Hot Wheels Will Start Making Ferraris Again This Spring

For the first time in a decade, Hot Wheels will be putting out Ferraris again.

Announced at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair (yeah, that was a new one for me too), Mattel is releasing a “full range” of die-cast Ferrari toys that will include everything from limited-edition Mattel Creations models to basic $1 “mainline” 1/64-scale pieces, and even remote-controlled cars. These will apparently encompass Ferrari’s racing and road cars, covering both its modern lineup and back catalog of old icons. The first examples are coming this spring and the collection will grow as time goes on.

Once upon a time, Ferrari and Hot Wheels were pretty tight; through the aughts, they even collaborated on more premium, 1/18- and 1/43-scale models immortalizing Michael Schumacher’s title-winning F1 cars and icons like the 365 GTS/4 Daytona. But in 2014, Maranello inked an exclusive licensing agreement with die-cast car makers Maisto and Bburago (which are owned by the same company) after its previous contract with Mattel ended, according to Hemmings.

Hence, the latest Ferrari model to get a Hot Wheels toy was the LaFerrari in 2014. Ever since then, any official die-cast Ferrari was made by one of those two companies—brands that are far less common in North American retailers and would, as a result, stick out like a sore thumb in enthusiasts’ collections. Now, though, Ferrari is back in the Hot Wheels stable.

Just last week, Hot Wheels dropped its new Formula 1 cars featuring officially licensed liveries of eight current teams. The Scuderia, alongside Aston Martin, was conspicuously missing from the line. With this new agreement, though, there’s hope yet that Lewis Hamilton’s new ride may someday be in the Hot Wheels pipeline.

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