Happy New Year! It’s time to pick some Top 10 models of 2025 as part of the Lamley Awards season. The format follows that of 2024: As well as the regular Top 10 additions to my collection, I’ve compiled a list of my favourite new race and rally cars of 2025, seeing as these now comprise a major part of my new purchases. As it happens, some of these were also the most popular among other collectors this year, given the return of Ferrari to Hot Wheels.
My rule for inclusion remains in these lists remains the same. Only cars that I had in hand in the calendar year count towards the Top 10s. That means no place for some very cool but as yet unseen newcomers like the Mini GT Toleman or the Laudo Racing Giro d’Italia Fiat Abarth. Right, let’s get on with it.
Top New Race & Rally Models of 2025
10) BM Creations Daihatsu Charade
Full disclosure: this is the only new rally model to make my 2025 Top 10. That’s a pity after such a strong run of great new rally cars in recent years, but until my preordered Spark/Tiny Hilux, Repsol Delta, Craig Breen-tribute Hyundai and ’99 Richard Burns Impreza arrive, this is what we have. Which is not to belittle the already-little Charade – what a fantastic subject for a 1:64 model, very nicely executed by up-and-coming BM Creations. Read more here. Note that if you’re looking for this RAC Rally edition, it’s often mislabelled as the forthcoming Monte Carlo Rally version.
(find BM Creations Charade on eBay)
9) IXO IndyCars
My biggest racing trip of the year was to finally check the Indy 500 off my bucket list. Newly licensed IXO took over the IndyCar models in 2025 from GreenLight, and the first 1:64 examples were on sale at the Speedway in May, so I grabbed a couple. You can read my full review here but the blue-and-yellow Splenda/Java House deco of Christian Rasmussen’s car and Graham Rahal’s Mobil Dallara both look great both in miniature and on the track.
8) Hot Wheels Kick Sauber / Mercedes F1
Ferrari wasn’t the only big licence returning to Hot Wheels in 2025. Formula 1 was back for the first time in decades, and in style, with cars from eight of the 10 teams (we should get them all in ’26) appearing in both premium and mainline. It was close with the Mercedes, but this Sauber was my favourite among the premium models, not suffering from fuzzy-graphics syndrome in the way that some other teams’ colours did. More on the Hot Wheels F1 releases here.
(find Hot Wheels Sauber on eBay)
7) BBR Ferrari SF23
Despite the Ferrari-shaped gap on the Hot Wheels grid, you could still buy F1 Ferraris thanks to brands including BBR, whose models are made by Mini GT. This model of Charles Leclerc’s 2023 SF23 comes with a premium price tag but is beautifully designed, made and detailed, and rolls very well. A shoutout too, to whomever designs BBR’s packaging – I open just about everything anyway, but BBR boxes are classy and easily resealable.
6) Hot Wheels Formula 1 Collection
I grew up as an F1 fan in the 1980s and loved my F1 toy cars from the likes of Polistil, Majorette, Bburago and Matchbox. In the Bernie Ecclestone era of B2B deals in the Paddock Club, these all but went away, so hats off to Liberty Media for catering to what young race fans want, too, and bringing back F1 toys through the likes of LEGO, Hot Wheels and Bburago. Yes, the Formula 1 Collection casting is simple and generic, but it’s also cheap and readily accessible from your nearest retailer. To people like me, who want kids to get excited about motorsport in the way that I once did, this matters. What’s not to like?
(find Hot Wheels F1 Collection on eBay)
5) Tarmac Works Toyota Supra Turbo BTCC
As a huge fan of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) I’m forever frustrated at the absence of 1:64 models of the cars that have raced in it. Tarmac has been responsible for three in recent years – the Volvo 850 Estate, the Honda Civic Type-R and now this Supra, which was a cool but unsuccessful car driven in 1988 by two-time series champion, Chris Hodgetts. The model is great and I’m looking forward to more manufacturers mining the rich seam of 1980s BSCC/BTCC grids – you might see Pop Race’s upcoming Golf GTI in this list next year.
