No, it's not the latest Honda F1 car which Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will drive in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. It is in fact the Japanese company's much-anticipated 1/64th scale Hot Wheels® car. Designed by Honda R&D Americas, the model, along with designs from five additional automakers, were selected as part of the Hot Wheels Designer's Challenge as a way to celebrate the die-cast brand's 40th anniversary. "The Honda Racer combines the excitement of Honda's racing heritage with Hot Wheels' reputation for speed, power, performance and attitude," Guillermo Gonzalez, senior designer of Honda R&D Americas and designer of the Honda Racer, said. "The core concept is built around our idea for an 'ultimate racecar' and leverages the design freedom made possible by a scale model car." The key element to the design of the entire car is that the body is in the shape of the Honda "H" emblem.

The exterior shape resembles an imaginative side-by-side racecar of 1960s vintage that encloses a driver and a navigator. The general shape, styling and paint scheme is further inspired by Honda's early participation in Formula 1 racing and its 1967 RA 273 racecar. The white and red paint scheme, the open cockpits, large exhaust system and open wheels are all elements inspired by the historic Honda racecar. A powerful Honda V-10 VTEC engine sits between the piloting team. If brought up to scale, the engine would displace an amazing 2.0-litres per cylinder. A set of velocity stacks and an intake that receives air through the body of the car sits between red DOHC valve covers to provide a technologically-advanced look. The exhaust system is a giant set of twisted, yet balanced tubes that reside high above the engine, complementing the power plant design at the back end of the car. The dynamic expression of technology, history and detail is evident throughout the design of the car.

Starting in mid-August, the Honda Racer 1/5th scale model and other cars from the Designer's Challenge will be part of the Hot Wheels 40th anniversary road trip travelling along historic U.S. Route 40, stopping at multiple cities along the way. The tour starts at the Mattel headquarters in El Segundo, California, in August and ends at Watkins Glen, New York, in early September. For more information, check out www.hotwheels.com/40th.