Before our son Hayden was born, my wife Eli and I had a tradition of driving up to Flagstaff every October to celebrate our anniversary. Getting away to the Arizona high country for an overnight stay as a couple is harder these days, so for Eli’s birthday this year, we made it a family trip with our little guy and his GiGi (my mother-in-law Liz). While there, I picked up a Hot Wheels version of the 1938 Phantom Corsair in hopes of carrying a different tradition into its next generation.

Back when I was preteen/teenager, my brother Anthony and I shared a room. One of the many things we’d do to entertain ourselves was turn our patterned rectangular rug and Hot Wheels, Matchbox, and Majorette 1:64-scale cars into a board game. The rug had an inset rectangle dotted with evenly spaced oval-shaped designs; my brother and I would each pick a car, then roll a pair of die to see how quickly we could advance around the “track.” Back then, I had no idea what the Phantom Corsair was, but I knew I loved the looks of it in Hot Wheels form. With its sleek lines and all-black finish, it looked mysterious, ominous, and just plain cool, so my brother and I chose it often.

My “racing” days ended over 20 years ago, but I never forgot about that miniature Phantom Corsair. It was a one-of-a-kind car to me and, as it turns out, the full-size version was also a true one-off. Rust Heinz of the Heinz family (yes, the same Heinz family that makes the condiments for your backyard burgers and hot dogs) came up with the design and turned to Maurice Schwartz of the Bohman & Schwartz coachbuilding firm to make it into a reality. The final product looked like an Art Deco tank, something easy to picture Batman driving in a movie set in the 1930s. As the brochure for the intended production version shows, instead of door handles, the Phantom had small buttons to open the doors. The tri-blade bumpers were not only stylish, but also mounted on recoil springs in case of a collision. A total lack of fenders, running boards, and even front wheel arches made the Phantom look as if was floating.

Small panels above the doors flipped up to create more room for entering and exiting the cabin, which offered seating for six. Illuminated compartments held stainless steel Thermos bottles and aluminum drinkware that would keep those lucky passengers from going thirsty.

Underneath that sinister steel body was a 1936 Cord 810’s 289ci Lycoming V-8 and four-speed pre-selector semi-automatic transmission that sent power to the front wheels. According to the brochure, the Phantom could fly at a top speed of approximately 115 mph, a lofty number for the 1930s.

Heinz intended to make a production run of Phantom Corsairs, but those plans died with him in a car crash in 1939. However, the one prototype lives on at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada, which took the Phantom to Jay Leno’s garage and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance earlier this year. I thought I would never see the real thing in person, so being in its presence out on the 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links was a real honor.

Flash forward to this past weekend, when my family and I were perusing the Old Town Shops in Flagstaff. As my wife was looking for new clothes and stuffed animals for Hayden, I wandered into Black Hound Gallerie, a vintage store filled with clothing, novelty items, pop culture collectibles, and other odds and ends. Near the end of my loop through the store, I passed by a wall covered with Hot Wheels cars still in their blister packs. Given the nature of the items in Black Hound Gallerie, I had a hunch that I might spot an interesting one.

I was right — my eyes quickly locked onto the 1938 Phantom Corsair, #3 of the 26 cars in Hot Wheels’ 1999 First Editions series. I thought back to how it was such a special part of my life with my brother and decided Hayden should have his own. Perhaps one day he and I can make a father/son trip out to Reno to see it in person. In the meantime, I’ll tell him how it was a part of my youth and a significant point in my career. I might even get a rug with the right pattern and show him how to “race.”