“An amazing collection”
Man’s assortment Hot Wheels cars grows to more than 30,000
Kevin Feeley got his first Hot Wheels cars at the age of 8.
It was 1974 and his grandpa, Robert Blackburn, gifted him a Thundershift 500 race track that came with a red Monte Carlo Stocker and yellow Torino Stocker. Feeley wore out the track and cars, but his love for Hot Wheels has far from faded.
For almost 50 years, he’s been collecting Hot Wheels cars, amassing a collection that has grown to more than 30,000. In nearly every single room of the Firestone home he shares with his wife, the walls are adorned with clear display cases — the cars largely are shown at an angle so that someone peering in can see the detail from front to rear fender.
Feeley on Thursday shared some of the cars he is most proud of, including his large collection of Drag Buses, which have a top that flips up to show off the engine, and his employee-only collection that is designated to Mattel workers.
Feeley studied biology at the University of Colorado Boulder and earned a master of business administration from University of Colorado Denver. He went on to work as director of laboratory services for Metro Wastewater Reclamation District. The father and grandfather retired last year after a 32-year career in the role.
He said he started getting serious about his collection after he graduated from college. His goal: collect every variety that toymaker Mattel creates.
There aren’t many types he doesn’t have, though it’s difficult to say how many exist. Of his more than 30,000 cars, fewer than 12 are duplicates, and a few vacant slots in his display cases mark spaces for the roughly 20 cars he’s still on the hunt for. He finds the cars online, at big-box stores, at conventions and through personal connections with other Hot Wheels enthusiasts.
Their cost depends on the rarity and type, Feeley said, from $1 to hundreds to more than a thousand dollars.
Feeley is the president of the Rocky Mountain Hot Wheelers, a local Hot Wheels club that has shrunk from 100 to about 10 members. Feeley said he hopes that by sharing his passion for the cars, he can inspire other people to join and therefore renew the club’s energy.
Peter Kistler, a fellow collector and former president of the Rocky Mountain Hot Wheelers Club, said Feeley has “an amazing collection.”
“It’s right up there with some of the best ones I’ve ever seen,” Kistler said.
Kistler would know. The Thornton resident has more than 25,000 Hot Wheels cars himself.
Part of what makes the collection so unique is that Feeley has cars that date back to when Mattel first began making them in 1968. His collection also includes the redline era from 1968 to 1977. Those cars have red stripes on the wheels, which is indicative of ’60s-era hot rods with redline tires. What also makes the collection
»
amazing is the way it’s displayed.
Only some of Feeley’s cars remain in their original packaging. The rest are in wall cases that can be opened, allowing someone to touch the cars, look at them and play with them. While some may appear to be the same model, a closer look reveals subtle differences and detailed design, such as different colored windows or a surfboard hanging out a back window.
“Along the way, you go from ‘Oh, it’s a toy’ to really appreciating that (Hot Wheels) are a cross section of time,” Kistler said. “You get to see a car from 100 years ago and even how things were designed 50 years ago. When you start looking at the details, it’s really quite fascinating.”
Feeley can’t say for sure if he is a record holder of any sort. He said he has met other people with 30,000 cars, but what makes his collection so rare is that most of the cars are unique, they are all Hot Wheels brand and the same scale: 1/64.
Kistler said 30,000 is an impressive number of cars.
“Anything up to 1,000 cars is like a starter collection,” Kistler said. “If you got 20,000 cars, you’re definitely a nut.”
About 10 years ago, Feeley was at a charity auction when he came across the same track, a Thundershift 500, that his grandpa had gifted him as a child. The set was also autographed by the designer, Larry Wood. Feeley won the track and now keeps it in a display case near his cars.
Among the cars on display are the first two to ever start his collection — the cars his grandpa gave to him. Taking them down from their perches on Thursday, Feeley pointed out the worn decals and a missing hood scoop.
Feeley hopes to spark an interest in the cars with his own grandkids. He’s also working to grow his club’s membership and create a place to talk shop.
“It’s a great place to trade cars, learn about the hobby and just to talk Hot Wheels,” Feeley said. “It’s not something you can talk about every day to people at work or your friends.”