For most automotive enthusiasts, toy cars act as a gateway to the world of V8s and quad-tail pipes. As I sit at my desk there are three just in my eye line, a green Jaguar E-type, a white Lamborghini Countach with a red interior, and a Mustang with a flame livery. The last of these almost definitely is a Hot Wheels. At some point between 1968 and today, the Mattel-owned toy car brand became synonymous with toy cars.

Producing both replicas and their own wacky creations, the brand markets cars for their manufacturers by putting them in the hands of the easily influenced. According to the Ministry of Diecast, the franchise returns in 2022 to the Hot Wheels lineup with some fan favorite classic cars that many collectors missed the first time around.

What Cars Are In 'Fast And Furious' Mix 3?

Hot Wheels has released Fast and Furious cars since 2013. Producing the JDM cars from the earlier films such as the Nissan Skyline R34 GTR, Toyota Supra, and then a few muscle car favorites. The line grew over the years to include the ever more outlandish vehicles that the producers feature. This includes the McLaren 720S and Lamborghini Murcielago.

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Mix 3 features five fan favorites from former collections that collectors may have missed. The first was the '99 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning. At first, this model doesn't scream Fast and Furious, but driven by Paul Walker's Brian O'Connor and powered by a 5.4-liter Supercharged V8, the sports truck screams to 60mph in under 6 seconds. As the car features in the film, it has red paint, and the contrasting white The Racers Edge branding on the truck's doors. The next in the collection is a Buick Regal GNX. Dubbed Darth Vader, due to its turbocharger and all-black exterior, the GNX is the height of the 1980s Muscle. The '87 GNX stars in the opening scene of Fast & Furious (the fourth entry in the series).

What Muscle Cars Are In Mix 3?

Hot Wheels '77 Pontiac Trans Am
Ministry of Diecast via YouTube
 

Another gem from towards the end of the muscle car's golden era, the '77 Pontiac Firebird T/A comes in as third in the collection. Matching the car's reputation in Smokey and the Bandit, the Pontiac features in Fast Five during the prison break. Another icon of the muscle car scene, Dom's '68 Dodge Charger features. Just like Bullitt, the Charger is black and only has gold accents and a bold R/T logo on the rear fender. This Charger had plenty of different liveries in its time in the franchise, be that the original Silver or the black ice charger.

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Last but not least, the fifth model in the collection is the '70 Chevrolet Nova SS. Hot Wheels finished the model in metallic silver paint with black racing stripes and a clearly printed SS logo. The model's wheels are black, matching the stripes. An example of the third generation of Nova is the Nova II that this toy car is a shining example of Chevy's greatest era of a muscle car.