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The TYCO HP440 Chassis (1996)

In 1996, TYCO came up with a better low cost chassis then their HP7. What they did was take 1981's 440 Magnum chassis & convert it to a pan type like they did with their 440-X2 chassis. So far this chassis has only appeared in their NASCAR tractors sold in the Dupont tractor-trailer/ Lumina stockcar twinpack.

Click on photo's to enlarge

There are two versions of this package, one has the Lumina and the other has the Monte Carlo, The Monte Carlo is common and the chassis are 440x2

"Mattel renamed the Tyco product line Mattel Electric Hot Wheels and renamed the Tyco 440x2 chassis the 440x3. The new 440x3 chassis is essentially the same as the original 440x2 chassis with the addition of a small capacitor to reduce radio frequency interference to better meet European RFI regulations."

There were plenty of X2 cars released after the X3 branded cars hit the market with the caps to meet European RFI requirements. The X3 was not a replacement for the X2, just an alternate product line and labeling scheme. One thing you can almost always count on with Tyco/Mattel, if they put "HP" in the name it usually means its a cost reduced lower performance variation or product. The HP440 for example is a pan version of the 440 (non X2) chassis, lower cost and lower performance than the X2. Tyco/Mattel has a slew of variations on the original 440 design.

There was a prototype X3 that Tyco produced that's unrelated to the X3 branded line that actually got released for a few cars. It was an X2 with polymer magnets. The wicked downforce caused the current requirement to go way up and Tyco would have had to ship a beefier power supply to handle it sufficiently. That would have opened the door for all sorts of new safety requirements.

have you ever seen/owned any 440 X2 Slim chassis with a Copper Colored Armature? These were made Right before the Mattel Acquisition of Tyco.