After the plain look of 1973's new enamel Hot Wheels, Mattel instituted an exciting new change to the 7 new issues and 18 reissues for 1974: pad-printed, colorful graphics called "tampos." It was an instant upgrade to the drab, simple Hot Wheels from a year prior, and it was a hit. The new line of cars was issued on a new blistercard, with the name "Flying Colors." 1973 also marked the first year that the cars would not be available in many color variations, keeping variations to a minimum. However, some cars would endure a temporary or permanent color change during the run for assorted reasons. These short-run color changes are referred to as "alternate" colors, and are very difficult to find. Their rarity makes them highly valuable and sought by collectors. Another rare issue was the Road King Mountain Mining Set Road King Truck. This unassuming little truck can garner big bucks on the secondary, because it was only issued in the set, making it a short run. Note that there are changes to this price list, as compared to 1968-1972. I've eliminated the U.S. column, as everything was being made in Hong Kong, as well as the wheel chart, since non-removable wheels were introduced. Quoted values are for LOOSE, NM examples. Cars less than NM will obviously command a lesser value than listed, depending on overall condition. Also, since some collectors like to add new replica wheels to replace their beat-up originals, I've added the sizes of the tires to the far right for each car. Note that the NCHWA utilizes a pricing method called "Star Value©." Instead of specific dollar values, each car will be assigned a Star Value© to indicate rarity and potential price range. There are simply too many variables to place a "set" value on any model, so a range will be used instead to indicate where that particular model may fall on the secondary price scale. A +/- indicates where on that scale the value is approximated, while a number by itself would indicate the value falls in the middle of the Star Value. This is also an easy-glance method to determine rarity; the higher the number, the rarer the car. The value chart will be placed at the bottom of each page

Option: Click the button to the left to download a printable copy of the Star Chart for easy reference (Microsoft Word or equivalent program required for viewing/download). It beats scrolling up and down when you're pricing your cars!

#	Name	Colors	Value
6968	Alive '55 Previous Castings: Classic Nomad (1970), Alive '55 (1973) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. Same issue as past Nomads, except with a stripe on the sides of the car with green flames and "Chevrolet." Alternate Color: Light Blue	Dark Green Light Blue	5 7

#	Name	Colors	Value
8258	Baja Bruiser Previous Castings: New Casting Production Run: 1974 only Note: Designed by Larry Wood, and produced in Hong Kong. Has red, white and blue flag tampo on the sides, with the number 5. Black plastic interior. Alternate color: Yellow.	Orange Yellow Yellow (Magenta in tampo instead of blue)	3 14 15

#	Name	Colors	Value
8263	Breakaway Bucket Previous Castings: New Casting Production Run: 1974 only Note: Designed by Larry Wood, and produced in Hong Kong. Orange and yellow tampo on trunk, roof and sides of bed. Black plastic interior.	Dark Blue	4

#	Name	Colors	Value
6976	Buzz Off Previous Castings: Tri-Baby (1970), Buzz Off (1973) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. Same details as the 1970 and 1973 models, with the exception of added white or yellow pinstriping on the trunk, sides and hatch. A light green version was issued, but is nearly impossible to find due to rarity.	Dark Blue Blue	2+ 2+

#	Name	Colors	Value
7617	Carabo Previous Castings: Carabo (1970) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. Orange and blue tampos added to trunk, roof and rear deck. Gull wing doors still open. Black plastic interior. Alternate Color: Yellow.	Light Green Yellow	3 19

#	Name	Colors	Value
8273	El Rey Special Previous Castings: New Casting Production Run: 1974 only Note: Designed by Larry Wood and produced in Hong Kong. Yellow striping around the hood and sides, with the number "1" near the cockpit and "Dunlop" on the spoiler. Alternate Color(s): Blue & Light Blue.	Green Light Green Blue Light Blue	3 3+ 12 19

#	Name	Colors	Value
6973	Ferrari 312P Previous Castings: Ferrari 312P (1970), Ferrari 312P (1973) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. No changes from the 1970 and 1973 versions. A white and blue tampo stripe was added to the hood and rear deck, with the number "30" on the hood, and Ferrari logos on the doors.	Red	2

#	Name	Colors	Value
7621	Funny Money Previous Castings: Funny Money (1972) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. Same details as the original 1972 version with the exception of the orange crash bar, which has been removed for this issue. Yellow and green flower/sun/peace tampos added to sides	Plum	3+

#	Name	Colors	Value
7622	Grass Hopper Previous Castings: Grass Hopper (1971) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. The white plastic top was removed for this issue, and the tools are no longer cast into the body. Orange and blue tampo on the sides with "Grass Hopper." A dark green version exists, but is nearly impossible to find due to being a possible prototype.	Light Green	3

#	Name	Colors	Value
7619	Heavy Chevy Previous Castings: Heavy Chevy (1970) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. Red and orange tampos on the sides, with the number "7". Black plastic interior. Alternate Color: Light Green	Yellow Light Green	5 21

#	Name	Colors	Value
6980	Ice "T" Previous Castings: Ice "T" (1971), Ice "T" (1973) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. No detail changes from the 1973 version, with the exception of an olive/orange tampo added to the hood. Alternate Color: Yellow.	Light Green Yellow	3 12

#	Name	Colors	Value
6978	Mercedes-Benz C-111 Previous Castings: Mercedes C-111 (1972), (1973) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. No detail changes from the 1972 and 1973 version. A white, yellow and blue tampo was added to the hood and roof.	Red	3

#	Name	Colors	Value
6966	Paddy Wagon Previous Castings: Paddy Wagon (1970), (1973) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. No features have been changed from the 1973 version.	Dark Blue	1+

