This year marks the 100th-anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 and Mattel will be making its mark on the day with a spectacular stunt being coined as “Fearless at the 500". Approximately 1 hour before the start of the race, a custom built 1:1 scale vehicle will be released from a nine story, live size Hot Wheels track.

The track itself is being placed in the infield area of the speedway’s fourth turn and will take approximately 3 weeks to construct. An artist’s rendering of the track and tower can been seen to the right. The identity of the truck’s driver will remain unknown until the completion of the stunt at which point it will be revealed. The stunt itself has been designed to be a record breaking jump of 302 feet with a landing area somewhere near the speedway’s short chute near turns three and four.

Promotional tickets with prime seating for the stunt in the grandstand facing the landing are being offered up for $80 and $90. The ticket package includes a Hot Wheel replica, discounts and a $5 coupon for IMS merchandise.

Check out the teaser video below.

Attendees of the first-ever Canadian Diecast Convention will now have one more exciting event to attend as the 1:1 scale Hot Wheels Ford Mustang Color Shifter will be making at stop in Niagara Ontario on Saturday, September 11th.

The Mustang is covered in the very same thermochromatic paint that is used on 1:64 scale Hot Wheels Color Shifters and will change from blue to white when exposed to hot or cold water. The Mustang’s appearance is part of a cross-country tour that stops at more than 50 festivals and events across Canada to promote the Hot Wheels Color Shifter products.

This event will give convention goers and children a chance to water down the full-size car and see its color change before their very eyes. Perhaps even Hot Wheels Designer Larry Wood will get a chance at shooting the water canon at it!

Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this fantastic new event at the first-ever Canadian Diecast Convention coming to the Sheraton at the Falls on September 9-12, 2010! Information on tickets and accommodations for the convention can be found on ToyCarConventions.com.

Its been a long time since I’ve featured a picture of someone “out in the wild” showing their love of Hot Wheels, so I was stoked (yeah, I said stoked!) to come across this picture of this awesome 1:1 scale Hot Wheels pickup! Special thanks to Loretta Parker for snapping the picture and sharing it on Facebook!

Have you seen someone proudly displaying their love of Hot Wheels? Reach out to me via the contact form and we can share your picture with the rest of the collecting community!

I’m sure those who attended the GMP Experience during the Hotlanta convention would agree that it was quite possibly the highlight of the weekend. The event was spectacular from start to finish. Everything was top notch – from Tom Long’s (GMP’s President) gracious hosting, to delicious the BBQ and the amazing parting gift. Oh, did I mention the cars!?! Attendees got a first-hand look at almost every model that GMP makes. I think more than a few collectors left with a future GMP purchase on their brains! Not too shabby for a $25 premium event!

If that weren’t enough, the trip also included a side excursion to Milton Robson’s private 1:1 scale car collection. Getting a first-hand look at his spectacular award-winning collection of muscle cars and classics was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Here are some photo sets of both the GMP Tour and the side trip to the Robson collection. Enjoy!

The GMP Experience

Milton Robson’s Private Car Collection

Tire manufacturer Dunlop recently teamed up with UK car enthusiast TV show Fifth Gear to accomplish a real life “loop-the-loop” world record – without the use of a safety net! As collectors, we can only reenact this amazing stunt with the help of plastic track and our trusty die-cast cars. It appears that the stunt organizers actually did the same while working out the physics needed to complete the stunt. Here are a few select videos from the series. Visit the official Dunlop “Loop-the-Loop” site for the full run.

The Teaser

Working out the physics

The Stunt

[via dunlop.eu]