$1.25 Ferraris are back
Hot Wheels Ferraris return after a long absence
By contributing writer Peter Valdes-Dapena
Something’s been missing for a long time from the tiny toy cars aisle. Little Bugattis? Those are there. Tiny Ford Broncos, or monster trucks that look like a rhinoceros? Check. Bentleys? Teslas? No problem finding those, either.
But try scoring that exotic Italian supercar from Maranello, Italy. We’re talking about a Ferrari, more specifically, a Hot Wheels version of it.
Hot Wheels, a division of toymaker Mattel and a leading brand of toy cars, hasn’t made any Ferrari toy cars in about a decade.
Here’s why.
Selling toy versions of real cars requires the agreement of the actual car company. For the past 10 years, Hot Wheels hasn’t had the required agreements with the famous Italian sports car company to be able to produce miniature toy versions of its cars.
That’s all in the past. Mattel announced in January that it had sorted out the paperwork and will be bringing back Ferrari to its Hot Wheels lineup with a big roll-out of new models.
And now Hot Wheels has revealed its first new Ferraris.
The new fleet of miniature Ferraris coming to stores and online in the coming months include the popular 1:64-scale pocket-sized cars that sell for about $1.25, bigger Hot Wheels Ferraris for $6.50 each, and other fancier, and much more expensive models.
Among the smallest Ferraris will be classics like the 1989 F40 Competizione, the 1971 365 GTB4 Competizione and a tiny SF90 Stradale, a model of Ferrari’s new hybrid sports car.
The $6.50 Ferraris include the 1990s-era Ferrari F50 (available in November), a model of the 2010’s Ferrari LaFerrari (Ferrari’s first hybrid car) available in September, and a model of the 499P Modificata, a Ferrari modeled after a car that won the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hour race. That car will hit stores in July.
Here’s another sizzling Ferrari deal that’s available in October: For $17, fans can scoop up the world’s most valuable Ferrari – a 250 GTO – that comes with a Fiat car transporter truck. A real 1962 Ferrari GTO sold, believe it or not, sold for $51.7 million in 2023.
Among the pricier toy car options is a “Hot Wheels for Ferrari Heritage Set” (priced at $100) which comes with two larger-scale cars. One is a nicer version of the Ferrari 499P Modificata, based on the car that won the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hour race.
The other will be an up-sized recreation of the first Hot Wheels Ferrari toy, a 312P race car, that originally debuted in 1970.
The boxed pair of Ferrari models is available to order online from Mattel Creations.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: For more than twenty years, Peter Valdes-Dapena has covered cars, the auto industry, and auto-related companies and products. He has also been a lifelong collector of automotive miniatures.