So the Lancia Stratos is back, eh? I couldn’t believe it either when I first saw the 2015 Hot Wheels mainline list at the beginning of the year. As for most castings that are not produced for 5 or more years, they often join the ranks of our #Discontinued Castings due to lost, broken or stolen tools/molds. Last seen in 2008 as part of the Mystery Cars, the Lancia Stratos made a comeback after a 7-year hiatus.

Before you think the Lancia wandered back like a lost dog or an estranged lover, this isn’t the same Lancia Stratos tool we saw in 2008 and before. This is a brand new tool as evidence by the picture below.

As you can see, the base comes up into the license plate frame.

You can also see the addition of a second rivet towards the front of the car which most likely led to the base no longer being a part of the grill in the front.

So while the Lancia Stratos may not be the same one you were used to from 2002 to 2008, it lines up very close to the previous tool–thats a good thing! Especially because other “in-production” castings that got revamped/re-tooled this year, came up looking different from an overall perspective–as was the case with the Power Panel & the Rodger Dodger. One welcome addition however, would be to cast the light bar/headlights so the car could have more of a rally feel like this 1:1 scale Lancia Stratos.

RELEASE DETAILS: Metalflake Blue Body (metal). Tinted Windows. Black Interior/Louvers. Orange-Chrome Muscle Car 5-Spoke (MC5) Wheels. Gray Base (plastic). Made in Malaysia. Toy# CFK79. Released in 2015 in the HW Race / HW Race Team Series.