Rare #18 Toy Truck Story

Some of you may have heard about or seen this very rare and low production of the elusive #18 Toy Truck. This truck is a re-issue of the popular 1997 Hess Truck & Racers featuring a big 18-wheeler with not one, but two racecars inside. The cars were powered by friction motors and had working headlights and taillights. Of course, the truck had working headlights, taillights, and running lights, too. This is the largest truck that Hess had released in its collection.

 

 Now the difference between the original 1997 Hess truck and this special edition is the color and side markings. This truck is molded in a silver plastic with a single green stripe and the number 18 on the doors, sides of the truck, rear panel, front grille and top air dam. The race cars are also different as one is done in silver and the other in green and silver. Both have the #18 adorned on them. The box is also unique showing a picture of the truck displaying the race cars inside and reads "18 Dual Racer Transport" one the front portion of the box. Ok, so you are all wondering why this was produced and what's the story is behind the truck being made. Well here is the exclusive scoop on it. John Hess and Joe Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing and better known as the coach of the football Washington Redskins were and still are very good friends. John Hess had these trucks made up for his friend Joe to go along with his NASCAR race team . It was designed with his race car #18 adorning all sides of the truck and racers. There were less than 100 made and were packed in 6 and 12 pack cases, none of which were sold to the public. They were given to Gibbs to do whatever he wanted with them. Although not a true Hess edition this is still a very rare and unique collectible.

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son. Headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina, near Charlotte, the team has amassed three Sprint Cup championships since the year 2000 and participated in other lower-tier NASCAR series for driver development, winning one championship in the East Division of the NASCAR Camping World. For the team's first sixteen seasons, JGR ran cars from General Motors. During that period the team won their three championships, two in Pontiac Grand Prixes and one in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Despite this, JGR felt as if they weren't as important as some of the other GM teams such as Hendricks Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing. Therefore, during the 2007 season Joe Gibbs Racing announced that they would be ending their arrangement with GM at the end of the year and begin running Toyotas the following season. Since then, JGR has become the strongest and has won the most out of any Toyota team.
 

Enjoy the Rare Photo's

 

 

Rare Picture of #18 Truck & Box

#18 Truck and Racers

Green & Silver Racer / Silver Racer

#18 on Front Chrome Grill

 

 

 

 

Flea Market Hess Toy Truck Fantasy Finds

Once in a while when you are at a flea market you find some items that are really unique. These may not be authentic pieces but just some imaginative works of art that someone has taken a lot of time to create. I happen to be a collector of Hess toy trucks for many years and through those years I have come across many items that people have taken the time to redo and make that item into a collectible that they would like to have in their display case. I love the hunt for that elusive and odd piece that can be found under the tables at one of the many flea markets that I attend each year. I always like to go in the back area of the flea markets where the people have brought stuff from their garage or attic and just see it sprawled all over the table for people to rummage through looking for treasures. I could go on and on with the stories of the things that I have come across and the people that I have met along the way. It is the interesting stories that intrigue me the most of where and how they came across the many items that they display. I wanted to share some of the pieces that I have found in my many travels. I hope that you enjoy the pictures below of them.

1998 Hess Mini Chrome Tanker - Fantasy Piece in Box

1998 Hess Mini Chrome Tanker - Fantasy Piece out of the Box.

1998 Hess Mini Chrome Tanker - Fantasy Piece out of the Box.

 

1970 Hess Fire Truck Copy - Same mold as original.

 

 

1970 Hess Fire Truck Copy / Bump N Go - Sold at 5 & Dime Stores

 

1970 Hess Fire Truck Copy - Sold McCory Drug Stores

 

 

Lego Hess Oil Tanker & Gas Pump - Fantasy Piece

 

 

2006 Hess NYSE Special Edition Truck - Rare Pictures

Once in a while Hess releases a special truck to celebrate a milestone in the company's progress to strive for excellence and to stay on top of the ever changing oil business. 2006 was one of those milestones when Hess introduced the New 2006 Hess Special Edition Truck with 2 Racers. On May 9, 2006 the New York Stock Exchange members received this truck to celebrate Amerada Hess changing it's name to Hess Corporation. The truck was a reissue of the 1997 Hess Truck & Racers with working lights and battery card but with some differences. It would be the first time that the words "Hess Corporation" were on the sides of the truck. The race cars were also not the same. One car had "HES" on side and the other had "AHC" on it. Those were the NYSE abbreviations for the company on the ticker trading board. The cardboard inserts were different from the 1997 as well as the box that it came in. The 2006 Hess truck came in just a plain white box with the Hess logo and "Hess Corporation 2006" on the side. There were only 3,000 of these trucks produced which was one of the smallest production amounts in the regular size collection so far.

There was also another truck made to celebrate this very special occasion and that was a chromed version of the First Hess Truck used by Leon Hess when he started the company. There were very few of the Special Chrome Mini Truck made and they were given to Hess Corporations Top VIP's to commemorate this event. This is the first time that Hess had 2 separate trucks made for a special occasion making the pair of trucks a very rare item to own. These are a "must have" for the true Hess collector.

