Every year, we get plenty of cool and exciting new models in the Car Culture series, but it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen a model with as much significance to the brand as this LaFerrari. Sure, mainline castings like the SF90 and F40 may have made it into stores sooner, but this LaFerrari is Hot Wheels’ showcase of what they can do with the Ferrari license.
As a premium model, this LaFerrari has fewer budget constraints than this year’s mainline Ferraris, and they used that extra budget to great effect. There is no part of this model that feels lacking in detail, making it feel like a standout even among the rest of the premium series.
Next to the old mainline LaFerrari, it’s easy to appreciate just how much more detailed this new model is. The old casting isn’t bad by any means, so the overall proportions and sizes of both models are similar, but the new LaFerrari has a longer, lower front end to really emphasize its supercar nature. Plus, Hot Wheels has largely moved on from the era of staggered wheel setups, so this new casting has the same size wheels on both axles (hallelujah!). Then, there’s the mirrors…
In my feature on the new Koenigsegg CCXR, I pointed out that crazy exotic car mirrors are the easiest way to tell if a casting was designed by Ron Wong – so I’ll give you one guess who designed this LaFerrari. These mirrors are truly impressive, and the way they stick out from the interior through the windows is an incredibly clever bit of casting design. Because these mirrors are part of the interior, they’re made of plastic, rather than metal like the CCXR’s mirrors. They feel a bit more fragile as a result, but I hope they hold up over time, because I would love to see more supercars get mirrors like this!
I also wish more Hot Wheels Ferraris received a rear detailing treatment like this! This is the first of the new Ferraris to have detailed brake lights and they are definitely a welcome sight, but the most impressive part is the F1-inspired rain light. It’s part of the base section, which has been printed red to match the paint on the diecast body, and the color match is nothing short of perfect! Amazing that Hot Wheels can match their printing to their paint color so well, when Matchbox can’t even consistently match their metal painted doors to their metal painted bodies.
The rear of the LaFerrari also sees the required Ferrari badge on the back, alongside a “LaFerrari” license plate that matches the car’s press photos nicely, even though I’d rather see it with a regular license plate. The exhaust tips are well modeled, though I can’t help but wish they had silver detailing like the recent CLK Black Series.
The LaFerrari’s diffuser has active aero flaps at the back, and I’m surprised to see that the old mainline casting did a better job of modeling them than the new premium version.
Hot Wheels definitely nailed the ride height on this new LaFerrari. It looks long and low, just as a proper hypercar should. Since this is a licensed Ferrari product, it has the required Ferrari shields on the fenders.
Despite the complicated geometry of the LaFerrari’s front end, Hot Wheels managed to get all the printed detailing perfectly aligned. The headlights wrap around onto the sides of the model while featuring plenty of individual LED elements, and I appreciate that the hood vents have been printed black to give them more of a sense of depth. That long, low front splitter features another impressively accurate color-match on the red section below the grille. Bravo!
Many collectors bemoan the increase in plastic roofs as a result of newer construction techniques on modern castings, but I think even the pickiest collectors will be hard pressed to complain about the black printing that covers the roof, A-pillars, and base of the windshield on this LaFerrari. It does a great job of visually separating the roof and windows, while also allowing the windows to have less tint than they would if the roof was unprinted.
Honestly, it’s hard to find anything to complain about on this casting. I truly believe models like this are helping set a new standard of quality in the premium line, because this feels a class above what we would have seen even a few short years ago. Heck, throw on some spectraflame paint and this LaFerrari wouldn’t look out of place as an RLC release!
In fact, if there’s anything worthy of complaint, it would be the rest of the EuroSpeed series in which this Ferrari is being released. I can’t help but feel like this is a set with one star and four pegwarmers. I like hypercars – they’re among my favorite cars that Hot Wheels makes – but the choice of European supercars included in this set feels deliberately obtuse. Cars like the Pininfarina Battista and Bugatti Bolide are cool in their own right, but there are so many great Hot Wheels hypercar castings that would have been much more appealing to pair with the new LaFerrari. Cars like the new CCXR and the retooled Bugatti Veyron immediately come to mind, but it also would have been a good chance to give established premium models like the McLaren Senna or Lamborghini Aventador some exciting new color options. The casting selection Hot Wheels chose just feels…lazy, I guess? Then again, Hot Wheels does have a history of inexplicable exotic casting choices.
Perhaps this also comes down to the limited number of premium release slots in a given year. With only 6 Car Culture sets of 5 cars (not including chases), there are so few opportunities to get recolors of the great premium castings we love. As a result, any mediocre casting pick feels disastrous, because it deprives us of the opportunity to see the return of a fan-favorite model. Hopefully someday Hot Wheels will expand the premium line, but that’s a post for another day.
Even if we have to wade through four mediocre models to get this LaFerrari, it’s worth it because this LaFerrari is an absolute stunner. It shows that Hot Wheels means business with the Ferrari license, and it elevates the standards of the premium line at a time when the line needs to justify increasing prices. Even if you have to resort to the second-hand market, this is a must-have model and an excellent way to showcase what Hot Wheels can do with the Ferrari license. Welcome back, Ferrari!
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