1968 Custom Camaro

Congrats to Hazeleyes for First To Find!

This is the first in a series of 16 geocaches based on the 1968 release of Hot Wheels die cast cars.

The first Hot Wheel Mattel released being a dark blue Custom Camaro designed by Harry Bentley Bradley.
The first of the California Custom cars are known as the, "Sweet 16", 10 were based upon customized versions of regular production automobiles of the era, 6 were based upon real show cars and cars designed and built for track racing. All of the cars featured "Spectraflame" paintwork, bearings, redline wheels, and working suspension.
Custom Camaro (1968)

The Chevrolet Camaro was and always will be the quintessential American muscle car! Introduced in 1967, the Camaro was Chevy’s answer to Ford’s Mustang that debuted a couple of years before. The Camaro was unique with its uni-body design, smaller chassis and sporty lines. Designed and geared specifically for the “young at heart”, the Chevy Camaro soon became a muscle car icon that also sported hood scoops, spoilers and big 350 c.i. 8-cylinder engines!

When the Hot Wheel designers chose cars for the initial “sweet sixteen” it was a no-brainer that the Camaro should be one of them! In fact, not only was it one of first Hot Wheels cars, but many experts and former employees claim it was the first one tooled, assembled and brought into production in 1968. Supporting evidence comes in the form of the numerous prototypes that have been found in collections belonging to former Mattel employees. These treasures include cars with unique marked bases, pre-production prototypes, and photographs, drawings and blueprints of the casting. The evolution of the casting and the number of early variations that have been discovered leads us to conclude that the Custom Camaro was a favorite test piece in the early days of Hot Wheels.

~The Redline Guide