I’m slightly concerned of how my wife will react tomorrow when I come home from town. I’ll be picking up three large boxes of (mostly) Hot Wheels collectibles. She doesn’t know about yet, and she probably still thinks I’m planning to slow things down a bit.
There’s no other way for me to keep my unboxing stories going. And I exercised a lot of restraint by getting some relatively cheap models. Spending just over $200 for roughly 50 of them isn’t a bad deal considering most have Real Riders wheels or are at least 30 years old. Anyway, I can tell you that some of them have been part of Mattel’s Car Culture: Exotic Envy theme.
We’ve had three such sets so far, in 2021, 2022 and 2024. The ’16 Bugatti Chiron was the hottest car in 2021, especially with hose Exotic Real Riders wheels. The Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 was pretty good in 2022, and it also had a Chase variation. I’m happier to have unboxed the ’69 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale (yellow!), though.
The 2024 set had mixed reviews, and the BMW M1 Procar was probably the most desirable car there. I can’t wait for a closer look at the F1 soon! Anyway, I didn’t realize Exotic Envy would return in 2027. This makes it the third most popular theme in Car Culture after Modern Classics (five sets) and Japan Historics (five sets).
It was previously tied with Race Day and Deutschland Design, each with three appearances over the past decade. It has never felt as thrilling as it does now, and I can guarantee it will sell like hotcakes. Pre-ordering it might not even be enough, as I imagine too many people will aim for at least one to two sealed cases searching for the Holy Grail.
That’s right, I’m talking about the Chase version of the new Ferrari F40 casting. We’ve got ourselves a bit of a trifecta here, with three different castings for the same car: a Super Treasure Hunt in the Mainline series, the Red Line Club release and now this Chase version. I’ve already spotted the rare, black model on eBay listed for $444, and it’s not even inside the blister card.
It could easily go for over $1,000 by that moment, so it might be safer to just forget about it. The normal version of Ronald Wong’s new design looks even better to me, and it uses the same wheels we’ve seen on the F50. I almost feel obligated to add this to my collection, and I hope a yellow variation is on the agenda, too.
But let’s focus on #1 of 5 for the set for a moment. The Pagani Zonda C12 S is both a new casting and Ronald Wong’s work. I can definitely think of some nicer colors for it, but you know what they say about patience. Those look like the same Enkei-derived wheels we’ve seen on the BMW M3 and the 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX Wagon, which seems like a good choice to me.
I have mixed feelings about the ‘94 Bugatti EB110 SS. I’ve collected several of its Mainline variations, but can’t remember ever having access to a premium release. And by that I mean the 2022 Exotic Envy version that used the same Real Riders Aero rims as last year’s Super Treasure Hunt. If I’m not mistaken, it was a bit of peg-warmer then, and I fear the same fate awaits in 2027, too.
Photo: 1stopdiecast
I don’t know about you, but I might be even more turned on about the ‘97 Porsche 911 GT1 than the F40. That’s because I missed it the first time it showed up, back in the Premium Collector Set. I don’t even mind seeing it in white, although I am slightly concerned about the wheel gap here. Speaking of which, I don’t remember seeing those rims before!
The Dodge Viper RT/10 is #5 of 5 for the set, and feels slightly out of place if you ask me. I understand we needed an American car for the sake of diversity, and I won’t pretend a Viper is a common occurrence on public roads. It’s just maybe one level below every other car here. A Saleen S7 might have been a better choice, but we don’t have one yet for that kind of job.
If this is Fraser Campbell’s design from 2023, it has never had a Premium variation yet. It was part of the Treasure Hunt series earlier this year, and it also showed up in the 2025 Mattel 80th Anniversary Multipack with Silver Series rims. Both variations before that used FC3 wheels, and it seems like the same strategy has come into effect for 2027.
It’s almost strange seeing these 3-Spoke in Real Riders form, but I guess it was just a matter of time before it happened. I don’t think the Viper will be a peg-warmer, at least not at this stage. However, it won’t be so quick to fly off the pegs as the three stars of the show here. You can get a sealed case of 10 cars from 1stopdiecast for $91.99. I might go for one myself.
Source: www.autoevolution.com
