Bruce Pascal, a commercial real-estate agent, who also happens to be a renowned collector of vintage Hot Wheels, has at least two secrets.
Lurking upstairs in his Potomac home is Bruce’s first secret: his office. The space is lavishly decorated and adorned with artwork, memorabilia, display cases, and more that capture the exuberance and vibe of the toy cars. “It’s the only place in the house you’ll know I’m a Hot Wheels collector,” he says, clearly treasuring his hidden lair.
Bruce’s second secret is camouflaged behind the ho-hum façade of a Gaithersburg warehouse.
What’s really inside is 4,000 square feet of pure 'Wow!' And it’s where Bruce keeps the majority of his collection of 3,500 Hot Wheels, plus everything else imaginable relating to the brand's history.
“I call it my unofficial East Coast Hot Wheels Museum,” he beams.
Though he keeps it secret, Bruce also loves sharing it. When people find out about the “museum,” he is happy to show it off by appointment. Sometimes the space plays host to birthday parties, or groups of kids and parents he lets in to play on the tracks.
Bruce also shows it off to fellow collectors. “I enjoy sharing the hobby and if I can make kids happy and share the passion, it gets my name out and that’s how I grow my collection.”
It’s rumored that Bruce paid $72,000 for an item in his collection that he says is the rarest Hot Wheels in the world, called the Pink Rear-Loading Beach Bomb. “When they made this VW bus, they put the surf boards hanging out the rear window. When they tested it, it kept falling down," he explains. "They redesigned it so the one they sold to the public had the surf boards in side pockets. Only about 50 of these (rear-loaders) are known." Bruce, who has purchased more than 400 Hot Wheels collections says of his Beach Bomb, “Mine is in amazing condition and known worldwide.”
He added, “Collecting is one thing, but all the other fun stuff that comes with it makes for a thrilling life.”
