This car was produced in limited quantity for an internet business, eHobbies, in 2001.  For more background on eHobbies, refer to the book F'd Companies by Philip J. Kaplan (Simon & Shuster, 2002).  This was another company that went bankrupt due to its business model in the DOT COM boom of the early 2000's.

What makes this car unique is that it was produced in limited quantity by Lionel, which at the time was 500 cars.  According to 2001 research by a Lionel Collectors Club member, there were 240 unsold cars at the time of business closure that were returned to Lionel and destroyed.  The frames were most likely salvaged but the logo graphics on the car walls could not be used elsewhere, so these would have been destroyed in some fashion.  I have since contacted Lionel about this issue but records from that period were consolidated on a new data system and it only shows the car being produced in 2001 with no subsequent updates.

So that leaves by math, approximately 260 of these cars in existence, which is very low quantity for a modern production car from Lionel.  A lot of owners do not realize the scarcity of these cars and will have been using them on their layouts in some fashion.  So the quantity of available new, mint cars will be lower.  If you are a collector, do the math and judge the value of this car to your collection.  I have been watching these cars go across Ebay for a number of years and the price is tending to rise, most likely just based on overall interest.   If the above facts were known, which they will be now, there would not be cars being sold for under the $100 mark.  So in my opinion, these cars are a good collector item.

The car I have for sale has been stored in climate controlled, smoke free conditions.  Note from the photos that there are a couple of dimple marks on various panels.

If there are any questions or need for additional information, please contact me.   Thanks for looking.