No diatribe today on why Mattel doesn’t have Ferrari. It is just time to enjoy another Hot Wheels Ferrari that sadly hit the shelf when Mattel lost the license.
I came across my Hot Wheels Ferrari collection the other day, and thought the 458 Spider was a good one to feature. It might be a bit lost among all the Ferraris that get a lot of attention, like the 599XX, 250 GTO, and Enzo. Like many of the later Hot Wheels Ferraris, it never got a premium release, and was just one of the many Ferraris that was released in the later years. But it does deserve some love.
For one, it is a really nice casting. I will agree that the size differential between the front and rear wheels is a little out of proportion, but other than that, it looks great. In fact, the two later versions, one in blue and the other in red with white stripes, have bigger wheels with larger rims and the car looks much more in proportion.
Second, the 458 Spider was a great companion to the 458 casting, for obvious reasons. They are the same size, and three of the models share the same colors. It might be just me, but I like when Hot Wheels does companion models like that, especially when they look like this:
I can keep writing, but I don’t need to. As nice as these are, it is hard to look at them without thinking about what could have been. Think of a Ferrari batch in Car Culture? Or Forza? Or more releases of the California? Or a new Ferrari casting every year. Damn, it’s a bummer.
At least most of the Ferraris were released in several colors, and nice ones at that. If the Spider never sees the light of day again, at least we have these. And they are pretty easy to obtain.
Now to think of what other Ferrari to feature and get depressed about never seeing again.
(Find the 458 Spider on ebay.)
Tan and black interior variations:
Had to go back and read that headline. Was excited for a second. Could you imagine, Mercedes and Ferrari both in the line. All we would need is a few Bugatti models with the Lambos and the McLaren we would have some awesome supercars in the line. Miss Ferrari more than I thought I would. Their not just super but they add class. Yeah Mattel go get them back and maybe Maseratti too. PLEASE!
The only buggati ones you have is the SS and chiron
Maseratai has granturismo and ghibli
Ferrari has the new 488 – signature red of course
DAMM Mattel back at it again with the dumb choices
I seriously don't understand the love for the Enzo. It is a poor representation of the car. Always has been. Same with the Enzo FXX. It's like the Veyron. Just not a good casting…
This one, while I don't care for it because I don't care for the actual car, was done well.
Gee, Ferrari sure did made that 458 sexy. Love my yellow coupe, even if it's not as pristine as before.
Also… there's got to be a way to pry the Ferrari license off May Cheong Group's hands. I got a billion I can wire if that's what it takes.
I wholeheartedly agree with you about the Enzo. To tell you the truth, I'm not a fan of the real Enzo, but the casting is no good either. It's just wrong.
I'm fortunate to have all 5 of these, and there really is no dud among them. I'm quite partial to the blue one (yes, TRAP5 wheels and all!!)
looks so ugly with that bigger wheels in the back!
Just like Mercedes came back this year, I've got my fingers crossed that Ferrari too will be back some day. Hot Wheels Ferrarris were one of the main attentions back in the day and almost all castings were spot on. I was lucky enough to find the yellow coupe and red spider and I'm gonna hold on to those. They are my favorite version of the respective casting.
So is that why there's only one LaFerrari release that I know of? Definitely think I'll keep that one carded then.
There were 2 – one red, one silver. Unfortunately it showed up at the very tail end of Mattel's license with Ferrari, so that's all we get. Unless they come back to the fold like Mercedes did. My fingers are crossed.
I'm definitely a big fan of Ferrari. Have been for as long as I can remember. Although the 458 Spider may not be may favorite model, it's still a pretty nice casting (excessively oversized rear wheels aside). I really like the colors they chose for the various releases and I have an example of each (only missing black with black interior and red with white stripes). The lack of Ferraris in Mattel's current lineup is a major disappointment. Hopefully we will see them again someday soon!