On January 27, Hot Wheels shared a story on Instagram with its logo and that of Ferrari, stating “Two iconic brands. Reunited.” on a red background. Simple yet impactful.

Ferrari ended its licensing agreement with Mattel at the end of 2014. After which, the May Cheong Group (which owns Maisto and Bburago) took over the license with what appeared to be a sublicense deal with Takara Tomy (which owns Tomica).

Between Maisto and Bburago, the latter mainly had more releases, which also felt more natural as it originates from Italy and had been replicating a good number of Ferraris in 1:18, 1:24, and 1:43 scales since the early ’80s. It was only in recent years that it released a 1:64 scale.

Tomica, meanwhile, released Ferraris under its basic line, Tomica Premium, as well as the highly detailed Tomica Limited Vintage Neo.

But here’s the thing. While Bburago and Tomica have beautiful releases in their own right, these two brands are small scale compared to the global might of Hot Wheels.

Ferrari returning to Hot Wheels is a big deal. You have what is arguably the most popular die-cast brand and a sports-car brand that little boys are fixated on, grasping in their hands little Prancing Horses. Or am I referring to my generation? No question: Hot Wheels and Ferrari reuniting is exciting news for adult collectors, ending months of speculation.

So what can we expect this time around? At the time when the license was ending, Hot Wheels started releasing more adult-oriented cars through the likes of Hot Wheels Garage and Hot Wheels Boulevard, where we saw the 288 GTO and the F40, respectively. In the years that followed, Hot Wheels Car Culture grew massively. And there was always that lingering thought: What if Ferrari was part of this?

Not only that. Creating castings in the last 10-15 years has significantly developed, with better proportions and details. While there have been spot-on releases starting around 2008 with the likes of the 288 GTO, the 250 GTO, the 308 GTS, the 458, and the 599XX to name a few, there were also some that were disappointing—earlier models from the ’90s and even toward the end of the license.

You know what they say: It’s not Formula 1 without Ferrari

Honestly, at this point, we don’t know what to expect. Said models above can be rereleased. There can be more early Ferraris along with the latest ones. Retooling the disappointing ones is also an exciting prospect. Retooling castings has been part of the big development. A good example is when Hot Wheels released the Dodge Viper in 1993, which looked so imprecise. It retooled the same car in 2023, and it looked so much better. Imagine what Hot Wheels Ferraris will look like now.

Part of the new deal is exclusivity, for sure—which Ferrari loves—be it packaging or a line. And with the boom in Hot Wheels Car Culture, Hot Wheels Premium, as well as Hot Wheels Team Transport, expect a good number of exclusive Ferraris on this end. What about the possibilities with Hot Wheels Elite 64 and Hot Wheels Red Line Club?

And let’s not forget about Formula 1. It’s weird that Hot Wheels and Ferrari reuniting was announced after the unveiling of the F1 toy cars. And you know what they say: It’s not Formula 1 without Ferrari. Exclusive deals in the works? Don’t bet against it. At least we know Ferrari will be present for the 2025 grid.

The first release will appear this spring, with the die-cast model available for preorder on Mattel Creations.

Which Ferraris do you want to see in Hot Wheels guise?