New Jaguar F-Type gets epic Hot Wheels treatment

IS THIS the coolest Hot Wheels set ever? To mark the launch the new Jaguar F-Type sports car, toy maker Mattel teamed up with the British car maker to create an epic Hot Wheels track — all the way through Jag’s design studio in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

The toy company created a 1:64 scale model of the facelifted F-Type to coincide with the reveal of the new car, as well as the 232 metre-long track, which was designed by Hot Wheels’ senior project designer Paul Schmid.

As expected from an extravagant Hot Wheels course, plenty of stunts were packed into the track to help the scaled-down sports car make its way through the styling studio. Jaguar says the route featured no less than 25 loop-the-loops, and the toy car was sent soaring through the air thanks to the three jumps laid out in the track.

The clever course charts the design process of the real life, full-sized sports car. As shown in the accompanying video, the mini Jag’s adventure begins at the initial design sketches of the facelifted F-Type, before loop-the-looping past computer screens showing digital renderings and passing over clay models, before coming to a stop by the front nearside tyre of the real life car.

The tiny two-seater achieved some pretty lofty speeds for its size, too. According to Jaguar, as it rocketed along the course the toy F-Type was clocked at a scaled speed of up to 300mph — significantly faster than the real F-Type, which has a top speed of 186mph in 567bhp F-Type R form.

To go quicker in real life you’d need the prototype version of the Bugatti Chiron hypercar, which managed to hit a wild 304mph in August this year.

Bryan Benedict, senior manager of product design at Hot Wheels, said: “We’ve been working with Jaguar for over 40 years but this was an opportunity to do something really special with a car that was not yet on sale.

To go behind the doors of the top-secret Jaguar Design Studio and work with the talented design team to bring this car to life and reveal it on our unmistakable orange and blue track was a unique opportunity.”

Jaguar’s design director Julian Thomson added: “We are used to creating models in clay but seeing such a finely-detailed 1:64-scale model of the new F-TYPE race around the studio, showcasing every stage in our design process, was a truly unique experience.”

While Hot Wheels had access to the Jaguar F-Type ahead of the car’s official reveal (it says the scale model was built using computer design data provided by Jaguar), it’ll be a while before the toy car arrives on store shelves, as it’s scheduled to go on sale until Autumn/Winter 2020.

In contrast, the full-size facelifted Jaguar F-Type is available to order now, with deliveries expected to commence in early 2020.

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