#	Name	Colors	Value
6963	Police Cruiser Previous Castings: Olds 442 (1971), Police Cruiser (1973) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. Details remained the same as the 1973 version, but the white decal has been replaced by black, yellow and white "State Police" tampos on the sides, along with "12" and "Radar".	White	4

#	Name	Colors	Value
6972	Porsche 917 Previous Castings: Porsche 917 (1970), (1973) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. All details remained the same from the previous 1970 and 1973 versions. A yellow, purple and red tampo with the number "9" was added to the trunk, roof and rear deck. Alternate Color: Red	Orange Red	3 16

#	Name	Colors	Value
6965	Prowler Previous Castings: The Demon (1970), Prowler (1973) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. All details from the 1973 version remained the same on this issue. A red/yellow Devil flame/pinstripe tampo was added to the roof. Alternate Color: Light Green	Orange Light Green	3 18

#	Name	Colors	Value
7616	Rash 1 Previous Castings: Brabham-Repco (1969) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. Same features as the 1969 version. Black interior. Yellow, white and red tampo on the nose, with "Lucas" and number 31. Alternate Color: Dark Blue	Green Green (white interior) Light Green Dark Blue	3 16 5 17

#	Name	Colors	Value
6964	Red Baron Previous Castings: Red Baron (1970), (1973) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. The only change from the 1973 version is the point at the top of the helmet, which was dulled.	Red	1+

#	Name	Colors	Value
7615	Road King Truck Previous Castings: New Casting Production Run: 1974 only Note: Designed by Larry Wood and produced in Hong Kong. Issued only in the Mountain Mining set. Has a side-dumping yellow plastic bed, with a metal base and Redline wheels. The truck was attached to the track by a hidden pulley chain with a hand crank. Never issued in blisterpack. The dumpster must accompany this model in order for it to be considered complete.	Yellow	18

#	Name	Colors	Value
8259	Rodger Dodger Previous Castings: New Casting Production Run: 1974 only Note: Designed by Larry Wood and produced in Hong Kong. Orange and yellow flame tampos on trunk, roof and rear deck. Black interior, but there are very rare white interiors. There is an alternate blue version, but it is very difficult to find, due to rarity.	Plum Plum (white interior) Blue	3 20 31

#	Name	Colors	Value
8261	Sir Rodney Roadster Previous Castings: New Casting Production Run: 1974 only Note: Designed by Larry Wood and produced in Hong Kong. Removable brown roof, red flames on front fenders, cowling, and rear deck lid. There was a very hard-to-find orange variation. Alternate Color: Light Green.	Yellow Light Green Orange	2+ 16 17

#	Name	Colors	Value
8260	Steam Roller Previous Castings: New Casting Production Run: 1974 only Note: Designed by Larry Wood and produced in Hong Kong. Red and blue striping on the nose and sides, with the number "3" on either front fender. Hot Wheels logo centered on the hood, and various sponsors on the rear deck. A variation exists where there are 7 stars instead of the standard 3 on the front nose, between the "3's". The additional stars can be found above the "3", 2 additional stars on each fender.	White (3-star tampo) White (7-star tampo)	2+ 13

#	Name	Colors	Value
7630	Top Eliminator Previous Castings: Snake (1970), (1971), (1973) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. Orange, green and yellow tampo on the sides, with "Hot Wheels", "Fying Colors" and various sponsor logos. As with the 1971 and 1973 versions, there is no prop bar.	Dark Blue	4

#	Name	Colors	Value
7620	Volkswagen Previous Castings: Custom Volkswagen (1968) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. The sunroof was removed for this reissue. A difficult-to-find variation exists where stripes were originally on the trunk and hood. The tampo was changed to a yellow and green bug on the roof instead, due to the difficulty of lining up the stripes.	Orange (with bug on roof) Orange (with stripes on roof) Orange (with "Herfy's" on the sides)	3 16 6

#	Name	Colors	Value
7618	Winnipeg Previous Castings: Chaparral 2G (1969) Production Run: 1974 only Note: Produced in Hong Kong. For this reissue, the name was changed on the chassis, and the white wing found on the 1969 version was changed to orange. Blue and orange stripes on the front and rear, with the number "33".	Yellow	5

1 = $15-30 9 = $201-225 17 = $501-550 25 = $901-1100 33 = $2,501-2,800 2 = $31-50 10 = $226-250 18 = $551-600 26 = $1,101-1,300 34 = $2,801-3,100 3 = $51-75 11 = $251-275 19 = $601-650 27 = $1,301-1,500 35 = $3,101-3,400 4 = $76-100 12 = $276-300 20 = $651-700 28 = $1,501-1,700 36 = $3,401-3,700 5 = $101-125 13 = $301-350 21 = $701-750 29 = $1,701-1,900 37 = $3,701-4,000 6 = $126-150 14 = $351-400 22 = $751-800 30 = $1,901-2,100 38 = $4,001-4,400 7 = $151-175 15 = $401-450 23 = $801-850 31 = $2,101-2,300 39 = $4,401-4,800 8 = $176-200 16 = $451-500 24 = $851-900 32 = $2,301-2,500 40 = $4,801-5,200

What Events Defined 1974? Richard Nixon becomes the first US president forced to resign after the Watergate Scandal 55 MPH Speed Limit imposed to preserve gas usage US wide The Global Recession deepens due to gasoline shortages and price increases "Lucy", an almost complete hominid skeleton over 3 million years old, is discovered in Africa Hank Aaron beats Babe Ruth's home run record "Happy Days", "Good Times" and "That's My Mama" debut on U.S. TV Because of the gasoline shortage, daylight savings time is observed all year to save fuel. #1 movies of 1974 included: "The Godfather II", "Chinatown", & "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" #1 songs of 1974 included: "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas, "Cats in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin, "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John and "Rock the Boat" by Hues Corporation

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