5 Hot Wheels Cars That Are the Ultimate Police Cruisers

I immediately understood it was a Police vehicle and needed to follow it off the highway for a routine check. I must have encountered two or three more undercover Police vehicles since, and it's never pleasant. I have sometimes thought about a career in Law Enforcement. Driving the Patrol Car would likely be the only thing I'd enjoy doing.

But you can easily fulfill that fantasy nowadays: just play a video game. I suggest trying Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2; I enjoyed that one. Or you can fake-pretend to play with Hot Wheels Police cars if you want the easy way out. I showed you ten such castings last year, but I have five more interesting ones today.

These five vehicles are part of Cop Rods, a series that initially came out in 1999. Sixteen collectibles showed up that year, with 16 more in 2000. So, my list for today is subjective, as yours could look completely different.

Tail Dragger

Gary Saffer designed the Tail Dragger, drawing inspiration from a custom 1941 Ford Coupe. The El-Segundo-based manufacturer immediately produced a Premium version for the 12th Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Convention.

The Cop Rods Series 1 Tail Dragger was the fourth iteration of the casting. As you'd expect, this Bakersfield Police car featured a white and black livery with a hint of blue. The Deep Dish, Real Riders wheels, are nothing short of perfect, even if you can't see the ones on the rear axle.

You'll see over a dozen Premium variations on the market, not to mention the Mainline designs. Some people will try to charge as much as $60 for the Cop Rods Tail Dragger, but finding one for less than $15 won't be difficult either.

'40 Ford

Phil Riehlman designed two of the five castings, including the '40 Ford. Mattel first used it in the 1998 First Editions Series. A rare Full Grid Exclusive Trailer Edition came out in 1999, with only 15,000 units ever leaving the factory.

Before Cop Rods, the '40 Ford was part of the Fire Rods series. However, that one used PC6 wheels instead of the superior DDRR ones. Can you imagine the Cheyenne Police coming after you in what is essentially a 1/4-mile-spec truck? Tackling some corners would be your only chance to get away, but I'm not implying you should ever consider running away from the police.

You just don't do silly things like that. Just like with the previous model, there's no need to worry about the market value of this collectible. I even found a loose one for less than $4.

Fiat 500C

The Fiat 500C is my favorite casting here, and I'm unsure why I don't have one on display already. This light-weight dragster is perfect as a Hot Wheels collectible, and I'm happy to report that you'll find 16 variations on the market.

I'm not saying all of them are perfect, but the three Premium models are exciting. The St. Paul Police version is the star of the show, no doubt here.

The color combo is on point, and it's a good thing it's just a model car; otherwise, you'd have to worry about the poor visibility driving forward. Prices range from $5 to $20, so you might as well get the entire collection started.

'67 Pontiac GTO

The '67 Pontiac GTO was off to a strong start in 1997, featuring Real Riders wheels from the get-go. It debuted in the "30th Anniversary of the '67 Muscle Cars" 3-Car Set with a red finish and a black roof.

Mattel delivered three more special items before using them for the Cop Rods series in 2000. I can only imagine that the Atlanta Police would have successfully apprehended any bad guys who had used this car in the late '60s.

And even if it would have a hard time keeping up with more modern vehicles today, it would still be pretty cool if the Police Force still used it for display purposes. By the looks of it, you should be able to secure all five cars for $50 or less.

Classic Nomad

The Classic Nomad is the last item on the list for today. And it's the oldest one here, as it debuted in 1969. Completing the collection will be challenging, despite a 13-year-long hiatus between 1978 and 1991.

There are so many special variations to look for, and I'm afraid of calculating how much they will cost in the long run. It was part of both Cop Rods series, and I prefer the Sacramento Police version over the Pueblo Colorado Police one.

It all depends on whether you like a more complex livery and whether you can live with the gold-chrome interior on the Series 2 model. Why do I get the feeling that you could start collecting Hot Wheels Police Cars as of tomorrow and take years to gather them all up?