Johnny Lightning (JL) is a brand of diecast cars that was originally produced by Topper Toys, just after the launch of Hot Wheels. The original Johnny Lightning cars were only produced from 1969 through 1971 and featured 47 distinct castings. The Johnny Lightning brand was re-launched in the mid-1990's by Playing Mantis. In particular, the cars released from the mid-90's through 2007 feature the fastest cars. Johnny Lightning castings during these years feature metal bodies with a metal chassis, which along with good axles and tires, help to make the cars fast. You have to be careful though not purchase variations that feature rubber tires, which are not fast. JL has many pop cultured themed series which makes them fun to collect (Monopoly, Marvel, CLUE, Cat in the Hat, etc.). JL's are also focused on replicas of real cars, especially vintage cars, unlike Hot Wheels which feature many fantasy cars.
Below you'll find my latest Johnny Lightning top 50 cars. I included pictures of the top 25 below. Updated as of April, 2024 after more than a year of time testing my collection of over 2,500 cars across many brands, including a large collection of JL's (based on my experience and also researching YouTube racings channels and other racing sites).
Key notes/considerations:
Please see information on the home page for more details on testing method, speed tiers and other details.
Below you'll find my latest Johnny Lightning top 50 cars. I included pictures of the top 25 below. Updated as of April, 2024 after more than a year of time testing my collection of over 2,500 cars across many brands, including a large collection of JL's (based on my experience and also researching YouTube racings channels and other racing sites).
Key notes/considerations:
- I race on a two-lane, 27 foot Derby Magic 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 more car sizes/scales.
- I categorize my cars into speed tiers with 5-Stars being the best. 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 multiple 1969 Chevy Camaros, I only recognize the fastest, which is the Black With Flames version.
- 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. JL's are a bit more tricky when applying graphite.
Please see information on the home page for more details on testing method, speed tiers and other details.
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The fastest Johnny Lightning cars. The #1 "Spider-Man" Chevy Van, the '63 Studebaker, the '69 Shelby convertible, the well-regarded Black with Flames '69 Camaro and tied for 5th, the Dodge and Ford Vans, These are all 5-Star speed cars.
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Next best group. The 5-star '68 Camaro, the Midnight Express pickup, the '70 Mustang Boss 429, the '71 Mustang Mach I and the '68 Mustang GT (from the Monopoly series). The latter four are strong 4-Star performers.
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Ranking #12 to #16 include the "Cat in the Hat" Custom GTO, the "Wolverine" 1950 Ford F-100 pickup, the 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T, the 2000 Chevy Silverado Extended Cab, and the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado.
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Cars #17 through #21 include the 1965 Corvette, the Lotus Esprit Turbo, the 1970 Pontiac Firebird, the "Hulk" Chevy Tahoe, and the 1973 Dodge Charger.
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Rounding out the top 25 include the "Cat in the Hat" 2000 Nissan Skyline, the 1971 Mercury Cyclone, the 1973 Pontiac Grand Am, the '69 Pontiac GTO Judge and the 2002 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish.
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Top 50 Fastest Johnny Lightning
Observations:
- Johnny Lightning brings lots of speed. After Hot Wheels, the JL brand has the most number of elite speed cars (3, 4 or 5-stars). See the Fastest Brand Report under Overall Rankings in the site for the breakouts.
- There are 4 vans, 11 trucks/SUV's and 35 cars in the top 50
- JL cars are generally heavy given the all-metal body and chasis.
- There are 9 heavyweights in the Top 50 (63 grams plus), 26 Light Heavyweights (51.0-62.9 grams), 14 Middleweights (41.0-50.9 grams) and 1 Welterweight (31.0-40.9 grams). No Featherweights. The Welterweight is the '79 Indy Car.
- All of the cars were released between 1995 and 2006, with 2003 and 2004 having the most representation.
- The #1 auto maker among the Top 50 is Chevrolet, followed close behind by General Motors and Ford.
- In terms of the releases the top cars come from:
- 7 from Marvel or Spider-Man series
- 6 from the Street Freaks series (American Glory or Black with Flames)
- 4 from Muscle car sets
- 3 from the Monopoly series
- 3 from the Corvette series
- 2 from numerous sets including Cat in the Hat, Clue and Truckin' America
In the table above, the "Nbr" represents the JL casting number. Each distinct casting has its own number which appears on the chassis of the car.