With Ferrari and Hot Wheels plunging into estrangement after New Year's Eve 2014, the fact that this was the only supercar 5 pack of 2015 begs the inevitable question of should/could there be another? I hope so. The possibility is certainly there as in recent years Exotics and Ferrari 5 packs have ran alongside each other, if at opposite ends of the HW year, and there are more than enough Lamborghini and Porsche castings to create packs for either or both marques. Plus, the diversity of this pack showcases the sheer variety of sports car castings Hot Wheels have at their disposal - just look at the selection of Exotics promised by this year's mainline segment of the same name (stunning new models such as the '16 Porsche 911 GT3 RS and '17 Ford GT join old favourites like the Carrera GT and Bentley Continental Supersports) - so who knows what the future will bring.
Anyway, back to this pack, and let's start at the top. The Huayra. Hot Wheels' first Pagani casting is a stunning blend of drama and beauty, just as the Zonda was before it (fingers crossed they step back in time and produce a casting of one), and this is it's fifth outing after debuting in 2013 in trademark silver and dark glossy red colours before going on to reappear in 2014 twice again. This version, in a pearl white with black 10 spokes could be the best yet, and certainly compliments the others. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking for this one...
Next up (or down) is the latest incarnation of the Lamborghini Aventador J. This casting also debuted in 2013 in it's stock colour of dark red and a paintless chrome Zamac release. Those of you who know anything of the real car will know why it has only one stock colour - it's hyper-exclusive as only one was ever produced, and sold to a collector for £1.75 million, so every version since that first edition is purely fictional. Just like the Huayra, the Aventador returned for two more colours in 2014, yellow and a brighter, less glossy blue than this one. I can't really rate it compared to all of the other versions, as I only have the latter two, but it does look very good sitting on white PR5s, the wheels which I think best suit the model. The stripes aren't overbearing as well, which is a relief compared to the wild decos similar other supercars have received long after their debuts. 
Now we move on to the Porsche. The 911 GT2 is without doubt the best modern Porsche casting Hot Wheels makes, and has been popular since it arrived in 2010. Unfortunately I have only two including this one, my other is a red example from 2011, but I hope to change that in the future and this latest release in lime green is no slouch. Just like the standard Aventador of the same colour from 2014's pack it's the first model to hit your eyes when you pick up the pack, and the deco is subtle and appropriate. Despite the current onslaught of metal conversions the GT2 retains its plastic spoiler, and plastic headlights connected to the windscreen piece allow for taillight tampos, which are fantastic. For me, this is the best model in the pack, but not by far as the others are very competent.
It's Lotus time, and a modified casting too. The 'metal spoiler onslaught' I mentioned earlier has struck the Lotus Espirit Turbo, and has hardly had devastating results. Those sceptics out there may say that that's just the case because this release is black, which I concede is true, but I honestly don'r think that this version will look terrible in other colours. This particular release is great in black and gold - traditional Lotus colours - and as a Briton I'd say it does well as the pack's British offering. My only other example of the Espirit came from 2013's World Race 5 Pack (the year's equivalent of Exotics) and is now the final version with a plastic spoiler, and below they are photographed together to show the (not that much of a) change.
And now last, but far from least, we reach the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione - the third Italian in the pack. It was first announced for production by Mattel in 2010, but for some unknown reason (perhaps the ill-deserved demise of the Speed Machines line) didn't appear until 2014, with a mainline debut in gloss black and recolour of trademark ruby red. This latest version, the third, loses taillight tampos whilst gaining a bonnet deco and silver lipped black PR5s, which along with some bronze paint makes for an attractive model that goes well with the preceding two. Not the stand-out car, but a great model nonetheless and it's nice to see it back so soon. It'll be interesting to see how soon it returns again also and whether it takes a long hiatus, but I do know another Alfa is forecast this year...
Finally, whilst shooting the cars of this five pack and getting out their predecessors, I put together a selection of the previous versions to, just for fun, see what this selection of cars would've looked like if the pack had been produced a few years earlier. Hope you enjoy... :)
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