Mattel Creations Revs Up for Its Final Lap of the Hot Wheels x Daniel Arsham Collab
Daniel Arsham's tiniest car collab is readying a victory lap with the fourth and final installment of his fiery Hot Wheels partnership powered by Mattel Creations. The New York-based interdisciplinary artist marries his fascination with cars, archaeology, and, well, toys, with his signature "eroded" technique to create one of the most coveted Hot Wheels collections yet—blurring the lines between the idea of toys as art and art inspired by toys.
Arsham's obsession with car culture dates back to his childhood, so it's no surprise that when iconic toymaker Mattel Creations planted the seed for collaboration, he knew instantly that Hot Wheels would be the playground to build upon. "What's exciting is the accessibility of this," Arsham tells Highsnobiety. "It reaches a massive audience, people who wouldn't necessarily visit an art gallery. Plus, the price point is incredible."
Lap 1 saw the classic Rodger Dodger and Porsche 930 first receive the Arsham treatment while Lap 2 took on his own Porsche 356 Speedster and the Deora II. Lap 3 put the pedal to the metal with Arsham's race-ready Porsche 930A and the dual-engine Twin Mill. Now, with Lap 4's two-vehicle collection nearly at the finish line, Mattel Creations arguably saved the best drop for last.
When Arsham teamed up with legendary Porsche customizer Leh Keen to transform a 911 Turbo into an elegant off-road beast, it looked more like something out of Mad Max than Miami Vice—and we were absolutely here for it. Dubbed "Safari," the 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo is tricked out with original parts from the '70s and '80s and modded with rally specs, like an external light pod on the front hood, heavy-duty tires, and a raised suspension. It's at once a celebration of the cult of bespoke Porsches, where enthusiasts soup up their 911s and turn them into bonafide rally cars, and a testament to Arsham's affinity for the German automaker.
In true Arsham style, he then commissioned an eroded sculpture replica to immortalize the custom creation, breathing life into the collectible Eroded Porsche Safari before you. Crafted in typical 1:64 scale and featuring beefy real rider five-hole wheels, Hot Wheels designers pored over samples of his work to meticulously recreate the eroded crystallizations using their proprietary Silkstone material for the most realistic Arsham replicas money can buy.
While Arsham's love for Porsches is well-documented, his passion for cars extends beyond the realm of reality and into the big screen, where he's been known to put his eroded touch on legendary Hollywood vehicles—from the Ferrari 250 GT in Ferris Bueller's Day Off to Back to the Future's electrifying DMC DeLorean.
For the second artifact in Lap 4, Arsham turns his attention to one of film's most iconic movie cars of all time: the Ford Mustang GT. Driven by the King of Cool himself in the 1968 action thriller Bullit, Steve McQueen's all-American muscle car was faithfully recreated for Arsham as a 1:1 resin sculpture with the help of the film's prop master—doubling as an ode to Detroit's rich automotive history. The Hot Wheels rendition of the Eroded Ford Mustang is an authentic replica of the full-scale model, complete with crystallized Silkstone erosions and real rider five-spoke mag wheels.
If previous Hot Wheels x Daniel Arsham drops are any indication, Lap 4 is destined for certified grail status given its place in pop culture. So, don’t sleep and mark your calendars to own a piece of Hot Wheels history. Look for the limited-edition Eroded Porsche Safari and Eroded Mustang dropping today, May 16, only at creations.mattel.com.
