What-4 (1971)
Originally named the Flat 8 and designed by Bob Lovejoy, who also designed - for better or worse - the Rocket-Bye-Baby, the What-4 is one of those concept cars that collectors tend to either love or hate.
Arriving as they did towards the end of the spectraflame era, What-4s came in a reduced spectrum of colors: light green, green, aqua, blue, purple, magenta, red, and yellow-gold. As in any casting, certain colors predominate, while others are very rare. Also, What-4s are very prone to spidery toning due to impurities in the zamac; this is especially visible on the lighter-colored cars.
Keeping with Mattel’s policy that most cars have some sort of “interactive” part, the What-4 boasts a white plastic tail fin that can be raised or lowered by hand. Granted, it’s a pretty feeble feature (and the tail tends to slide back down most of the time), but with its twin side-mounted quad-engines and sleek aerodynamic styling, it at least looks considerably faster than many of Mattel’s other concept designs (take that, all you Mod Quad lovers!).
A pair of red What-4s with black and white interiors.
There are three interior colors: black, brown and white. Brown interiors are most common, probably found on about 70% of all cars, with white and the occasional black making up the rest. The What-4 sometimes can be found with clear glass (usually on green cars), rather than the typical HK blue-tinted plastic. These occur frequently enough that it doesn’t make the car all that rare, but it is curious - was this a late or early run change, or did Mattel just run out of blue-tinted plastic? Similar clear glass can be found on other ’71 HK castings, notably the Rocket-Bye-Baby and Six Shooter.
What-4s have been found on the regular 1971 California Custom Miniatures cards and rarely on the ‘72 Drivin’ Gear cards.
A rare 1972 blister with an even rarer yellow What-4!
Unfortunately, What-4s are among a handful of castings that have been known to suffer from “crumblitis,” with the bases cracking and dissolving into a heap because of impurities in the metal. Though not as common as on Bye-Focals, collectors should examine the bases of any What-4 before purchasing.
View of a non-crumbler What-4 base.
As far as this author knows, there are no What-4 prototypes floating around out there, although there is a larger-scale wood model that was produced.
The complete What-4 color spectrum!
Color chart
| HK COLORS: |
COMMENTS: |
| green |
common |
| aqua | common |
| blue | common |
| magenta | uncommon |
| purple | uncommon |
| light green |
rare |
| red | rare |
| yellow-gold |
rare |
The original wood pattern for the "Flat 8", later renamed the "What-4".
(Courtesy of D. Overby)
Ayeee! It's a crumbler! (Courtesy of D. Espino)
Another look at the What-4 rainbow. Note the three different color interiors and the clear glass on the green car.
Photo & info credits: Ken Niles
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