IWC Schaffhausen and Hot Wheels™ Launch Limited Edition “Racing Works” Set as Motorsport Team IWC Racing Returns to Goodwood
On the occasion of the 78th Goodwood Members’ Meeting, IWC Schaffhausen and Hot Wheels™ celebrate the return to Goodwood with the unveiling of the “IWC x Hot Wheels™ Racing Works” collector’s set. Simultaneously, the brand’s motorsport team, IWC Racing, is set to line up on the grid for tomorrow’s Stirling Moss trophy. At the wheel of the iconic Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” will be Austrian racing driver Laura Kraihamer. Limited to 50 pieces, the IWC x Hot Wheels™ “Racing Works” collector’s set contains the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “IWC x Hot Wheels™ Racing Works” and the Hot Wheels Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Racing Works Edition”, presented in a metal toolbox. The first set will be auctioned online by international auction house Bonhams with the proceeds going to the Two Bit Circus Foundation. This non-profit organization creates learning experiences for children to inspire entrepreneurship, encourage young inventors and instill environmental stewardship.
Meticulous attention to detail, an unwavering commitment to excellence and a willingness to surpass boundaries and expectations: These shared values unite IWC Schaffhausen and Hot Wheels, two brands famous for testing the limits of performance and design. Both are legends in their fields.
Before achieving the status of a legend in the automotive and toy industries (the world’s bestselling toy with 20,000 designs and over 8 billion cars sold), Hot Wheels began with a dream. When Elliot Handler, co-founder of Mattel, created the first generation of Hot Wheels in Southern California in 1968, he wanted to make a toy car that looked cooler and performed better than model cars of that time. To fulfill his vision, he enlisted a GM car designer and a qualified rocket scientist. Together, they combined Detroit auto styling and space-age design cues with striking Spectraflame™ paint finishes and fast “redline” wheels to create the original Hot Wheels “Original 16”. Today, Hot Wheels is the global powerhouse of vehicle culture, uniting car enthusiasts, racers, builders and designers of every age across the globe.
Much like Hot Wheels, IWC’s heritage is deeply rooted in American pioneering spirit and entrepreneurship. In 1868, 100 years before Elliot Handler launched Hot Wheels, the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones revolutionized the watch industry of the day when he founded the International Watch Company in Schaffhausen. Combining the superior skill of Swiss watchmakers with the latest American manufacturing technology, Jones created high-quality pocket watch movements for the US market. Based on the brand’s heritage of manufacturing robust and reliable instrument watches for aviation and navigation, the world of automotive design and motor racing has long been a key association for IWC. From partnerships with Mercedes-AMG and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team to sponsoring GT and classic car races, IWC is closely involved with many facets of motorsport. In 2018, the Swiss luxury watchmaker founded its own racing team, IWC Racing, which has since competed at various classic car races, racing the legendary 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing”.