Before you read this, go to the kitchen and get the biggest grain of kosher salt you can find. Dig around until you've got a big one. Ready? Okay: rumors are circulating that Hot Wheels has spilled the proverbial beans on the arrival of a new Ferrari Dino. Sounds a little ridiculous, but not entirely outside the realm of possibility. Mattel's Hot Wheels brand has the exclusive rights to make scale model Ferraris, and as such may be privy to advanced information on what Maranello's developing in order to get scale models to market efficiently. The word comes from the Diecast Legends website, an online model retailer that is now taking pre-orders on the claim that Mattel announced a 1/18 scale replica of the new Dino for the Hot Wheels Elite line. It's worth noting, though, that the penchant for jumping the gun on the part of diecast retailers is notorious among collectors, and this may very well be just another case.

With all the spy shots we've shown, however, it seems more than likely that Ferrari is indeed working on a new entry-level model. (Naysayers will insist the test mule spied is actually an upcoming Maserati.) But after years of denying such a car was in the pipeline, Ferrari chiefs Luca di Montezemolo and Jean Todt reportedly announced that a new (though unspecified) Ferrari would be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show this coming fall. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[Source: World Car Fans]