Richard Rawlings and his team at Gas Monkey Garage have come up with some truly amazing builds over the years. From the very first Gas Monkey Garage build, the 1952 Chevrolet Fleetline, right up to some of their more recent projects showcased on YouTube, the team has done it all. With 135 cars made by the garage over the years, there are plenty of builds that Rawlings likes and that he doesn’t, and of course, some of these builds Rawlings is more fond of than others.
One of the builds that Rawlings is most proud of is the Midas Monkey Chevrolet Corvette. This is the first car that Gas Monkey Garage built as part of a collaboration with Hot Wheels, whereby the car would become a model within the Hot Wheels range. It also marked the first time that Hot Wheels had reached out to a tuner about building a car from scratch for the team. This later went on to spawn more vehicles from Gas Monkey Garage for Hot Wheels that also got turned into super cool models.
Updated April 2023: We have updated this article with the latest whereabouts of the famous Fast N' Loud Midas Monkey Corvette. Richard Rawlings' first-ever build for Hot Wheels still remains a sensation. Together with another wild Hot Wheels Gas Monkey Build, Rawlings and the teams have proven their finesse in creating life-sized toys!
Midas Monkey Corvette Is The Coolest Fast N' Loud Hot Wheels Build
Hot Wheels usually creates models based on their own designs or production cars. This is the first time that a project car built in a garage was then turned into a Hot Wheels car. And what a build it is. When the garage first got the car, it was a black, 427 ci four-speed 1968 Chevy Corvette T-top with all the available options, and it was already a very nice car when they got it. It was then ripped apart and turned into the wild and super cool build that we know and love today.
It was a super fast car when the garage was all done with it, and this was a build that Rawlings was really excited about, and it was, of course, the first of the Hot Wheels cars they were actually asked to do. The build is exceptional, featuring a chrome supercharger poking through the hood, and the Gold Flake paint gave the car its name, Midas Monkey. Side pipes and flared fenders are more epic features of the Midas Monkey Corvette.
Who Owns The Fast N' Loud Midas Monkey Hot Wheels Corvette?
This is a car that Rawlings and his team love, and there is a funny story about where it ended up today. After the car was then completed, Rawlings and the team sold it on to a collection. But some time after that, the car was actually bought back by Rawlings, and when he went to get the car, Rawlings found out that the guy who owned the Corvette also owned the Hi-Po Hauler that the Gas Monkey Garage team had created. This was another of the Hot Wheels cars created by the Gas Monkey team.
So, what did Rawlings do then? He bought the Midas Monkey back for an event that sadly fell through, but he then sold the car on to Hot Wheels, who placed the car in their permanent collection in their museum. This has the bonus that the car is well looked after, so millions of people can go and enjoy looking at it. And, of course, you can buy the Midas Monkey Hot Wheels scale car from the Gas Monkey Garage shop as well! A Christmas present for someone, perhaps?
Hot Wheels Cars Are The Coolest Gas Monkey Builds Ever
The Hot Wheels cars are some of the coolest and most well-loved builds that the garage ever did, and Rawlings was able to take the Midas Monkey onto the Hot Wheels Legends Tour in 2020, which also saw the car united with the model that Hot Wheels had then made of it. The Gas Monkey Garage team then went on to produce some more Hot Wheels builds.
One of those, and the next best Fast N' Loud Hot Wheels build after the Midas Monkey, is the Hi-Po Hauler. It is a heavily modified Ford Econoline that was a visual treat created by the Gas Monkey team. This 1960s Econoline Hauler was transformed from an odd-looking pickup to a life-sized Hot Wheels toy in just 10 weeks! It was finished in a bold metallic orange shade and sported a set of wildly huge chrome wheels.
The Fast N' Loud team transformed this 60s pickup into a rear-engined 700-hp monster. It was the second Hots Wheels built by Richard Rawlings and his team. The Hi-Po Hauler was also chosen as a Red Line Club car. This made it a special Hot Wheels release model that was only available to members of the exclusive club.
Sources: Gas Monkey Garage & Richard Rawlings YouTube Channel, Gas Monkey Garage Facebook