Editor's note: Our European colleagues at Motor1 and InsideEVs Italy have all the fun! They teamed up with several brands, including Hot Wheels, to create this very cool car that brings out the kid in all of us. Here's the story of the Tesla Model 3 Hot Wheels.
If you are an enthusiast of any automotive genre, you likely played with Hot Wheels as a kid. Hell, you might play with Hot Wheels as an adult, and we're totally on board with that. In fact, we're so on board that we teamed up with Hot Wheels and other companies to create a car we can actually drive. Behold the Tesla Model 3 Hot Wheels, coming to you in 1:1 scale.
This is the brainchild of our Italian editions for Motor1 and InsideEVs, and it certainly looks like a proper Hot Wheels car. It comes to life with a body wrap using a satin anodized blue base for the background – a proper Hot Wheels shade. Of course there's a proper Hot Wheels logo along the sides, emblazoned in the classic red flag that spans a majority of the side. The wrap also features lightning bolts and the number 3, reflective of this being an electric Tesla Model 3. Why a Tesla you ask? Because small-scale Hot Wheels cars are silent, just like this large-scale version.
The customization doesn't stop there. The Tesla Model 3 Hot Wheels rides on 19-inch OZ Racing Superturismo Aero-E wheels. These are specifically designed for high-performance electric cars, and they wear Goodyear F1 tires. And to give the Model 3 a bit more visual punch, it wears a modest carbon-fiber body kit including a spoiler and diffuser at the rear, and a splitter at the front. It's a special kit that provides additional downforce without compromising the Model 3's range.
Gallery: Tesla Model 3 Hot Wheels 1:1 Scale
Along the rocker panels on the sides, you'll see a host of companies involved in bringing this full-scale Hot Wheels Tesla to life. Nema Composite Solutions created the body kit, and Tittarelli Luxury Custom created the amazing wrap. You already know about OZ and Goodyear, and of course, we're incredibly proud to have our names included with this esteemed group.
"Kids love electric cars because they've been playing with them forever," said Alessandro Lago, director of Motor1.com Italy. "It is precisely the new generations who will push the world towards the ecological transition of mobility. It will take time, because it's not easy to re-educate us adults. Perhaps revisiting our youth can help with that, like driving a Tesla Hot Wheels car."
Attendees to the 2023 Milan Monza Motor Show starting June 16 can see this special car in person. If you can't make it, recapture your youth in our comprehensive photo gallery of 29 images, embedded above. You can also check out the latest Rambling About Cars podcast for more on scale model cars, Hot Wheels, and other fun discussions.
