The Must-Have Hot Wheels Ferraris: The One-and-Done 250 California…

Our series on the Must-Have Hot Wheels Ferraris continues.

It is definitely a limited series, because the Ferraris I have in my possession to show don’t even come close to representing ALL the must-haves that Hot Wheels has done over the years.  But I think there are some good ones.

If you missed Part 1, on the 308 Quattrovalvole, you can read it here.  Part 2?  This is an easy one, because the next Must-Have Ferrari casting is the easiest to collect.  100% of the collectors that collect this Ferrari are completists, because there is exactly one release.  You either have it or you don’t.

That Ferrari is the 250 California from the Retro Entertainment series.  Hot Wheels created it to represent the Ferrari that Ferris Bueller enjoyed driving around Chicago on his day off, much to the chagrin of his best friend Cameron.  While the “Ferrari” in the movie wasn’t actually a Ferrari at all, at least the Hot Wheels replica is based on the actual 250, and it is a gem of a model.

Thankfully, during Hot Wheels’ run as the possessor of the Ferrari license, they did a handful of classic Ferraris.  The 250 variants are the first to come to mind, like the GTO, LM, and of course the California.  I have discussed my opinion on Ferraris in general several times here on the blog, but here it is in a nutshell: the first Ferraris are still the most beautiful of all, while 90’s Ferraris are the ugliest.  Thankfully Ferrari has started paying attention to looks lately, producing some beauties, but nothing will beat the classics.

The California is one of them.  I will always be happy that Ferris prompted the creation of this casting, but am sad it was never released in any other lines.  Maybe a black one, or silver, or whatever.  Imagine a Ferrari batch in Car Culture.  I would hope that this one would have seen more versions.

But that isn’t the case, so thankfully we have this one.  There really doesn’t have to be a “what might have been” mentality with this one.  It is thankfully red, it is in premium form, and it has the perfect wheels.  I will always miss other colors, but if it is going to be a one-and-done, this is the best version to do.

It does seem the current batch of sellers that have this model on eBay are a little too optimistic on its value, so I would this link later for a better deal.  But there might be a time that this model will be deserving of those prices.  It is certainly one of the prettiest Ferraris that Hot Wheels has done…

A couple of classic convertibles from the Entertainment line:

6 Replies to “The Must-Have Hot Wheels Ferraris: The One-and-Done 250 California…”

  1. Why not? I suppose he could have shot it next to a $2,750,000 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder from the Miami Vice Retro Ent …
    It would fit too as it is vintage and a Ferrari…
    The 2000GT convertible works though as it is a one off….

  2. This just might be my favorite Ferrari of all time. Everything is just right: the lines, the proportions, everything. No wonder the real ones go for mega millions at auction.

    The 50's and 60's Ferraris are my favorite, but I disagree with the 90's Ferraris being the ugliest. The F355 was a sexy little thing for its time, and it still stands the test of time. And I came to admire the 456 and 550 Maranello's elegant designs. The F50 could have used a little work in the front, but the overall shape was great. I was more displeased with the 2000's Ferraris, such as the Enzo, FF, and the 458 Speciale.

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