Volume X, Last Updated March 21, 2007

Ferrari for Collectors by Hot Wheels
By Doug Breithaupt


Many toy Tifosi have bemoaned the fact that the exclusive Ferrari-Mattel license for diecast miniatures has provided few high quality examples in small-scale. Until the most recent release of the 250 GTO and Enzo set, only six other 1:64 scale Ferrari from Hot Wheels had been offered with collector level detail and wheels. The latest two models are the first to offer engine detail and are easily the best yet.

The 250 TR casting began in the regular line. It always suffered from over-wide tires. Hot Wheels corrected this with the racing example shown here. The tires are rubber and the correct with. Because they are smaller, they do not fill the wheel wells but that is a fair trade-off. The new 250 GTO is welcome for many reasons. This favorite Ferrari is considered a design icon. The detail is excellent and the wire wheels are beautiful. The best part is the opening hood with those 12 Weber trumpets over the classic V12. The Dino came in a Bruce Wayne set and can be a challenge to find. Another example in a better color would be welcome. The casting is quite good although the wheels and tires look to big for the car. The Dino badge is oversized as well. The P4 looks great with the gold wheels and rubber tires. The tampos are not perfectly placed but are historically correct. The Daytona 365 GTB is the only collector model with plastic tires. The chrome wheels are quite nice. The dark blue is an uncommon color choice for this model. Like the P4, 250TR and 1961 F1 model, this also originated as a regular line casting.

The collector version of the 1961 Ferrari 156 F1 was welcome for the correct size wheels it offered. At the same time, the metallic paint was a curious choice. I wanted the regular line paint and collector wheels. The 2000 F1 casting carries a 1997 date on the base. My earliest example came in a F1 race set found in Canada in 1998. When Ferrari and Michael Schumacher found success in 2000, Hot Wheels began offering re-paints with the #1 instead of #3 on the car. The same casting was also used for models with Jaguar, BMW, McLaren and Jordan colors. The example shown here features collector wheels and rubber tires as well as better paint.

The Enzo has become the poster child for the 'bad boy' supercar de jour. Hot Wheels already has a regular line Enzo. The new collector version is in a whole different league. The mirrors, wheels and flip-up view of the V12 motor all make this a very special model. I'm not a big fan of the Enzo design but Hot Wheels has done it right with this model.


250 Testarossa


250 GTO


250 GTO with V12 view


Dino 246 GTS


P4


365 GTB Daytona


1961 156 F1


F12000


Enzo

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