caption birth_place birth_date article_title name
michael collection . zarnock with his guinness world record hot wheels utica , new york , u.s. 21 april 1958 michael zarnock
 michael zarnock
michael zarnock

michael zarnock -lrb- born april 21 , 1958 in utica , new york -rrb- is an american writer of collector guides and articles about hot wheels toy cars and accessories .
zarnock is known for a massive hot wheels collection that earned him a guinness world record title in 2003 and 2007 for owning the largest collection of different model cars -lrb- 8,128 -rrb- and is featured in the 2008 `` ripley 's believe it or not ! ''
book `` prepare to be shocked . ''
and the 2011 `` ripley 's believe it or not ! ''
book `` utterly crazy ! ''
by his own account he has collected more than 20,000 toy cars ; from 2004 to 2010 some had been on display at the children 's museum of utica , new york .
the local utica newspaper reported zarnock as saying : `` i 've been in love with hot wheels since 1968 . ''
in february 2009 zarnock was inducted into the `` diecast hall of fame '' and later that year mattel hot wheels reproduced his altered roadster racing car as part of their nostalgic `` drag strip demons '' series .
