Hot Wheels 2002 - Collector # 221/240 - Maelstrom - Silver - USA '1968 - 2003 Anniversary' Card

Hot Wheels 2002 - Collector # 221/240 - Maelstrom - Silver - USA '1968 - 2003 Anniversary' Card - MPN 54436

Short Run & Hard to Find on a Blister Cards, easy to find & frequent in a 5-Packs or Gift Packs.

Wiki says: The origins of the Maelstrom started in 2001 when Hot Wheels Director Of Design Nathan Proch, gave Fraser Campbell a design brief to create the ultimate vehicle for the European Hot Wheels market. Hailing from the United Kingdom himself, this was Fraser's first vehicle attempt for the Hot Wheels basic line. His first idea was to have the engines up front and the cockpit over the rear wheels. There was a concern however that it beared too much resemblance to the existing Twin Mill and Twin Mill II castings, so a change was needed. Back at the drawing board and wanting to keep the elements of "big engines, big power, and big attitude", Fraser continued to toss the layout of his design around. Eventually, his final forward cockpit and mid-engined design made it into production as 2001 First Edition car called the Maelstrom. The Maelstrom has been said by some to resemble the Hairy Hauler or the Vulture. It also tends to bear some similarities to the Vector M12.

It is playable in Hot Wheels: Burnin' Rubber, Velocity X and Unleashed 2.