Gaithersburg Resident Owns One of the Most Valuable Hot Wheels Collections in the World

Mattel created Hot Wheels in 1968 to compete with Matchbox (which Mattel now owns). Although Hot Wheels were originally intended to be for children and young adults, they have become popular with adult collectors, and one of the most valuable collections in the world is owned by Bruce Pascal, who lives right here in Montgomery County (video below).

According to Fox 5, Pascal has more than 7,000 items in his collection. “To put it mildly, I’m obsessed with Hot Wheels,” Pascal told Fox 5. Though he got his first Hot Wherls car the year they were created, in 1968, it was until his mother gave him his old collection in 1999 that he rekindled his love for the model cars.

His collection is now worth approximately $1.5 million and includes items like a 1913 Model T that was used as inspiration for Mattel, an original blueprint for the 1968 Corvette that came out of Mattel, the Volkswagen pink beach bomb prototype bus (one of the rarest in the world), and more. According to Fox 5, “Pascal says he occasionally opens up the Hot Wheels Museum — a 4,000 square-foot facility equipped with floor-to-ceiling walls lined with miniature cars — on Sunday afternoons for kids to come in and play. And for adults to reminisce on their childhood. To reach Bruce Pascal you can email him at [email protected]”