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Hot Wheels loses Ferrari diecast contract to Chinese company

If you're anything like this writer, chances are you've got a diecast model or two kicking around the house. And if one of those models replicates a Ferrari, chances are it's made by Hot Wheels. The Mattel brand secured an exclusive contract from the Maranello automaker in the late 1990s, but the latest word from Hemmings has it that Ferrari has ended its partnership with Hot Wheels and awarded it instead to the May Cheong Group. Unless you're an avid diecast collector, you may not have heard of May Cheong, but you may have heard of its brands Maisto and Bburago. Both brands are longtime players in the model car market, but it's the Bburago part of the deal that's particularly interesting. Founded in Italy, Bburago made a name for itself largely due to the scale Ferrari models it made back in the day. But when the Prancing Horse marque awarded the exclusive contract to Mattel, and with increasing competition from the Far East, Bburago collapsed. May Cheong swept in and scooped it up, and now the Italian model brand, along with its onetime rival Maisto, will be producing diecast Ferraris once again. Whether Bburago will use any of its old tooling to resume production of Ferrari scale models or start from scratch with all-new equipment remains to be seen, as does the matter of whether either it or Maisto will be able to produce the same quality of models as Hot Wheels has with some of its higher-end offerings. Like most collectors, this writer's looking forward to finding out. Looks like it's time to buy another display case.

Ferrari is debuting a new car Thursday

In a social media blast across its Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts, Ferrari released a seven-second teaser for a new car that is set to debut Feb. 28. A few subtle details hint at what it might be. Accompanying the short teaser clip were two short sentences: "Tomorrow, the Prancing Horse family welcomes a new member," it says. "Make room for new thrills." The clip flashes several up-close parts of the car including a grille, an air intake, a steering wheel with paddle shifters, a drive mode selector, a tachometer, and the top of an engine. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The engine is the most revealing part of the clip. It appears to be the V8 from the 488 Pista, which separates itself visually with carbon fiber covers, rather than the red covers seen in other Ferraris. If it is indeed that V8, it could potentially align with the report that Ferrari would be debuting a hybrid V8 supercar this year. This would just be sooner than we were expecting it. A secondary intriguing part of the video is the gear selector. The clips shows the normal modes seen on other Ferraris, including Wet, Sport, Race, CT off, and Esc off. But there's a sixth blurry white spot, which could be absolutely nothing, or it could indicate another type of driving mode. What would be important enough to add a driving mode? Maybe a hybrid? All we can do is speculate, but thankfully, only for a day more. Check back for the full reveal and full information on Feb. 28. Related Video: News Source: Ferrari Auto News Ferrari Coupe Performance Supercars supercar ferrari 488 pista

Without engine deal, Red Bull could be squeezed out of F1

It would have seemed unthinkable just a couple of years ago when it was winning more races than it lost and scoring one world championship after another, but these days Red Bull can't get a competitive engine. And if it doesn't get one soon, it could be forced out of Formula One altogether. This development emerges after two years of the once indomitable but now deteriorating relationship between Red Bull and its longtime engine partner Renault. When F1 switched from the previous V8 engines to the new hybrid turbo V6 power units ahead of last season, Renault dropped the ball, and Mercedes picked it up. Ferrari has since recovered much of the lost ground to push the Mercedes factory team for wins, but Red Bull and Renault have not. The stress of falling off their perch has left both parties pointing fingers at each other to the point that the team's longtime technical director Adrian Newey doesn't think the marriage is salvageable, or worth salvaging. "Unfortunately, our relationship with Renault is pretty terminal – there's been too much of a marriage breakdown, so we have no engine," said Newey. That's left Red Bull looking elsewhere for a new engine deal, but so far it's been unable to find one. The prospect of replacing sponsor Infiniti and supplier Red Bull with a similar partnership with Aston Martin and Mercedes has apparently come to naught. And the proposed buyout and engine deal from the Volkswagen Group evidently collapsed in the wake of that brand's diesel emissions scandal. That leaves Red Bull to turn to one of the existing engine suppliers in the series, and apparently neither Ferrari nor Mercedes are willing to sell their engines to one of their chief rivals. As McLaren has demonstrated this season, the Honda engines aren't up to speed, either. Which leaves Red Bull with nowhere else to turn. And if it doesn't find something in time for next season (or the following one at the latest), Newey says it may have to pack it in and close up shop. "Red Bull should not be put in a position where they're only there to make up the numbers." Related Video: News Source: Reuters via Motorsport.comImage Credit: Felipe Dana/AP Motorsports Ferrari Renault F1