Stick’s Redline Garage: The Hot Heap

By Robert Stickels • June 3, 2010

The Hot Heap could quite possibly be one of the coolest castings Mattel has ever built, and its history makes a very interesting story.

Don Tognotti was one of the most successful Custom car show promoters of his time, but before that he built show cars. The Hot Heap was based on his 1964 modified Model T Roadster show car called “King T”, also known as “Tognotti’s T.” The King T won the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award at the Grand National Roadster Show in 1964.

By winning this award the King T was launched into stardom. Shortly after, MPC built a 3-in-1 model kit, and in 1968 Mattel released it as one of the original 16 Hot Wheels castings. A popular Hot Wheels model among many collectors, the Hot Heap is one casting that most collectors hope will be reissued in the near future.

The Hot Heap was originally issued in both a US and Hong Kong casting. The US version featured a metal engine and a color-matched, molded interior and steering wheel. The base was fairly plain with no details other than the exhaust pipes and logos (Hot Wheels, US patents pending, etc.) It also had a shorter trunk, and the leaf springs on the back were shorter and less detailed. US castings also came clear windshields and the wheels carried a dull silver finish.

The Hong Kong casting came with a plastic chrome engine. The base was more detailed with the entire drive train molded into the base, and featured open slots to view the axles. It was also issued with chrome wheels. The trunk was also longer, and the leaf springs on the back were longer and more detailed. They also came with blue-tinted windshields, and the interior were molded in various colors with a black steering wheels.

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