If you'd have told me at 12 years old when I was opening a bright yellow remote-controlled Corvette on Christmas morning that I could've made a career out of racing one, I'd have taken those hairpin turns much slower so I didn't immediately crack the bumper. Vintage RC cars are simultaneously collector's pieces and great sources of competitive parts. If you thought drones were expensive, just wait until you see how much these vintage RC cars are worth.
5 Vintage RC Cars Tearing Up the Auction Track
So many gearheads' first taste for speed was off-roading or street-bound radio-controlled cars. Long before drones took radio-controlled toys to the sky, kids and adults alike were land-locked with speed-demon cars from titans like Tamiya.
While you can find sleek sports cars and monster trucks abound in the electronics section of the kid's toy aisle, vintage RC cars are where gearheads really go wild. A select few RC cars from a few decades ago frequently sell for thousands of dollars in online auctions, and these valuable vintage RC cars are tearing up the auction block.
| Vintage RC Cars | Recent Sales Prices |
|---|---|
| M.A.N.E. Eclipse Pan Car | $2,825 |
| Team Associated RC10 Graphite Kit | $2,499 |
| 1986 RPS Yokomo Special Edition IFMAR World Champion Kit | $1,926 |
| 1981 Tamiya Toyota Hilux | $1,600 |
| 1984 Tamiya "The Grasshopper" Kit | $1,402 |
M.A.N.E. Eclipse Pan Car: $2,825
Only 100 of these Eclipses were manufactured about 35 years ago, making them extremely rare and rather collectible. This chassis is devoid of the bells and whistles of conventional RC cars, like the body and paint job.
These pan cars have diehard fans because of their impressive speed and handling. And while this MANE is only a 1:10 as opposed to the more common 1:12, it brought in $2,825 in an eBay auction.
RC car parts can be just as valuable as complete cars because many RC racers like to custom-build their cars.
Team Associated RC10 Graphite Kit: $2,499
If there's one name you should recognize in the RC cars industry, it's Associated Electrics. Since 1964, Associated Electrics has dominated the radio-controlled cars and accessories market. Because of their long-lasting legacy and notoriety, vintage Team Associated kits are highly collectible.
Team Associated's R10 car is one of the most memorable vintage RC cars in history. A vintage RC10 Graphite kit with all its components recently came to auction and sold for $2,499.
According to Associated Electrics' website, the Associated RC10 "was the first to take home the gold in both the ROAR National and IFMAR World Championships."
1986 RPS Yokomo Special Edition: $1,926
Occasionally, collectors luck out on a major "shoved-in-a-closet-for-years" find. This RPS Yokomo Special Edition RC car kit from 1986 is one of these holy grail discoveries. Coming from a personal collection with a single-owner history, this IFMAR World Champion car was never built but contains all the original parts.
Because of its legacy, champion-winning model history, and pristine condition, this car is worth a pretty penny, and one buyer nabbed it for $1,926.
1981 Tamiya Toyota Hilux: $1,600
The first fully built vintage RC car to feature on our list is a Tamiya Toyota Hilux from 1981. Tamiya is a famous Japanese model and RC car manufacturer with devoted collectors from around the world. Any complete car from their vintage collection with very little wear and tear would perform well at auction.
According to the seller, this 1:10 truck from 1981 is only missing a headlight cover. In extremely fine condition, it sold for $1,600 in an online auction.
The most common scale size for vintage and modern RC cars is 1:10.
1984 Tamiya "The Grasshopper": $1,402
Another example of a vintage Tamiya performing well at auction is this sealed off-roading buggy from 1984. Called "The Grasshopper," this 1:10 RC car sold for $1,402 on eBay. Sealed vintage RC cars aren't necessarily unheard of, but they're increasingly hard to find. Any collector worth their salt would be willing to shell out a few hundred at the very least on a find like this.
What Makes Vintage RC Cars Valuable?
RC car racing used to be a huge hobby for kids and teens, so there are a lot of old RC cars lying around in attics, basements, and thrift stores. Most of these were ridden hard and aren't worth more than a few hundred bucks at most. However, a few characteristics can catapult an RC car into the thousand-dollar market.
- The vintage cars come from iconic brands. Brands like Tamiya, Yokomo, and Kyosho pull in more collector attention at auction than generic ones.
- The cars are unbuilt and in their original boxes. Collectors have a softer spot for unbuilt RC cars and will pay more for these boxed beauties than fully built ones.
- The vintage RC cars show very little wear. Vintage RC cars that have hardly been used are worth far more than those with a ton of miles.
Vintage RC Cars Are Full of Pint-Sized Power
If it goes vroom, there's a gearhead somewhere willing to spend their life savings on it. From competitive racers to RC car hobbyists, people are snatching up these vintage RC cars in droves. Hopefully, these four-figure values will make you rethink shoving that dusty RC car box to the side in your next thrift store hunt for a cute picture frame.
