Hot Wheels Forza, Part 1: The Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint picks up where the Supervan left off…

It starts with the slope.  That subtle drooping slope.  You know what I am talking about on the Alfa Romeo GTA.  On the racing Alfas, things move from the iconic grill to across the hood, and then past the B pillar into a most subtle downward slope.  It is hard to see on the street cars, but it is most definitely a signature element of the race cars.

And I imagine it is very difficult to replicate in small scale.  But of course, Mark Jones did.

Remember the Hot Wheels Heritage Ford Supervan?  It was my Model of the Year last year.  I know it was a hit with a ton of collectors.  If you remember, the actual Supervan sits slightly higher in the front than it does in the rear.  Hard to translate to small scale.  But of course, Mark Jones did.

I can go on and on, but the point is Hot Wheels Designer Mark Jones is on a hot streak.  Let me name some of the castings he has designed of late.  2017 Ford GT, Mazda RX-3, Ford Supervan, upcoming Porsche 964 (which is perfect, as you will see in a few days), and this Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA.  Home run after home run, and we collectors are benefitting big time.

I will write more about Mark another time, because there is a ton of great stuff to feature, even with the orange brand (he was in charge of the Real Working Rigs), but for now let’s focus on the Alfa.

Despite my botching of the word “Giulia” in the Forza YouTube feature – still hitting myself for that one – I love love love the Alfa GTA.  I know I have a tendency to speak in hyperbole, but there isn’t a more beautiful “form and function” silhouette than the GTA.  It is as simple as the silhouette a kid would draw for a car, yet perfectly rounded in all the right places.  And that is just the body.  The historic racing liveries were just as cool.  And we haven’t gone into the racing heritage either.  Alfa Romeos are true Italian beauties, none more so than the GTA/Junior.

So yeah, I collect them.  TLV released several in the last year, Kyosho has a handful, and of course there is Matchbox’s stunning Sprint GTA that I have talked about before.  In fact, I have expanded my Matchbox GTA Sprint collection recently and plan on featuring it soon, maybe with all my Alfas.

The Hot Wheels is a perfect addition, especially next to the Matchbox.  In fact, they are such an awesome, unintended collaboration.  Matchbox does the street version, Hot Wheels the racer.  They need to put together.

And thanks to Mark Jones, the racing version takes on all the racing elements of the real thing, including the racing slope.  (If there is a name for that slope, you Alfa folks let me know.)

We are approaching the Lamley Awards, where we vote for Best & Worst Super, Best New Model, Model of the Year, etc.  I thought my choice for Model of the Year was in the bag.  Not anymore.  Darn you, Mark Jones!!!

(More Forza coverage coming…)