 

2006 Hess Truck & Racers

 

 

 Rare Pictures of 12 Pack Case of 2006 NYSE Trucks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hess Headquarters Video & Original Hess Truck

 

Nice video of the Hess Headquarters. Hess no longer allows you to take any pictures or videos any more making this a valuable piece of history. To see the rest of the collection go to Ray's Toy Trucks where we have more pictures and information on the great hobby of collecting Hess Toy Trucks!

Leon Hess Original Delivery Truck

 

Here is a short video with the original fuel oil truck that was used by Leon Hess for delivery of their heating oil. This is an interesting picture story of the move and refurbishing of the New Hess Headquarters which is located in Woodbridge New Jersey. Enjoy the show!

 

Man gives 26 Years of Hess Trucks to Toys for Tots

Here is a great article all about the act of giving. Each year Ray's Toy Trucks gives donations and Toy Truck Baskets to many charities for kids and it was nice to read a story about someone giving the great gift of toy trucks as well. Here is their story below:

Today I watched as a man deposited 26 years of collectible Hess truck toys into a Toys for Tots donation barrel! The longer I watched, the more this man pulled out and placed in the Toys for Tots donation barrel. One toy after another, most still in their original boxes and in pristine condition. Somewhere this Christmas there are going to be some very happy kids. Maybe even more so there will be some happy dads trying their best to keep those kids from cracking open a collectible Hess Truck and running it into walls and doors.

I commented to the man that I believed I was seeing toys from a good twenty years of collecting. He stopped for a moment, thought a bit and said in fact it was 26 years. He had two such collections of which one was his sons and his son had in turn given it over to his son (this man’s grandson). He said that after having these for so many years this was the year he had decided they might be appreciated by others. He seemed to be taking great pleasure in dropping them (carefully) into the donation receptacle.

I was wishing later that I had grabbed a photo of all of those toys he left in that Toys for Tots bin. There were some classics! The photo above just shows a few of my own kids Hess toys from the last few years. All I can say is that my heart was racing a bit just to see this fabulous collection of toys being given away. Christmas is a good time and brings out good in lots of people. I hope that man had a great holiday!

 

1996 Hess Toy Truck Glass Promotion

 These collector series glasses were sold at the stations in the summer of 1996. You could purchase a new collectible glass every few weeks until you got the complete set of 4 glasses.

 

 The first one that they offered was the "First Hess Truck" glass that had a picture of the 1982 Hess truck on the front. On the rear of the glass it read: "The First Hess Truck. The 1982 First Hess Truck was a replica of the original 1933 Chevrolet oil delivery truck driven by Lean Hess, the founder of the Hess Oil Company.

This toy truck was the thirteenth in a series of Hess holiday promotional trucks that began in 1964 and is one of the most recognized symbols of the early days of the Hess Oil Company". Under that was the Hess logo and the final line reads, 1996 Classic Truck Series.

 

The second one offered was the "Hess Fire Truck Bank" glass that has a picture of the 1986 Hess fire truck on the front. On the rear of this glass it read" "Hess Fire Truck Bank". The 1986 Red Fire Truck Bank features emergency lights, head and tail lights, and an action packed hydraulic ladder. This toy truck also has a real coin bank, along with genuine chrome detailing on mirrors, bumpers and side instrument panels.

This toy truck is the sixteenth in a series of Hess holiday promotional trucks and is extremely popular with children and adults". Under that was the Hess logo and the final line reads, 1996 Classic Truck Series.

 

 

 

The third one offered was the "Hess Trailer and Racer" glass that has a picture of the 1992 Hess truck on the front. On the rear of this glass it reads: "Hess Trailer and Racer". The 1992 Hess Trailer and Racer is an 18 wheeler that features working head lights, tail lights and side lights.Clear windows on both sides of the trailer showcase a sporty and dramatically lit racer. The race car has operating head lights and a friction motor.

This dual vehicle is the 22nd in a series of Hess promotional trucks and remains a favorite among collectors". Under that was the Hess logo and the final line reads, 1996 Classic Truck Series.

 

 

 

The forth and final one offered was the "Hess Tanker Truck" glass that has a picture of the 1984 Hess tanker on the front. One the rear of the glass it reads: "Hess Tanker Truck". The 1984 Hess Tanker Truck features working head and tail lights, a built in savings bank, and chrome detailing on the mirrors, lights, and grill of the cab. A clear from windshield allows a view of the cab interior including a chrome steering wheel.

This Hess Tanker Truck if the fifteenth in a series of Hess holiday promotional trucks and is an authentic replica of an actual Hess gasoline delivery truck. Under that was the Hess logo and the final line reads, 1996 Classic Truck Series.

 

 

 

Each of these glass came with two cards included with your purchase. Here is a picture below of them.

 

 

Every once in awhile Hess produces something special that they give as a gift to employees, station owners, bulk buyers and even special customers and this next item is no exception. Mr. Lean Hess had a special gift box set made of these glasses (see below). These were never sold at the stations and there were only 2000 of these produced.