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I maintain and update this site on a periodic basis as new cars are released and older cars are discovered. My rankings are based on timings of over 3,000 plus cars across many brands.
Thank you for your continued interest and feedback. Diecast gravity racing is a very fun and satisfying hobby!
Thank you for your continued interest and feedback. Diecast gravity racing is a very fun and satisfying hobby!
My Track and Use of Graphite
I race on a two-lane, 27 foot Derby Magic track that includes an accurate timer down to the 1/1000's seconds. 27 feet is equivalent to just under one-third of a mile at 1/64th scale. Diecast racing is most commonly done at a quarter mile or 20.6 ft. So my track is a little longer than that, which I prefer.
The length of the descent (acceleration phase) is about 7 feet. The slope on the descent is about 25 degrees. I like a long flat run so that the track emphasizes cars with good wheels and consistent speed. The Derby Magic track is 22% wider than the classic orange track which opens up so many more cars for racing. I'll make note of cars that won't fit on a standard orange track.
At this time I only race cars that are without modifications (e.g. added weight or changed tires/axles), but I have tested all my cars using graphite, which I would highly recommend if you are serious about racing. This is a pretty standard and accepted practice among diecast racers. It really brings out the speed in so many cars.
The length of the descent (acceleration phase) is about 7 feet. The slope on the descent is about 25 degrees. I like a long flat run so that the track emphasizes cars with good wheels and consistent speed. The Derby Magic track is 22% wider than the classic orange track which opens up so many more cars for racing. I'll make note of cars that won't fit on a standard orange track.
At this time I only race cars that are without modifications (e.g. added weight or changed tires/axles), but I have tested all my cars using graphite, which I would highly recommend if you are serious about racing. This is a pretty standard and accepted practice among diecast racers. It really brings out the speed in so many cars.
Testing Approach
I race every car under the same conditions. Each car was given the same amount of attention when applying graphite and given approximately 7-8 individual races down my track. I may give the car an additional 1-2 races if the car showed improvement on its times. Note that some cars need 2-3 races to break the tires and graphite in, so having 8 or so attempts is needed to showcase its potential. I average the two fastest races to arrive at a final time. For example, if the fastest time for a car was 2.520 seconds and the next fastest was 2.540 seconds, the recorded time would be 2.530 seconds. My thinking is that I'm searching for top speed, but I also feel it's important to show some consistency. So to have an elite time, you really need at least two really good races.
Racing Weight Classes
In addition to breakouts by overall speed and within brands, there will be rankings by weight classification. As racers we know how important weight is. The more weight the more energy that's generated and the more speed that results.
The classifications are noted below, consistent with many diecast racing channels and tournaments. As a point of reference, the average modern mainline Hot Wheels car is 36 grams.
The classifications are noted below, consistent with many diecast racing channels and tournaments. As a point of reference, the average modern mainline Hot Wheels car is 36 grams.
Classification |
Weight Range (grams) |
Featherweight |
30.9 g or less |
Welterweight |
31.0 - 40.9 g |
Middleweight |
41.0 - 50.9 g |
Light Heavyweight |
51.0 - 62.9 g |
Heavyweight |
63.0 - 100.9 g |
Super Heavyweight* |
101.0 plus g |
* note that Super Heavyweight cars are typically large, oversize trucks and special cars. They are not included in the overall rankings, but there is a seperate weight classification breakdown for them.
Racing Speed Tiers and Single Casting Rule
An important consideration is that I only rank the fastest version of a specific casting (within a brand). For example, the Hot Wheels Ferrari F40, a fast casting. There are many F40's that have been produced. If I included every one I'll have a host of them in the rankings and I don't think that's very interesting. In the F40 example, my fastest is the red Gold Medal Speed version. So I don't replicate that by also including the Dash-4-Cash version. I will though call out those castings that have multiple versions that are really fast. I do though make exceptions to the single casting rule, however. For those castings where one is part of a vintage Hot Wheels set (i.e. Redlines, Blackwalls, Hot Ones or Ultra Hots), I will include that car, plus the more contemporary version if they both qualify.
To help with classifying cars by speed, I organize them into different speed tiers. I derived the breaks based on how much time is associated with a one car length beat in a two-car race. Each 1 car beat difference represents a tier. Based on a review of numerous races using slow motion video capture, I was able to determine that a car beating another by one full car length equates to 23/1000's seconds on my track, assuming an average size/length car. My reference point for comparison is an average 2022 mainline Hot Wheels car, which on my track runs at 2.636 seconds. So a car with a 2.515 time would be 5.3 car lengths better than an "average" car (2.636 - 2.515 = .121. And .121 / .023 = 5.3). A beat of 5.3 car lengths would classify that car as 4-Star. See the table below for the breakouts. You can also use the 23/1000 metric to determine the "beat" between one car to another. For example, a 2.495 time car would beat a 2.548 time car by 2.3 car lengths.
To help with classifying cars by speed, I organize them into different speed tiers. I derived the breaks based on how much time is associated with a one car length beat in a two-car race. Each 1 car beat difference represents a tier. Based on a review of numerous races using slow motion video capture, I was able to determine that a car beating another by one full car length equates to 23/1000's seconds on my track, assuming an average size/length car. My reference point for comparison is an average 2022 mainline Hot Wheels car, which on my track runs at 2.636 seconds. So a car with a 2.515 time would be 5.3 car lengths better than an "average" car (2.636 - 2.515 = .121. And .121 / .023 = 5.3). A beat of 5.3 car lengths would classify that car as 4-Star. See the table below for the breakouts. You can also use the 23/1000 metric to determine the "beat" between one car to another. For example, a 2.495 time car would beat a 2.548 time car by 2.3 car lengths.
Speed Tier |
Speed (avg of top 2 races) on my 27' track |
5-Star I have 90 castings at this tier |
Under 2.500 seconds 6.0+ car lengths faster than an average Hot Wheels mainline |
4-Star I have 181 castings at this tier |
2.500 - 2.522 seconds 5.0 - 5.9 car length improvement |
3-Star I have 292 castings at this tier |
2.523 - 2.545 seconds 4.0 - 4.9 car length improvement |
2-Star I have 375 castings at this tier |
2.546 - 2.568 seconds 3.0 - 3.9 car length improvement |
1-Star I have 401 castings at this tier |
2.569 - 2.599 seconds 1.6 - 2.9 car length improvement |
Competitive Non-Competitive There are 1,000's of cars at 2.600 or higher |
2.600 - 2.636 2.637+ |
Fastest Diecast Top 100 - Quick Link
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