One reason I love the world of model cars is that you can easily collect vehicles from all over the world that you wouldn’t see where you live in full size or small or you can buy a little model of a car that no longer even exists in real life.
An angular golden Hot Wheels model currently sat on my desk fits the bill – the Hot Wheels Omni 024. The real car this is modelled on is a fairly rare sight in its own country and there are probably only a couple in Britain if any at all.
It’s the stylish sibling of the not very sexy Chrysler Horizon which was a common sight over here and in Europe throughout the 1980s.
The American versions were called the Plymouth Horizon and its twin sister the Dodge Omni.
We only got the sensible 5 door hatchback, but the Americans produced a sharply creased coupe on the same underpinnings called the Omni 024 and Plymouth TC3, they launched in 1979 and the Hot Wheels model is dated 1980 on the bottom.
The little coupe may have looked sporty but with some versions only having 68 hp on offer the Hot Wheels version was probably faster!
You could have an extra bling De Tomaso edition with fancy alloy wheels, matt black trim and 3 sets of window louvres or you could cheap out and have a stripped-out economy version that they actually called the ‘Miser’!
The Hot Wheels version comes in gold, blue, grey and orange and has plenty of period style but sadly no louvres.
Are you an Omni fan like me?
Let us know and leave your comments in the box at the bottom of the page.
