Koenigsegg is undoubtedly one of the coolest hypercars makers on the planet right now, with an incredible ability to develop cutting edge technology while maintaining old-school appeal. Which makes it all the more frustrating that we just can’t seem to get a decent Koenigsegg casting from Hot Wheels! The premium Agera casting dates back to 2014 and even back then it wasn’t a great looking casting. The much newer mainline Jesko and Gemera still suffer from some odd proportions that make them feel unworthy of the Koenigsegg name. Perhaps there’s just something incredibly difficult about making a Koenigsegg in 1/64 scale…
Luckily, fan-favorite designer Ron Wong was willing to take on the challenge! We’ve seen some great things from him this year, so is this finally our chance to get a proper Hot Wheels Koenigsegg?
It’s frankly astonishing that it’s taken so long for Hot Wheels to make this casting, given the enthusiast popularity of the CCXR and its appearance in Fast 6. With Hot Wheels’s eagerness to make a replica of any car with even a femtosecond of screen time (and even some that never existed at all), it feels odd that it took so long for them to seize on the excuse to make a new Koenigsegg.
Oh well, it’s finally here, so let’s see how they did! The first impressions are good – this is what I consider the classic color scheme for a CCXR, and the chrome 10 spokes are a perfect fit. Hot Wheels deserves credit for creating a hypercar casting that wears the same size wheels on both axles, and the overall proportions look far less squished than the previous Agera casting.
I’ve always struggled to figure out exactly why I don’t like the Hot Wheels Agera, other than that it feels a bit cartoonish in its proportions. Overlaying a line drawing of a 1:1 scale Agera is enlightening – the wheel base is way too short, which helps explain why the casting looks so stubby. The roofline is actually much more accurate than I expected, though it is still slightly too tall. There’s other small oddities as well, like the side windows that are far narrower than they should be and the rear decklid that’s too low. All these little errors add up to a casting that feels more like a cheap generic Agera than a proper licensed one.
Using the same line drawing technique on the new CCXR shows just how much more accurate this new casting is. It’s still not perfect (Hot Wheels castings are almost never true 1/64) but it’s a massive improvement. It now looks like a proper licensed Koenigsegg, not a cheap knock-off. The wheelbase is still a little on the short side, but it’s far better than the Agera. The roofline is perfect, the side windows are taller, and even the height of the rear end is correct!
The side mirrors deserve special attention, because they are truly impressive. Tiny or completely missing side mirrors have been a consistent pain point for Hot Wheels collectors for years, but this CCXR breaks with that tradition. They stick out farther and look more delicate than just about any metal part I’ve seen from Hot Wheels (you read that right, these mirrors are metal, not plastic)! Crazy supercar mirrors are becoming a bit of a calling card for Ron Wong…they’ve gotten the most attention on the upcoming LaFerrari, but he deserves a lot of credit for the ones on this Koenigsegg too. I know mirrors like this won’t be possible on all castings, but I’m glad to at least see them on a few premium models.
It’s not just the technical details of this casting that make it stand out. The perfect paint color and factory-correct deco are exactly what I want to see for the debut of a CCXR. The splash of green in the CCXR badge is a wonderful bit of attention to detail, as is the little Koenigsegg badge on the front fender. Compared to the Agera, the intake that cuts into the door is deeper and more pronounced, making it look like a functional bit of aero rather than a quirky design choice. Even the side marker lights are properly detailed on this new CCXR!
At the back, the CCXR gets detailing aplenty, with brake lights, a license plate, and reflectors in the bumper. It even has silver detailing on the massive center exhaust – what more can you ask for?! I love how the rear wing follows the shape of the bodywork, and it does an impressive job of replicating Koenigsegg’s dual-height design. It even has the little winglets on the ends!
The attention to detail continues in the front, where this new casting gets the center-mounted windshield wiper that was missing from the Agera. This model also gets detailed headlights, fog lights, and a badge on the hood.
In fact, there’s only one place on this model where I find the details lacking. Every Koenigsegg model gets a little white cartoon ghost on the rear window or decklid, and it’s missing from this CCXR! The rest of the car’s detailing was so impressive that I actually looked up an overhead view of a real CCXR just to sanity-check myself that this car is actually supposed to have one (it is).
Let’s be honest though, that’s a pretty minor criticism. This is not only one of the greatest Koenigsegg models of the year – it’s one of the greatest models of the year, full stop. Its near-perfect execution and excellent detailing provide a benchmark for the rest of the Hot Wheels line, and I hope we see a lot more of this casting going forward. An orange recolor would make an excellent addition to a future Exotic Envy set! Wherever it ends up, I just hope it’s able to escape the Fast & Furious line, because keeping this casting limited to only this design would do it and collectors a massive disservice.
Like what I do? Subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss any posts!
diecastleno.com 
Leave a comment