Hot Wheels: Red Baron

I only owned a few Hot Wheels cars as a kid, but one I remember specifically owning was the Red Baron. In fact, I kind of think it was the first Hot Wheels car I ever owned.

My mom used to love (and still does!) shopping at garage sales. While I don’t remember owning any specific Hot Wheels tracks or playsets, what I had was an endlress collection of straight track pieces and the little adapters that allowed you to connect them. With those, I could build a track that would zip and zoom all around my room, often starting on top of my bed and, like a rollercoaster, having the cars propelled by gravity through all the twists, turns, and loops I could come up with.

The Red Baron car existed in many different forms. The car began life as a model, sold in hobby stores. Based on the popularity of the model, a full-size version of the car was commissioned and built in 1969. Hot Wheels’ version of the Red Baron debuted in 1970, but was re-released in 1973. Some rare versions of the toy have a white interior but most are black. The earlier version of the Red Baron had flames, while the 1973 version was all red.

Despite having minor differences, all versions of the Red Baron have the same design. It’s such a unique looking vehicle, which is probably why it’s one of the ones I remember most from my childhood. I don’t remember it being particularly fast or valuable, but it sure was unique.

I always love it when an old toy makes a comeback, and was tickled to see the Red Baron make an appearance in the original Toy Story. It was the Red Baron who helped Buzz Lightyear “fall in style” as Woody put it. The Red Baron even made it into a Toy Story playset at the time. Few toys last forever, but the Red Baron made it to infinty and beyond!

While I kept literally every Star Wars toy I’ve ever owned, I sold my Hot Wheels at a garage sale when I was in fifth or sixth grade. I don’t remember most of the cars I had, but I will never forget this one. To infinity and beyond, indeed!