(find Tarmac Works BTCC Supra on eBay)
4) Hot Wheels Elite 64 BMW 3.0 CSL
The Elite 64 line gets a ton of unwarranted criticism. No, I don’t want to buy all of them, but then I don’t buy most of the Hot Wheels mainlines either. For me, true 1:64 has to be the way to go if Hot Wheels wants to hold collector interest in the future, in the most competitive miniature model car market we’ve ever seen. This detailed CSL holds its own against the premium-brand offerings while maintaining the trademark HW weight and rollability. Oh, and it’s also a classic race car that I can slot right into my IMSA display. Wunderbar!
(find Hot Wheels Elite BMW CSL on eBay)
3) Hot Wheels Ferrari 499p and 250 GTO
More Hot Wheels, and both more than worthy of a place on the podium – as they were in the Lamley readers’ Hot Wheel Premium poll. It’s frustrating that Hot Wheels race and rally releases are so often a near-miss, and it’s usually a woeful, “inspired by” livery that’s to blame. I get that there are cost constraints around licensing and accuracy, so what a treat it is to see the 499p so brilliantly realized as a premium by Ron Wong and Steve Vandervate. I had no hesitation in adding this to my GTP/Hypercar display alongside the Mini GTs and Sparks, while the redesigned 250 GTO – another Ron/Steve masterpiece, which also came with Rob Matthes’ incredible Fiat transporter – rights most of the wrongs of the older GTO. And, as on the 499p, we get another accurate deco, this time representing Nick Mason’s car. Bravo!
(find Hot Wheels Ferrari 499p on eBay)
(find Hot Wheels Ferrari Team Transport on eBay)
2) Mini GT Lamborghini SC63
And yet, you can’t ignore what Mini GT, in particular, brings to the table: an obsessive devotion to accuracy combined with a winning dedication to models that roll properly. I think the new SC63 is one of their very best: an incredible shade of bright green, an immaculate silver roof with perfect stripes, insane Lamborghini script beneath the strakes on the rear wing, and that unbeatable, all-metal heft as it glides across the table. Bravissimo!
(find Mini GT Lamborghini SC63 on eBay)
1) Hot Wheels Elite 64 1967 Ferrari 330 P4
The crowning glory of Ferrari’s return to Hot Wheels, in my opinion (although these photos don’t do it justice). The unfairly maligned (also my opinion) Elite 64 line finally hits the jackpot with this low, low, low P4 thanks to some stellar work by designer, Charlie Angulo. An opening rear that clips shut with a satisfying click, an authentic race livery (Monza 1000km), 1:64 sizing, accurate wheels and a chassis that rolls like a Hot Wheels should – this is the real deal, and my pick for best new race car model of the year.
(find Hot Wheels Elite Ferrari P4 on eBay)
Highly commended: Hot Wheels Lotus Cortina
This is the second of Hot Wheels designer, Fraser Campbell’s Jim Clark Lotus-related models after last year’s magnificent Lotus 49. It’s a great scale, very well proportioned and impeccably liveried (for a Hot Wheels mainline) in Clark’s 1964 BSCC racing colours (mine is pictured mid-customization). The downside? It’s such a pity they couldn’t tuck the rear wheel under a lower arch. An Alan Mann-style, red-and-gold version has also been released.
(find Hot Wheels Lotus Cortina on eBay)
Highly commended: Hot Wheels Ferrari 365 GTB/4
No doubt about it, the return of the Prancing Horse to Hot Wheels is probably the year’s biggest story in diecast models. I don’t get too excited about street cars like the SF90 but this Group 4 version of the front-engined Daytona, one of my favourite Ferraris, is awesome. The stance is perfect, and the restrained deco neatly evokes real-life racing liveries. More great versions are on the way.
(find Hot Wheels Daytona on eBay)
Top 10 Other Additions to my Collection
Alright, time to move swiftly on to Part 2. Let’s look at some of the other fun models I was able to add to the collection in 2025. Again, I have some exciting stuff still on order, but until it gets here, it’s not going into my list.
10) Hot Wheels Falken Honda Civic
Was finally able to get this from a friend at our local Hot Wheels meet (thanks Stuart!). Civics are one of the many models that are relentlessly and pointlessly hoarded in Calgary, as elsewhere: see also, Tesla Cybertruck, various Porsches and Ferraris, the latest JDM, etc. And yet, as a trip to a recent garage sale proved, much of this stuff will end up being cleared out for a buck or two somewhere down the line, when demand has once again failed to meet supply. Is the hassle of all that driving and hunting worth a handful of bucks on Marketplace?
