These are not the Hot Wheels we grew up with. For starters, Automoblox are pretty darn gorgeous. A toy car, gorgeous? Totally! Developed by car enthusiast, Patrick Calello -- who studied Industrial Design at Carnegie Mellon -- Automoblox are wooden cars that let children assemble cars they design.

The main concept behind Automoblox is that children can create their own cars by mixing and matching available parts, including the body, connectors, rims and tires and more.

The cars and parts are available in a myriad of colors and styles, including pickup, sedan, compact, utility and sports van. We're partial to the snazzy red C9 sports car. Children can also register their cars at the Automoblox Web site as each car comes with its unique VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), just like a real car!

While Automoblox cars can foster problem solving and help tune gross and fine motor skills in children, we think the best thing about them is how cool they look.