I’ve always been fascinated by speed, and not just of the wheeled variety. I’m a dyed-in-the-wool aviation geek and rocket nerd too, so naturally something that blends all these things together has to be part of my collection...
Presenting the Tricar X8; this here is the first release of the casting from 1980, one from my youth that I managed to keep in pretty decent shape. 7 more repaints came out over the next 9 years, but since 1989 this car has been MIA from the Hot Wheels range. A rare trike design, it was created by Larry Wood.
I’d suggest Wood’s concept for Tricar X8 is inspired by two real-world vehicles; the Blue Flame, which set the Land Speed Record in 1970; and Evel Knievel’s Skycycle X-2, as used in his ill-fated attempt to jump the Snake River in 1974. That stars-and-stripes paint-job is a dead giveaway!
The red, white and blue livery also gives it a NASA-esque look that wouldn’t look out of place on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral.
But I’m pretty sure this other guy could beat the Tricar on acceleration...
This post brought to you by the sounds of Voyager 1 from Adam Young.
(Check out my other post about a similarly rocket-powered Hot Wheels casting here)