I will be embarking on an exciting journey in a few days. I’m going to visit a country I’ve never been to before, and it might be my 40th so far. I will only be there for about 24 hours, but there’s a good reason for that. One of my favorite car manufacturers has invited me to test something special.
I can only tell you it will be the most powerful vehicle I’ve ever driven, as we’re talking about a four-digit number here. Granted, it doesn’t have an international combustion engine, but I’m sure it will be mind blowing regardless. Anyway, I have another reason to be excited about the trip. It’s because every time I visit a different country, I know there’s a chance I will find some new Hot Wheels cars in the airport for my collection.
I know it might sound silly in the age of the Internet when you can order anything online, but the hunt is part of the game and you cannot ignore it. At the end of the day, we all know there are many diecast options out there. Some have a more premium touch, others offer the chance to own cars that Mattel hasn’t made yet and the list goes on.
But somehow, we still keep returning to Hot Wheels time and time again. It’s the kind of attraction that can only be built in decades of continuous work and commitment. And the team in El Segundo seems to never run out of fun ideas to bring in more enthusiasts to the tiny world of 1/64th-scale cars. The Hot Wheels Legends Tour is one that has been growing and growing for almost a decade now.
And you could say it’s the ultimate validation of a car guy’s or girl’s efforts to build a special machine. It’s no longer just a “festival” in the United States, as over a dozen countries have joined in on the fun since the concept’s inception in 2018. Just in case this is the first time you’re hearing about it, allow me to remind you what the judges are looking for when analyzing the cars in front of them: Authenticity, Creativity and Garage Spirit.
Photo: Mattel
You might remember that I wrote about the UK leg of the Legends Tour several months ago, as it’s the one I’ve been most active in following over the past few years. Registrations were open until the 3rd of July, and we knew the judges would take their pick during CarFest at Silverstone at the end of August. That said, let’s have a quick look at the three UK finalists which were handpicked by the Hot Wheels Design Team in Los Angeles.
The first one is the Flying Washing Machine, a fitting name for a white Fiat Panda. It’s the kind of build that proves you don’t need $100,000 to have fun on four wheels. It’s just like my grandma used to say: Food tastes better when you make it yourself. There’s even a video of this hot hatch taking on a hillclimb event! The 1951 Tempo Matador was the second finalist, and I honestly wish Mattel would give us a replica of this thing even though it didn’t make it to the finals.
This truck has been around for a few years, and it reportedly took its owners eight weeks to revive it. The world might just be a better place if we kept fixing and rescuing old cars instead of building so many new ones each year. The third finalist was this 1972 Volkswagen Beetle, or at least what’s left of it after an extensive transformation that followed no rules and adhered to no limits.
Mattel brought in Richard Hammond (ex-Top Gear, ex-Brainiac, ex-Men&Motors, current Drivetribe host and owner), Dwayne Vance (Hot Wheels designer) and Nicola Hume (TV and Radio Presenter) to decide which of the three finalists would be heading for the EMEA showdown in November. Ray Ramsey built this wacky Beetle and apparently kept it a secret until its reveal at Volksworld 2025.
Photo: Mattel
Dubbed the “Volksrod” it seems Ed Roth’s Hot Rods were an inspiration for the project, although there are several elements here that have really made the car interesting.
Ray chopped the body by 14 inches and then raised the engine by 6” and also pushed the front axle forward by 10”. The dome apparently came from a primary school toilet roof, and it immediately reminded me of “The Jetsons”.
The chain link steering wheel is another cool touch, especially since this car will probably never need to go for a fast lap around the race track (Low and slow, right?). The project will be sold and all of the proceeds will fund the fight against prostate cancer, which the owner is sadly facing himself.
Let me tell you a bit about the other competitors going into the EMEA finals. France will be sending a Volkswagen Golf IV that thinks it’s half buggy, half Monster Truck.
Photo: Mattel
Germany will give a shot with Michael Söhngen’s BMW E9 restomod. Italy is betting big on Andrea Cionco’s Mazda MX-5 that almost reminds me of the Aston Martin V12 Speedster. The Custom Toyota GT86 from Netherlands looks cool in purple, but isn’t nearly as unique as The Riddler (Ray’s VW).
I struggled to find a photo of Paweł Piotrowski’s 1984 Toyota Mark II Custom (GX71) from Poland, but it’s certainly a casting that you won’t find in Mattel’s lineup today. The Legends Tour final for Spain and Portugal is still a few weeks away, and we can start making more predictions then.
Meanwhile, I just learned that each round winner received a trophy with an exclusive variation of the Rip Rod. I’m surprised it just has Silver Series-derived Star 5-Spoke rims instead of Real Riders wheels, but I guess it’s considerably rarer than the average Super Treasure Hunt collectible anyway.
I don’t expect it will pop up on eBay anytime soon, if ever. But you can always go hunting for this year’ special Legends Tour collectible: the pink ’69 Ford Mustang Boss 302.