(find Hot Wheels Falken Civic on eBay)
9) Matchbox 1977 Jaguar XJ6C / Hot Wheels XJ12C
Fortunately, no one here is really interested in old Jaguars, so the awesome Hot Wheels XJ12C was still in the picked-over bins by the time I got to Walmart that week. It makes a great pair with another newish XJ, the lovely Matchbox XJ6C, whose first (blue) release didn’t land in Calgary in numbers. Happily, this second version, in red with a chrome base, is way better.
(find Matchbox Jaaaaag on eBay) (find Hot Wheels Jaaaaag on eBay)
8) Tomica Toyota TF103
I’m a sucker for a cool Tomica in a cardboard box. In a year when I bought very few of them after changing my collecting policy, this is one of the best, a 2003 special edition to promote Toyota’s then-participation in F1. This one came from the always-great Jeff Koch.
7) Matchbox Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL Polizei
This was the last of the regular releases I needed for #MBMission800: the ROW MB056 450 SEL with roof lights and siren from 1983-84. I bought this fabulous model loose but in great condition from Amazing Matchbox. All that’s left now on the road to 800 are some hard-to-find prototypes of unmade models. The hunt – which has now been going on for more than 15 years – continues.
(find Matchbox 450 SEL on eBay)
6) GreenLight Dallara DW12
Having previously lived in the same small UK town from which Katherine Legge hails, I’ve followed her career. Without major backing, she’s consistently punched above her weight and shown that female drivers can be competitive, despite often being in back-of-the-grid machinery. Anyway, this 2012 Dallara has long been on my list, so at the Indy 500 I asked a vendor if he had it. He reached into a box in his trailer and pulled out this autographed example. Sold!
(find GreenLight Dallara on eBay)
5) Schuco Renault 16 TS
Part of a group of 1:66 Schucos I obtained in 2025 from another collector who, like me, values their accuracy, clean lines and unmistakable 1970s vibe (read more about my Schuco collection here). The Schucos of that era are mostly models of German cars, so this lovely Renault adds some variety to my 33-strong collection. Lots found over several decades, lots more to find!
4) Minichamps McLaren MP4/5B
It’s one of my favourite cliches that there is nothing new in model car collecting. Here, this old Microchamps McLaren shows that what Mini GT has recently started to do, has been done before. That’s not to say that Mini GT won’t do it better (and I have the Prost MP4/4 on order) but Minichamps set a high bar way back in 2000. I picked up an even older Karl Wendlinger Sauber C12 from the same eBay seller, too.
(find Minichamps F1 McLaren on eBay)
3) Matchbox Morgan 3 Wheeler
Sometimes there is a silver lining to not being a huge JDM/Skyline/supercar/whatever-else-is-trending collector. In this case, the incredible Morgan has been a massive pegwarmer at Walmarts in Calgary, which meant I could find one no problem. Purely in design terms, it is the best Matchbox release of 2025, in my opinion, and one of Abe Lugo’s greatest designs. It’s very disappointing that he is no longer part of the Matchbox setup.
(find Matchbox Morgan on eBay)
2) Tomica Leyton House March
Vintage Tomica is relatively hard to come by in North America, especially the models that were never sold here as Pocket Cars. For some time, I’ve been after several of the late-1980s F1 cars at a reasonable price and finally tracked a few down late in the year. This Leyton House March (possibly representing the 1989 CG891, driven by Ivan Capelli) might be my favourite. The casting was not new, however, being based on the existing Lotus Honda F-1 from the basic range. As you can see, I also picked up the McLaren, Ferrari (also based on the Lotus) and Benetton (a recoloured Williams); I’m still looking for the Lotus and the Williams.
1) Matchbox Rover SD1 Vitesse
Nothing else released in 2025 has sent my British collector friends and I into the same frenzy as the SD1. Yes, Matchbox made a 3500 SD1 decades ago, but for all its sliding-roof awesomeness, the proportions were way off. This 2025 Moving Parts release, on the other hand, is absolutely mint. I have a spare that I plan to customize into an old BSCC race car, but until then, the standard red Rover will do just fine. It’s my model of the year.
(find Matchbox Rover SD1 on eBay)
Congratulations on making it this far and please let me know your thoughts in the comments. All the best for 2026 and Happy Collecting!
For more on miniature race cars, check out my children’s book, 20 Great Race Cars
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