Road Rumblings

Hot Wheels Chevy Camaro RLC 20th Anniversar y Edition Coming Soon

Every year since 2002, the Hot Wheels Red Line Club (RLC) has offered a new scale model car that’s only available to its members. In fact, the first anniversary vehicle was a 1967 Chevy Camaro that sported Redline wheels and a dazzling chrome finish. A complete two decades after the launch of the RLC Camaro, Hot Wheels is bringing the muscle car back exclusively for RLC members with a retooled and refreshed look. The 1967 Chevy Camaro model was one of the original 16 Hot Wheels cars offered in 1968, and the design team retooled the model in 2018, making it the perfect vehicle for an RLC club revival. The design is reminiscent of the original RLC Camaro offered to members back in 2002, featuring a Spectraflame Shadowchrome finish that’s sure to add a flashy chrome focal point to any collection. The roof is finished in contrasting matte black, and a pair of matte black stripes run the length of the hood, with sporty red pinstripes present on the hood, sides and rear of the mini muscle car. On the side, a Hot Wheels decal on the front fender brands this scale model, while a round decal proudly proclaims “Red Line Club,” along with a bold No. 20 as a tribute to the milestone anniversary. It also reads “2002” and “2022” on either side of the circular decal, while the names of Mattel employees are placed on the rear fenders. The entire ensemble rolls on Neo-Classics deep-dish wheels, which is an all-new design debuting on this particular model. The hood opens to reveal a molded chrome engine, bringing as much realism as possible to the small 1:64-scale Chevy Camaro. It is packaged in an illustrated RLC blister card that features vintage design elements. What’s more, some buyers will receive a rear foil blister card package, which will be distributed to members at random. This Chevy Camaro RLC Anniversary edition went on sale for $25 on September 20th, 2022, on Mattel’s website. It’s expected to ship in early 2023.

Driven By Design Exhibit Opens at the National Cor vette Museum

The National Corvette Museum (NCM) is pleased to announce that their groundbreaking exhibit, Driven by Design, is now open. The 6,500-square-foot exhibit is focused on the history of Corvette’s design process and the stories of the diverse group of individuals responsible for the most iconic sports car design of all time. This long-term exhibit, located in the museum’s Design and Engineering Gallery, has been planned by the museum’s curatorial staff along with co-curator, Retired GM Design Chief Tom Peters, for several years and was designed to inspire, educate, and entertain National Corvette Museum guests. This exhibit uses interactive elements, artifacts, hands-on objects, and motion-activated content to help guests learn about the design history of the Corvette.

The exhibit features Corvette’s Vice Presidents of Design beginning with Harley Earl in the 1950s through Mike Simcoe today. The exhibit also reveals the lesser-known stories of those who worked out of the spotlight but were no less influential in creating the lines that would shape the auto industry. Additionally, this exhibit shines a light on the diversity of the individuals responsible for Corvette’s iconic design. This exhibit also provides a full overview of the intricate and exciting process of designing a car, from sketches and renderings to clay and prove-out models. From exterior and interior design to future-looking projects and designs. With the use of interactive elements, guests will see the actual tools and models that led to the Corvettes seen on the road today. For more info go to www.corvettemuseum.org

Petersen Museum Updates Hypercar Exhibit

The Petersen Automotive Museum’s “Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme,” has welcomed 14 new vehicles to its exhibit, the museum announced. By the time the exhibit closes on May 14, 2023, 30 hypercars will have rotated throughout the exhibit’s tenure. Notable vehicles that joined the exhibit are the Hyperion XP-1, Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport, Pagani Zonda Tricolore, Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren Elva and the Lamborghini Sian FKP 37. The exhibit is also one of the first opportunities to see the 2020 Zenvo TSR-S in North America, while Ferrari is represented by the Monza SP1 and the only publicly viewable 2020 FXX-K Evo, museum officials said. Three Koenigsegg vehicles – the 2021 Gemera, 2019 Regera “Gotham” and the 2015 One:1 – round out the display of automotive luxury and performance. “We’re thrilled that new and returning visitors will get to experience our hypercars exhibit through a different line-up,” said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “It’s rare to see any one of these elite vehicles in public, let alone an entire collection of them, and they each stand as a testament to what a hypercar truly is.” Vehicles that will continue with the exhibit are two motorcycles, the 2014 Lotus C-01 and the 2021 Aston Martin Brough Superior AMB 01, the 2016 Pagani Huayra Hermes Edition, 2018 Koenigsegg Agera RS FE “Thor,” 2008 Bugatti Veyron and the 2023 De Tomaso P72. In addition to launching the new exhibition, Nio, the producer of the EP9 Hypercar featured in the museum’s Hypercars Pt.1 exhibition, has donated 1 of the 16 EP9s produced to benefits the museum’s charity auction taking place on Oct. 1, the company announced. This particular EP9 has been hand painted by artist Nicolai Sclater with a one-of-a-kind livery. This donation will be the largest auction item ever offered for sale at a Petersen fundraiser, the museum said.

‘Last Call’ Dodge Challenger Honors Detroit’s Black Ghost

Dodge has announced its penultimate “Last Call” special-edition model, the 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost, a modern-day vision that channels the HEMI-powered spirit of a muscle car that haunted metro Detroit’s famed Woodward Avenue in the 1970s, the company said. The original Black Ghost, a black 1970 Dodge Challenger RT SE (special edition) owned by Godfrey Qualls, ruled Woodward Avenue in the 1970s, Dodge said. Qualls’ 1970 Challenger quickly earned a legendary reputation for flexing its 426 HEMI-powered muscle on Woodward and then driving off mysteriously into the night, not to be seen again for months, leading to the “Black Ghost” nickname. In 2020, Qualls’ vehicle earned a spot on the National Historic Vehicle Register, and remains in the Qualls family to this day. The 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost special edition offers a modern manifestation of the historic vehicle, Dodge designers said, wrapping a black-and-chrome appearance, including unique black “gator skin” roof vinyl graphics similar to the original, around a Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody bumped up to 807 horsepower. The 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost is the sixth of seven special-edition Dodge “Last Call” models, following the previously announced Dodge Challenger Shakedown, Dodge Charger Super Bee, Dodge Challenger and Charger Scat Pack Swinger, and Dodge Charger King Daytona models. Just one final Dodge “Last Call” model will be announced at the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, scheduled for Nov. 1-4. “There are so many legendary muscle cars in Dodge brand history, it was hard to choose the seven vehicles we wanted to pay homage to with our Last Call lineup, but the Black Ghost was an easy pick,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer – Stellantis. “The 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost is the prelude to what we’re going to unveil with our seventh and final special-edition model.” 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost Only 300 of the 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost “Last Call” models will be produced. All 300 will be Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody vehicles in Pitch Black exterior color. Highlights of the 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost include: Black “gator skin” roof vinyl, Bright Dodge fascia badge, White rear fender graphics, Challenger script grille, fender and spoiler badges, Midnight Metallic SRT grille badge, Bright fuel filler door, Black six-piston Brembo brake system 09:1 rear axle ratio, 20-by-11-inch Satin Carbon Warp Speed wheels, Black Mopar hood pins, Black Ghost interior instrument panel badge, Alcantara/Laguna leather seats and door bolsters, Alcantara steering wheel with red SRT logo, Real carbon fiber bezels and Dynamica suede headliner