Although not the only speed defining characteristic, weight plays an important role in determining how fast a car goes. The more weight the more energy that's created which results in more speed. And even better if the weight is disproportionality in the rear of the car. All the lists on the site are based on overall speed (regardless of weight), but this section ranks them within defined classes.
Key notes/considerations:
Please see information on the home page for more details on testing method, speed tiers and other details.
- Featherweight is under 31 grams
- Welterweight is 31.0 to 40.9 grams
- Middleweight is 41.0 to 50.9 grams
- Light Heavyweight is 51.0 - 62.9 grams
- Heavyweight is 63.0-100.9 grams
- Super Heavyweight is 101.0 and over grams
- Note that I don't include these heavier vehicles in the overall ranks
Key notes/considerations:
- I race on a two-lane, 27 foot Magic Derby track (equivalent to about one-third of a mile). The Derby track is 22% wider than a typical Hot Wheels orange track, allowing me to race some slightly wider/larger cars.
- I categorize my cars into speed tiers with 5-Stars being the best. The Top 100 consists of all my 5-Star performers, plus the top 4-Star cars. The 5-star performers all have times under 2.500 seconds.
- I only count the fastest casting in my rankings for a specific car/brand. For instance, instead of counting all the very fast Probe Funny Cars, I only recognize the fastest among them. This makes things more interesting to me, as I don't end up with so many of one model, let alone the same exact car, in my rankings. Note that for vintage cars I do make exceptions (in other words, they qualify even if there is the same casting in another series).
- I've applied graphite to the cars, which really brings out the speed potential for diecast. I'll go into more detail on that in the future. Some cars only improve slightly, but others improve significantly when dry lubes applied.
Please see information on the home page for more details on testing method, speed tiers and other details.
Fastest Featherweight Cars
Under 31.0 grams
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The top Featherweights. Salt Shaker from Hot Wheels is #1 and the only 4-Star car. The orange Drag King from the Kenner Fast 111's series is #2, followed by Teegrey (in grey) and the 2012 Ford Fiesta , both from Hot Wheels. Lastly tied for 5th is MR11 from Hot Wheels and the Formula Special from Kenner. The latter four are 3-star cars.
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The Featherweight group is easily the least competitive weight class with no 5-Star cars and just one 4-Star entry. Two key factors here. Most of the cars produced are 31 grams or heavier, so the inventory is smaller. But more importantly the lack of weight limits the speed potential. Still, it's a fun group to race. To be honest, there are probably more fast cars to be found, as this group has not been a strong focus of mine.
Fastest Welterweight Cars
31.0-40.9 grams
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The Kenner Fast 111's leads the way with the #1 orange Turbo Tram and #2 Turbo Turret. The white FTE Cadillac V-16 is third, followed by Jack Hammer, the Fast 111's Shark Shifter and the Ford Sierra xR4i from Matchbox.
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The Welterweight Top 20 features 6 cars at the 5-star level and a number of strong 4-Star cars. Kenner is really dominant here with 4 of the top 7. The Fast 111's Shark Shifter may be the most impressive, tying for 5th with a low weight of just 33.4 grams. Faster Than Ever (FTE) cars have a strong representation with 6 different cars including the #3 Cadillac V-16. Matchbox has two entries.
Fastest Middleweight Cars
41.0-50.9 grams
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The Pontiac Grand Prix Stocker is #1 (from the Basic Pro Racing series), followed by the Ultra Hots Quick Trik. Ferrari 355 is third, with Iron Man Mark (Character Car), T-Bird Stocker (another Basic Pro Racing car) and the Ultra Hots Wind Splitter wrapping up the top group.
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The Middleweight is a highly competitive class with some of the fastest cars. The Top 25 features 3 cars from Matchbox, 2 from Kenner and 2 from the Mattel Fast & Furious 1/55th scale series. The Hot Wheels cars consists of a nice mix of vintage and contemporary cars. The top two just barely made this weight class. Just 0.1 grams would have moved them up the Light Heavyweight division.
Note that the #15 ranked Matchbox Pontiac Firebird Racer is too wide for the standard orange track.
Note that the #15 ranked Matchbox Pontiac Firebird Racer is too wide for the standard orange track.
