2009 Hot Wheels Holiday Rods ’65 Impala

The ’65 Impala has been in the Hot Wheels lineup since 1998, so it has seen a few variations over the years. I thought I had about all of them (mostly still in the original packages) so I was a little surprised to come across one that I didn’t recognize at a garage sale yesterday. It has a few paint chips and the roof is pretty scuffed-up, but I had to take it home anyway. A little bit of research revealed that it is from the 2009 Holiday Hot Rods 3-Pack, which was sold exclusively at Target. This explains the snowflake motif on the sides and hood.

2009 Holiday Hot Rods 3-Pack (Target Exclusive) | ’65 Chevy Impala | red, snowflake tampo | gold PR5 wheels

2012 Hot Wheels Muscle Mania – GM ’62 Chevy

Here’s another bubbletop Chevy, the ’62 Bel Air hardtop, which first appeared in the Hot Wheels lineup in 2004. Though technically not an Impala, I can’t resist including these striking Chevys in my collection. I have several, and this gold beauty is one of the nicest.

2012 Muscle Mania – GM | ’62 Chevy | metal flake gold with red and silver stripe | MC5 wheel

[Four months later] I wandered into a Dollar Tree earlier this week and picked up the metallic blue version of this same car. Also, below you can see photos of a few other ’62 Chevys from my collection. And, I changed my mind. I decided the spectraflame blue version below from the Hot Wheels classic series is the nicest of the bunch. Which one is your favorite?

2012 Muscle Mania – GM | ’62 Chevy | metalflake blue/red, silver stripe | MC5 wheel

2008 All Stars | ’62 Chevy | metallic green with black and white stripe | PR5 wheels

2008 All Stars | ’62 Chevy | pearl white with dark blue and blue stripe | PR5 wheels

2006 Hot Wheels Classics Series 2 | ’62 Chevy Bubble Top | spectraflame blue with white stripes | white line 5SP wheels

2012 Hot Wheels New Models ’61 Impala

I was excited to discover a new Impala casting from Hot Wheels this year and I think the ’61 is a fine choice. The third generation of the Impala was a more boxy design, but it still had a just a hint of the fin from previous years combined with the gorgeous bubbletop roofline.

Hot Wheels | 2012 New Models | ’61 Impala | metallic dark red with white and black stripes | MC5 wheel

The second color variation of the ’61 Impala in the 2012 New Models is this metallic aqua stunner.

Hot Wheels | 2012 New Models | ’61 Impala | metallic aqua with white stripes | chrome rim black PR5

2012 Hot Wheels New Models Chevrolet SS

I didn’t know anything about this car until I saw it in the Hot Wheels Sneak Peeks several weeks ago. I recognized what I thought was the front end of a late 60s Nova, but was confused about the back half of the car. The generic name “Chevrolet SS” didn’t offer any clues, so I had to do a little research to figure out exactly what this was. GM manufactured the Opala – the name derived by combining Opel and Impala – in Brazil from 1969 until 1992. The car was popular because of its reliability and easy maintenance and was used for everything from police cars to taxis to race cars. Later models look much less like anything related to a Chevrolet, but I’m going to gladly display this one along side my many Novas and Impalas.

2012 New Models | Chevrolet SS (Opala) | green with black and white tampo | 5SP wheels

2011 Hot Wheels Chevy 5-Pack ’63 Chevy Impala

An older brother of mine used to have a field full of future project cars. Among them was a ’63 or ’64 Chevy Impala and a Chevrolet Biscayne wagon of the same year. There is something about the long straight lines on these cars that really gives me a thrill. My brother sold off those cars before he ever got a chance to fix them up. But I was lucky to come across a Hot Wheels Chevy 5-Pack the other day and I bought it just for this beautiful ’63.

Hot Wheels | T8638 | 2011 Chevy 5-Pack | ’63 Chevy Impala | dark green with black, olive and silver tampo | PR5 wheels

Here’s another nice Impala – this one a ’64 that was in the 2010 Exclusive 10-Pack. I love the low profile and wheel skirts.

Hot Wheels | 2010 10-pack | ’64 Chevy Impala | metal flake pearl white with silver, black and red tampo | 5SP wheels