If you’re the kind of person to get more excited about the latest product news from companies like Tomica and Mattel instead of Toyota and Chevrolet, you already know why a bunch of adults might happily line themselves up to buy a toy car for the price of a pretty indulgent breakfast on a Saturday morning. I was one of those people who woke up earlier than they normally would to buy a toy car like that, and though I wasn’t savvy or jaded enough to scoop up a bunch of these little 1:64-scale Mercs to sell later on on eBay, I still thought it was all more than worth the drive down to Costa Mesa.
Period Correct is the automotive-inspired fashion company that hosted the car meet pictured here to coincide with the release of their limited edition Hot Wheels, and they have a strong back catalog of collaborations with well-regarded names in the world of car enthusiasts, from people like Rod Emory to the creators of myth at McLaren. Still, working with Hot Wheels to release a special livery on the Mercedes-Benz 190E Evo II is the coolest thing they’ve done in my estimation, but if my playing with toy cars in the woods is anything to go by there’s clearly a lot of bias behind that. The final Evo version of the Cosworth Mercedes is also a car that I like just a bit more than most others, so I would have definitely been that sucker to pay $100 for one of these things if I missed out on the release day.
The full-size contingent of the car show was impressive in its own right, with a healthy dose of 190Es coming out in support of their miniaturized spokesman to the sport and an expected focus on modern classic German fare. The made-in-America element was present too, and the Stanceworks Model A build was a downright impressive bundle of engineering that manages to mix in parts like LMP2 wheels wrapped in modern motorsport rain tires without losing the spirit of early hot-rodding. The world-record-setting, 284mph-capable Koenigsegg Agera RS—the actual car, with signatures and all—also made an appearance and looked perfectly in its element next to the row of Hot Wheels loop de loops, and so despite the rather crammed parking lot there was some nice spikes of diversity.
