Hot Wheels is a brand of 1:64, 1:43, 1:18 and 1:50 scale
die-cast toy cars introduced by
American toy maker
Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of
Matchbox until 1997 when Mattel bought
Tyco Toys, then-owner of Matchbox. Many
automobile manufacturers have licensed Hot Wheels to make
scale models of their cars, allowing the use of original design
blueprints and detailing. Although Hot Wheels were originally intended for children and young adults, they have become popular with adult collectors, for whom limited edition models are now made available.