The 10 Most Valuable Die-Cast Cars Ever Made
Sometimes a Little Die-cast Car is Worth A Lot of Money
You know what they say, it’s not the size that matters… it’s how rare the car is. Wait… is that not what they say? Well, we say it. Most die-cast cars will never be more than fun to zoom around a track, but a few end up being legendary. Some gained rarity as they gained years, while others were made to be pricey. All we know is we would race to the front of the line for a chance to own any of them.
Lesney Matchbox 1967 Magirus Deutz Crane no. 30
Lesney was the first manufacturer of die-cast cars. They began an entire industry which now is beloved by so many; it’s not hard to believe they made the list. In fact, they are such a huge part of die-cast history that we’ve talked about them before. This one goes for almost $10,000!
Hot Wheels Beatnik Bandit
One of the kings of die-cast cars in the modern world is obviously Hot Wheels (leading the way, as they say). However, their early models could get you some full-sized wheels if you were to sell one. The Beatnik Bandit was one of the earliest models. It was a concept car with a dome top and a joystick instead of a steering wheel (we have no idea why that didn’t take off). Hot Wheels wanted to encourage girls to play with their cars, too, so they made a limited run in pink. Collectors now scramble to the pink version and will pay up to $15,000 for the honor.
Classic Model Cars USA 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO
This model was a labor of love. Honestly, if we didn’t know any better, we’d think you could actually drive this beautiful model. The windshield wipers have rubber blades, the seats are cloth, the restraints are actual leather, and the instrument panel is lovingly crafted. It’s no wonder this Ferrari is one of the most sought after die-cast cars in the world. However, if you want to park this incredible replica in your collection you need to have an incredible $18,000 for the chance.
Dinky Pre-War №22D Delivery Van “W.E. Boyce”
Dinky is not the most well-known toy car company, but they had a good run. This delivery van was not a giant seller in its time, when most collectors and children sought more interesting models. There was a large line of differing vans, but this one, for whatever reason, was the rarest. If you want one, the price is steep — expect to pay no less than $26,000 for it, if you can find it at all!
Tomica Nissan Fairlady Z432 Platinum
This Fairlady is not one you will find just anywhere. This was a gift to the Japanese company Takara Tomy to celebrate 40 years of their model toy line, Tomica. The replica was made by a jeweler in pure platinum as a replica of their own model. This shining beauty will set you back a fortune: a cool $80,000.
Hot Wheels 1969 Pink Rear-Loading Volkswagen Beach Bomb
This is another car we’ve talked about before. What’s even more incredible about it? The value has risen even more since that piece came out! So what makes this car so special? Well, the model was a prototype and is considered a holy grail to collectors. It was given to employees to test, but the frame was dubbed too narrow for the Hot Wheels Launcher and was scrapped before it was ever produced. Only one is known to exist, though there are unconfirmed rumors of a second one. This model is currently valued at a whopping $125,000 — good luck ever finding one to buy!
Hot Wheels 40th Anniversary Diamond Encrusted Otto
When we wrote our last article about Hot Wheels (it’s been a while), we said that the Pink Beach Bomb was the most expensive car they ever made. Well, that title has been taken…by this incredible piece of Hot Wheels history. While this car doesn’t have the lore of the Beach Bomb, it does have the price tag to oust our previous champ. Mattel commissioned celebrity jeweler Jason Arasheben to make something incredible for Hot Wheels’ 40th anniversary. The car is coated in 1388 blue diamonds, 988 black diamonds, 319 white diamonds, 8 rubies, and 18k white gold. It took him 600 hours to assemble, and cost Mattel an incredible $140,000.
24K Gold Bugatti Veyron
The Bugatti Veryon is one of the most expensive cars in the world. Valued at $1.5 million, it’s the fastest production car ever built. This die-cast version costs more than that, which is a pretty jaw-dropping thing in and of itself. Respected luxury designers Robert Gulpen and Stuart Hughes crafted this stunning replica out of 24K gold and platinum. The grill has a single 7.2 kt flawless cut diamond, which is more than you will ever find on a wedding ring (well, unless you’re Paris Hilton). This tiny gold supercar would cost a staggering $2.9 million to add to your collection, so we anticipate you probably won’t.
1:8th scale Lamborghini Aventador
This supercar made the list, and this smaller replica is bigger than most. At 1:8th scale it is a bit bigger than your standard Hot Wheels. What’s even bigger, however, is the price tag. Let’s put this in perspective first. A full sized Lamborghini Aventador will set you back $400,000. That is a lot of money to spend on one car. This model was made to be even more. Robert Gulpen Engineering (for whatever reason) decided that they would make an exact replica of the Aventador. All details were perfectly accounted for; the only difference was the materials. The body is made from carbon with the tiniest thread of gold woven into the fibers. The seats are made from precious stones. The wheels are made from gold and platinum (because at this point, why not?). If that weren’t enough, the headlights are clear diamonds and the taillights are made of colored precious stones. Our only question is “why?” Well, the why doesn’t matter. What does matter is that this insane model is worth an astronomical $6 million, and it’s not even the most expensive die-cast car ever made.
1:8th scale Lamborghini Aventador Gold
Okay, okay it’s the exact same car, in the exact same size. It seems like cheating, but it’s not. The same people who brought you the $6 million Aventador decided to one-up themselves. How the heck do you up a $6 million die-cast car? Well, you wrap it in gold of course! What’s even more shocking is that it raises the price to a gasp-inducing $7.5 million. Let’s say that a new Hot Wheels car costs an average of $10 (that number might even be a bit high, but just go with us on this). That means you could buy a total of… 750,000 hot wheels for the price of one gold wrapped Lamborghini Aventador!
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Originally published at https://gemr.com on January 22, 2018.