56 High-Tail Hauler
The '56 High-Tail Hauler was designed by Larry Wood. The casting is based on a customized 1956 Ford F-100 pickup truck.
The '56 High-Tail Hauler first debuted in the 1977 "Flying Colors" series. The casting remained in production until 1985. The initial 1977 release featured Redline (RL) wheels, which were being phased out around that time.
The most distinctive feature is the pair of plastic motorcycles permanently molded into the truck's bed, sitting under a camper shell. The casting also features prominent side exhausts as part of the chrome-plated base. The original 1977 release was orange with yellow and blue flame tampos.
Hot Wheels has produced many Ford F-100 truck castings, but the High-Tail Hauler is unique due to the combination of the camper shell and the molded motorcycles.
Variations include the original Redline release and subsequent Blackwall wheel versions. A version with rubber Real Riders tires was released in 1985. In 2009, a highly-detailed re-tooled version was released for the HWC/RLC Neo-Classics series, and a monster truck version was created in 2023.