Amaury Diaz Serrano is a car designer for General Motors Corp., and it makes sense that he might like sleek, smokin' lines of toy race cars.So every time he went out to the pharmacy or the mall, he'd pick up one or two Hot Wheels. After about 25 years of that routine, he figures he now has about 3,000 of the little numbers stashed around his Lathrup Village home.In February, because he won a contest, he'll add a new one called the Chevroletor (think Chevrolet-Terminator) to his collection. It may be his favorite car yet. That's because he designed it himself as part of the Hot Wheels Design Challenge. QUESTION: How old are you now?
ANSWER: 47.
Q: Any worries about being a 47-year-old guy with a big toy collection?
A: There's something about the toys ... toys in general. ... You get caught up with a 9-to-5 job and bills and worrying about money, you know. But then I go downstairs, especially in the wintertime, I go to my toy room and ... it brings a smile to your face. ... Family and friends come over to visit, and for some reason when we have company over, they all end up in the toy room. And I don't care if you're 60 years old and having a bad day, you come over to my toy room, you're going to smile for a couple of hours.
Q: Well, you know the stereotypes that are out there. ... Have you had any dates?
A: Dates?
Q: Yes.
A: I'm married with a kid! What are you talking about? ...No, that's a good question.Because there are Hot Wheels clubs.There are conventions. I don't belong to any conventions or clubs 'cause I went to one once. ... They were a bunch of old farts, drinking beer and betting money on these tiny cars going down the track. And that scared the hell out of me.So the toy collection thing is very private for me.
Q: What else do you collect?
A: Oh, I collect Batman, Batman toys, because it was my favorite TV show when I was a kid. ... GI Joes, I used to play with GI Joes when I was a kid. There was another Mattel toy called Matt Mason, which was a little astronaut guy. Then I have a lot of vintage gas stations from the 1950s and '60s. ...What I like about these toys is they were made in the United States. Now everything is made in China, unfortunately.
Q: Wow. The only thing I ever collected was beer cans. How embarrassing.
A: (Laughs.) Hey, I see some people making airplanes out of beer cans.
Q: I've seen people do ships. I was going to ask you if there will be a time when your wife will make you sell all your toy cars?
A: No, no. She knows that I like that stuff. And another funny note, my daughter, she's 12 years old, I told her I will never sell this stuff. But when I die you can have ALL of this stuff.
And my daughter, she's 12, she says, "Dad, you die Friday. Saturday, all that stuff is on eBay."
And I told her, good answer.
Q: What else should I ask you?
A: There's a bunch of guys with funny things in their basement. I bet you have a huge beer can collection in your basement.
Q: They're all junk. Not worth a dime.
A: That's why I like my Hot Wheels. ... That's funny, you like collecting beer cans, and your last name is Schaefer.
Q: That's a very cheap beer. I only wish I was related to the people who own the company.
A: I don't drink beer at all; I drink cheap wine. (Laughs.)
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