Fastest Light Heavyweight Cars
51.0-62.9 grams
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The Mustang Fastback and '70 Dodge Charger Off-Road from Mattel start off the Top 2. Porsche 928 from Siku is number 3. Modern Classics '67 Shelby GT500 is fourth, followed by '67 Shelby convertible from Johnny Lightning and the Fast 111's Evil Eye.
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A ton of speed in this weight class. And probably the most diverse by brand. Hot Wheels has 11, Matchbox with 8, Mattel has 4, Johnny Lightning with 3, Siku and Kenner both with 2 and Tomica with 1.
Note that there are 3 cars (the #3 ranked Siku Porsche 928 and the Fast 'N Furious Ice Charger and Custom Downhill Buggy) that are too wide for the standard orange track.
Note that there are 3 cars (the #3 ranked Siku Porsche 928 and the Fast 'N Furious Ice Charger and Custom Downhill Buggy) that are too wide for the standard orange track.
Fastest Heavyweight Cars
63.0-100.9 grams
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The Johnny Lightning "Spider Man" Chevy Van is #1, followed by four funny cars from Hot Wheels: the Probe Funny Car, Dodge Challenger F/C, the Plymouth Arrow F/C and the Side-Splitter. The '63 Studebaker from Johnny Lightning rounds out the top group.
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The top 4 cars in the class are also the fastest 4 overall. When you combine good weight, good balance and wheels that react well to graphite, you get elite speed. This class would be even more dominant, but there are less cars produced in this class.
This class includes the legendary Redline Noodlehead, 6 different funny cars, 2 Blackwalls and a cool Tomica car (Godzilla). This group also brings to the forefront a number of elite Johnny Lightning vans and trucks.
Note that the #9 ranked K-2SO is too wide for the standard orange track.
This class includes the legendary Redline Noodlehead, 6 different funny cars, 2 Blackwalls and a cool Tomica car (Godzilla). This group also brings to the forefront a number of elite Johnny Lightning vans and trucks.
Note that the #9 ranked K-2SO is too wide for the standard orange track.
Fastest Super Heavyweights
101.0 grams plus
Pictured below is the 192 gram Matchbox MCI Bus (green Disney version from 2011). The fastest vehicle I have. To get a sense of scale, a Hot Wheels car is shown next to it. Despite it's weight and length, the bus does fit on a standard orange track.
Next is the Eagle Coach Bus (Travis Tritt Country Tour Bus) and the Winnebago, both from Road Champs. The Matchbox Ford Aeromax (DHL) with Asada's Rig follows. The "Cheetos" Step Van from Road Champs is also quite fast. The Road Champs vehicles fit on the orange track barely, but it's a snug fit and there may be some rubbing on the side of the track, so buyer beware.
Next is the Eagle Coach Bus (Travis Tritt Country Tour Bus) and the Winnebago, both from Road Champs. The Matchbox Ford Aeromax (DHL) with Asada's Rig follows. The "Cheetos" Step Van from Road Champs is also quite fast. The Road Champs vehicles fit on the orange track barely, but it's a snug fit and there may be some rubbing on the side of the track, so buyer beware.
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I don't count this class in the overall rankings, but they are fun to collect. I have many oversize vehicles from Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Road Champs, Majorette, etc. Many of them are not that fast, given that the wheels don't spin well, even with graphite. But the ones with at least decent wheels, can be very fast.
Oversize cars are included in the ranks as long as they don't fall in the Super Heavyweight division. Road Champs specializes in these types of vehicles and I will have a break out section on Road Champs on the site in the near future.
The MCI Bus is the heaviest vehicle I have that fits on the track. It also benefits from the really good Matchbox 10-Spoke Flower wheels. That said, at 2.436, it's not that much faster than the #1 Johnny Lightning Chevy Van or the Ford Probe Funny Car, the latter being 118 grams lighter than the MCI Bus.
Oversize cars are included in the ranks as long as they don't fall in the Super Heavyweight division. Road Champs specializes in these types of vehicles and I will have a break out section on Road Champs on the site in the near future.
The MCI Bus is the heaviest vehicle I have that fits on the track. It also benefits from the really good Matchbox 10-Spoke Flower wheels. That said, at 2.436, it's not that much faster than the #1 Johnny Lightning Chevy Van or the Ford Probe Funny Car, the latter being 118 grams lighter than the MCI Bus.
