The Hot Ones (2011) line is a throw back to the classic cars of Mattel's line-up. Released in 1981, the original "The Hot Ones (1981)" was a series of cars with a new wheel and axle design that allowed the cars to go faster than those of the previous few years. The '70's saw many cost cutting measures to keep Mattel from going bankrupt, which included the thick straight axle design. These cars were much slower than the older models with delrin bearings.