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Central Texas couple Allen and Cheryl Espinosa are one of 29 people in the world to own a 2018 Hot Wheels Camaro. Allen Espinosa and his crew chief Albert Leal stand next to the drag racing car. Daily Record photos by Gary Zupancic

Central Texas couple wins life-size Hot Wheels

50th Anniversary Hot Wheels Camaro
Sunday, December 23, 2018

If you are of a certain age, and liked cars as a kid, chances are Hot Wheels was one of your main interests.

Matchbox were the first small toy cars to come out, and while they looked like the real thing – and yes, the little rubber wheels really worked – they lacked excitement. Remember, this was the age of serious muscle cars and the likes of Evil Knievel. Taking the hint, the toymaker Mattel came out with the brand “Hot Wheels.” They too, like Matchbox, were smaller versions of real cars, but Hot Wheels had one great advantage. You could actually race them against each other. They would also do car stunts on the moldable plastic tracks, such as loop de loops. They could do almost 90 degree turns and defy gravity, and yes – they were fast – really fast.

Those dreams stay with you, buried deep. Mention Hot Wheels to anybody who grew up during the 70s to the 90s and ask if they had any. If they did, a huge smile and a glazed look of happiness will cross their face and instantly they are 9 years old again. Even in the adult world, the love of Hot Wheels remains strong.

The inside instrumentation makes it clear the car is a drag racer and not street legal.

And while many of us have moved on to adult stuff, for Allen and Cheryl Espinosa, the love of Hot Wheels never became buried. They have a very special Hot Wheel car. One so special that there are just 29 alike cars of their 2018 model. And this is no toy car, this is a full-blown, drag racing, full, real Chevrolet Camaro.

Allen Espinosa and his wife Cheryl had to enter a lottery in order to buy the vehicle, and by an odd quirk of fate, they both won, but the Central Texas couple only wanted one.

“There were over 16,000 entries. We had to pick out the package and color we wanted, and we got the 50th Anniversary Hot Wheels Camaro,” Cheryl Espinosa said.

When the car was ready, they traveled to Oxford, Michigan to pick it up.

GM built it as a drag racing car. It is not street legal and does not have a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

“This is the only one that is racing as a drag racer. All the others are just stored by collectors,” Allen Espinosa said of the other 28 Hot Wheels Camaros.

And he drag races it for real. It has been racing in Kansas, Oklahoma and allaround Texas. When I said full blown a couple of paragraphs ago, I meant it.

“I blew the engine at the last Lucas Oil Drag Racing series, last of the season in San Antonio…it had the fastest time, but it couldn’t handle a different supercharger.” Allen Espinosa said.

There were only 29 2018 Hot Wheel Camaros made.

The car is still beautiful, even without the engine, which is currently being repaired. The car will enjoy a few more modifications and will be ready for the Lucas Oil 2019 Racing Series. Allen says it will be faster than ever after the repairs.

“I’m hoping to do 7.9 or 7.8 seconds (for a quarter mile),” Allen Espinosa said. “The last times were in the 8.o to 8.20.”

To continue their racing, the couple is currently looking for sponsors. If interested in a sponsorship, Allen Espinosa can be contacted at 512-738-0207, or allen@reliableairtx.com.

San Marcos Record

(512) 392-2458
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666