# Leading Car Designers Creating Toys Honda Wins Hot Wheels Design Competition By varkeychaya | Published 2008-04-27 | Autos Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/honda-racer-hondas-dream-car References: [blog.wired](http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/04/honda-goes-a-li.html#more) Lead designers from Honda, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Lotus and [Mitsubishi](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mitsubishi-shinkansen) all competed in a [Hot Wheels](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/miniature-wind-tunnel) Design Competition. The competition celebrated the 40th anniversary of Hotwheels 1/64th-scale die-cast toy cars. The Honda Racer is a winning concept from a design competition by [Mattel Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/3000gt-vr4). Honda got a chance to design a no-holds-barred expression of their brands spirit. Drawing inspiration from the 1967 RA273 Formula 1 car, Honda designed the car around its H Emblem. Honda's designer, Guillermo Gonzalez noted, "Designing a Hot Wheels car is very different and in some ways more liberating than designing a production car. The primary design constraint is that the car had to fit on the orange track and perform a loop. Aside from that, the possibilities are without limit." If the car ever became a realty then you would be seeing wedged between the driver and navigator a 20 liter VTEC (variable valve timing and electronic lift control) V-10 engine. With 20 liters i.e. 1220 cubic inches, you would be getting two liters per cylinder, in other words total carmic liberation. Topping up the design are chrome velocity stacks and a tangle of fat exhaust headers. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.3/10 - Popularity: 50% | Activity: 10% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 90% men, 10% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Autos](https://www.trendhunter.com/autos) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Die-cast Toy Cars Reimagined:** Innovative designs of die-cast cars by leading car brands and designers to create a new wave of collectibles and reimagine classic designs. - **Brand Expression in Toy Design:** Designing toys as an avenue for brands to express themselves creatively and reach a new audience of collectors and fans. - **Open Design Constraints in Toy Creation:** Exploring the creative freedom and innovation potential that comes with open design constraints in toy creation, promoting out-of-the-box thinking and concept innovation. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Toy Manufacturing:** Opportunities for toy manufacturing companies to collaborate with leading car brands and designers to create unique and innovative products that attract new consumers and increase revenue. - **Brand Marketing:** A new avenue for brands to express their identity and reach new audiences through unique and creative toy designs and collaborations. - **Collectibles Market:** Potential for collectible markets to expand their offerings with innovative and creative die-cast car designs created by leading car brands and designers, attracting new consumers and collectors. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Limited Racing Models](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/honda-ra272.md) - [Revived Retro Concept Cars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/honda-hpx-concept.md) - [Bold Racing Die-Casts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/2025-f1-grid.md) - [Miniature Designer Collectible Cars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/art-car-1.md) - [Graffiti Racer Models](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/3000gt-vr4.md) - [Automaker-Ran Gaming Tournaments](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/honda-fan-cup.md) - [Japanese Electric Sports Cars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/honda-flagship.md) - [Board Game Car Collectibles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pass-n-go-164.md) - [Toy Car Aerodynamic Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/miniature-wind-tunnel.md)