My name is Marc, but my wife and other friends sometimes call me Marcus. So I figured this might be as close as I will ever come to having a Hot Wheels car named after me.
I’ve come across the Hot Wheels Virtual Collection Marcus Construction CAT Forklift twice before, and each time it was missing parts. After finding the most recent one in the 3-dollar box, I decided it was time to go after a complete one on eBay. This card is in pretty good shape and the car inside is obviously mint, but unfortunately the yellowed blister is more distracting in real life than it is in photos.
50652 | 2000 Virtual Collection | CAT Forklift | orange with black plastic cage, blue white and black Marcus Construction | 5SP
In 2000, the Virtual Collection was billed as “The future of Hot Wheels collecting.” There were 35 different castings in the collection, ranging from the Speed-A-Saurus to the 1936 Cord to the Blimp. By finding the secret code inside the package and going to HotWheels.com/VirtualCollection, the car owner could download a 3-D screensaver of their model. Unfortunately for me, I’m not running Windows 95.
The CAT Forklift goes all the way back to the 1980 Hot Wheels Workhorses series. About nine different variations have been made up until 2001. I don’t have any of the other CAT versions, but I do have a couple of nice Matchbox forklifts, one from my childhood and another that I found at the Village Flea Market.
As for Marcus Construction, there is a company by that name in Wilmar, Minnesota, that has been around since 1956. Their history page, however, does not mention that they’ve had a Hot Wheels model made in their honor.
The Race Case Chevy 