Cars: Drifting
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The Drifting Series[1] was the fifth series of 1:55 scale die-casts released by Mattel, as well as the final series in the original Cars line. Introduced in October 2009, the series became the longest-running of any so far, shipping as late as February 2011 before tapering off ahead of Cars 2 and its respective series. It brought a notable change to the line's structure, in that the "Look! My Eyes Change!" models, introduced late in Race O Rama's run, replaced the classic "fixed eye" releases as the mainline of singles. While new fixed-eye models continued to release, they were exclusively made available at Target stores, as part of a special "Final Lap Collection."
This iteration of cardbacks featured a night-time highway setting, illuminated by a blue skyline. The artwork featured characters "drifting" around a banked corner, with draft sparks exuding from them. According to Mattel's 2012 exhibit, the "Drifting" series featured cars "racing to the finish line," intentionally "symbolizing the end of one era and the beginning of another."[2]
History
A sleek graphic concept was originally teased by lead project designer Martin Arriola in early 2009, during a Q&A with the Carsthetoys online forum.[3] When asked whether a future design would succeed the Race O Rama Series, Arriola teased that "word on the street" was that the next graphic treatment would be titled "Drift."
This new cardback motif was launched in October 2009, first appearing on a new Target-exclusive sub-series called the Final Lap Collection. The shortly following 2010 Collector Guide confirmed that the lenticular-eye singles would replace the new mainline as the universal singles line available for any retailer to purchase from distribution.
Products
Mattel:
- Mainline
- Movie Moments
- 3-Car Gift Packs
- Multipacks
- Pit Race-Off
- Lightyear Launchers
- Movie Moments
- Piston Cup Nights
- Final Lap Collection
- Synthetic Rubber Tires
- Playsets
- Color Changers
- Standalone toys
Gallery
-
Stickers by CS Sticker
References
- ↑ From Silver Screen
- ↑ [1] "Journey of Cars Die-cast Packaging"]
- ↑ Deano. "Our Guest in the chat room... (Q & A Posted)" (March 14, 2009). carsthetoys.yuku.com. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
