Hot Wheels just turned the new Mercedes-Benz CLA into something you never expected to see in real life: a full-scale art piece. Unveiled at Race Service in Los Angeles, the car is a wild, exaggerated take on the CLA, complete with oversized diffusers, a massive rear wing, and paintwork straight from 1980s pop culture, think bright orange, pink, and blue with retro flames.
The vibrant color mix transforms the CLA from a sleek compact coupe into a super sports caricature. This one-off isn’t just for show, though. It heads next to the Hot Wheels Legends Tour in El Segundo, and later today, that is October 4, you’ll get a chance to see it up close.
The toy DNA is obvious, and that’s exactly the point. Hot Wheels calls this project “Play Beyond Limits.” The idea is simple: playing sparks creativity, and for many of you, that likely began with a diecast model. The intent with this exhibit is to channel that childhood imagination and fuse it with the real-world design language of Mercedes-Benz.
This collaboration is part of Mercedes-Benz’s “Class of Creators” program, which kicked off with the CLA world premiere in Rome on March 13, 2025. Instead of keeping collaborations limited to co-branded merch, the German automaker is handing designers, musicians, and artists the keys to its models.
Past collaborations include Virgil Abloh, A$AP Rocky, Lewis Hamilton, Roger Federer, and fashion houses like Moncler. Since then, Ice Spice, Gustaf Westman, and KidSuper have each revealed their own takes on the car, with League of Legends set to follow. The Hot Wheels CLA closes out this year’s lineup, but it sets the bar high by reminding you that the line between play and performance is thinner than you think.
A 1:64-scale diecast version will hit shelves in spring 2026, giving you the chance to park a piece of this collaboration on your desk or in a glass display case. If you’re an adult collector, this is one to mark on your calendar. If you’re an enthusiast who grew up with Hot Wheels tracks looping across your living room, this latest project shows how Mercedes is serious about tying culture, art, and design directly into its product strategy.
Images: Mercedes-Benz
