participate in the annual celebratory kick-off event honoring the history of the town and race track.
At each road trip stop, Hot Wheels will host a free event that will be open to the public. Each event will 
feature life-size Hot Wheels cars, kiosks where people can create their own custom Hot Wheels "drivers license," family-friendly activities, and the opportunity to receive a commemorative 1:64-scale Hot Wheels car created especially for each stop, available in limited quantities.
For information on Hot Wheels and its 40th anniversary activities, cruise over to www.hotwheels.com/40th.
About the Hot Wheels Brand
Hot Wheels cars revolutionized boys' toys in 1968 with an original line of super-fast, customized cars built for speed, power, performance and attitude. Now, 40 years later, Hot Wheels is a global lifestyle brand that represents the coolest cars imaginable in scales from miniature to full-size. Hot Wheels cars are also popular collectibles for adults and each year, introduces a new line-up of innovative vehicles, track sets and playsets. -30- (end of MATTEL/HOT WHEELS PR release).
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