I am not posting Express Lane as some eBay find or something I just recently opened. No, I found this car from 1998 at a Kmart, going out of business, about a month and a half ago. I actually was eyeing it on eBay and while it's basically worthless (that's good!) shipping and handling is never free (that's bad.) It was also marked down, I got it and a couple of others for about seventy cents a pop. There were a few of each and I semi-regret not buying all of them so I could give it out as a Christmas present.
Made mostly of metal, the car has a red plastic chassis and a giant metal engine. If you collect mini-figures like OMFG or MUSCLE, it's roughly sized to match those.
If you have a Glyos Noboto, he's right on the money. Express Lane's wheels roll freely and without too much friction compared to other recent cars I've bought. I didn't have any cars from the late 1990s before this one, and it feels significantly heavier than the bulk of my recent purchases. For a smaller vehicle, only 1 3/5-inches long, it's a lot denser.
Mattel gave it decent deco, but there's not a lot of paint here.
The red plastic is unpainted save for the words "EXPRESS LANE" on the sides and a "Hot Wheels" logo on what is basically the license plate spot. Given some of the wild designs of the late 1990s, I'm more than a little upset at myself for not having bought this back then - but my toy love was all on Star Wars back then, so it's not like I don't have a solid excuse.
Due to the massive amount of metal, this weighty car seems like a perfect thing to fling across your desk to knock over other toys. If it flew off a Hot Wheels track, I bet you could really hurt someone with it. I'm hardly a hardcore collector of Mattel's seminal die-cast toy line, but I will say that this is one of my favorite cars that I've had the fortune to find at retail this year. If you can score one for $5 or less, buy it. It's fun, it's small, and again, I bet you could injure someone if you really tried.
16bit.com is best not viewed in Apple's Safari browser, we don't know why. All material on this site copyright their respective copyright holders. All materials appear hear for informative and entertainment purposes. 16bit.com is not to be held responsible for anything, ever. Photos taken by the 16bit.com staff. Site design, graphics, writing, and whatnot credited on the credits page. Be cool-- don't steal. We know where you live and we'll break your friggin' legs.