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\u2019t made yet and the list goes on.<\/p>\n
But somehow, we still keep returning to Hot Wheels <\/a>time and time again. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n And you could say it\u2019s the ultimate validation of a car guy\u2019s or girl\u2019s efforts to build a special machine. It\u2019s no longer just a \u201cfestival\u201d in the United States, as over a dozen countries have joined in on the fun since the concept\u2019s inception in 2018. Just in case this is the first time you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n Photo: Mattel<\/p>\n You might remember that I wrote about the UK leg<\/a> of the Legends Tour several months ago, as it\u2019s the one I\u2019ve 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\u2019s have a quick look at the three UK finalists which were handpicked by the Hot Wheels Design Team in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n The first one is the Flying Washing Machine, a fitting name for a white Fiat<\/a> Panda. It\u2019s the kind of build that proves you don\u2019t need $100,000 to have fun on four wheels. It\u2019s just like my grandma used to say: Food tastes better when you make it yourself. There\u2019s 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\u2019t make it to the finals.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s left of it after an extensive transformation that followed no rules and adhered to no limits.<\/p>\n Mattel brought in Richard Hammond<\/a> (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.<\/p>\n Photo: Mattel<\/p>\n Dubbed the \u201cVolksrod\u201d it seems Ed Roth\u2019s Hot Rods were an inspiration for the project, although there are several elements here that have really made the car interesting.<\/p>\n Ray chopped the body by 14 inches and then raised the engine by 6\u201d and also pushed the front axle forward by 10\u201d. The dome apparently came from a primary school toilet roof, and it immediately reminded me of \u201cThe Jetsons\u201d.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s half buggy, half Monster Truck<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Hot](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/hot-wheels-legends-tour-uk-winner-is-a-chopped-1972-volkswagen-beetle-thumbnail_3.jpg\" "\\"Hot")
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