Hot Wheel Legends Tour has reached the mid-way point for 2024

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — With events across four continents and 13 countries, the 2024 Hot Wheels™ Legends Tour provides car builders from around the world an opportunity to compete to make Hot Wheels history by having their car turned into the next Hot Wheels die-cast. With the first half of this year’s Tour in the rearview, Hot Wheels is celebrating their drive to become legendary by showcasing the regional event winners to date. One of these 10 passion projects could be the next Hot Wheels die-cast sold around the world.

The U.S. leg of the 2024 Tour kicked off in Miami, Florida on May 11, followed by nine more events around the world.

North American Winners

• Miami, Florida: “Karma” is a custom 1965 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia built by Jorge Lazcano which has been fully restored and modified inside and out over two and a half years. Lazcano’s Karmann Ghia retains the classic styling but features tasteful exterior and interior modifications. For performance upgrades, he dropped the vehicle on a static suspension setup, and then swapped the original motor for a larger 1600 Dual Port single carb motor, giving the little VW the power to match the aesthetic.

• Atlanta, Georgia: Jose Retana spent the past seven years customizing his 1995 Nissan 240SX alongside his family and friends, almost entirely in his own garage. Retana’s passion project was transformed with a front and rear Boss Kit, as well as an Air Lift suspension to achieve the desired wide and low stance. He also improved the performance by adding a 6.0-liter LS2 V-8 engine and an updated Nissan 350Z differential.

• Charlotte, North Carolina: The famous post office vehicle of the 1970s, the AMC Postal Jeep, was Eric Wade’s inspiration for a functional dragster. Built to honor Wade’s late father, nearly all the bodywork modifications, and a completely custom-built suspension were done by Wade himself. The Postal Jeep is certainly capable of delivering mail quickly, with a nitrous-equipped big block Chevy motor under the massive hood cowl, an 8-inch drop, drag radial tires, a drag racing parachute, and a custom roll cage on the inside.

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: With the help of friends and family, Joseph Venero turned a 1927 Ford Model T into a proper hot rod over the course of six years. The Philadelphia tour stop winner impressed the judges with twin Chevy 350 small block motors, quad turbos, and a total of six carburetors. All this gets crammed into the tailor-made frame, which is near unrecognizable from the original Model T, but now embodies the true spirit of a hot rod.

• Detroit, Michigan: Dimon Diesel’s one-of-a-kind 1985 Chevy Monte Carlo SS was inspired by the Hot Wheels Color Shifters he played with as a kid. The unique paint job, which took five gallons of clear coat and six pounds of metal flake to achieve, certainly stood out to the judges in Detroit. The straight axle Gasser G-Body features a 509 big block Chevy motor with an 871 blower protruding from the hood with a custom side exit exhaust. Designed to be a fun daily driver capable of laying down times at the drag strip, the Monte Carlo has a six-speed manual transmission, full roll cage and a pink wheelie bar.

• Chicago, Illinois: After purchasing a wrecked Smart car, Mark Cryer went to work with his son and a few close family friends to build this incredibly unique vehicle drawing inspiration from the classic “No Big Thing” drag car of US 30 Drag Strip fame (a legendary Chicago-area drag strip that closed in 1984). The Smart ForTwo features many homebuilt pieces to achieve his vision, such as the custom front axle, and tube-chassis with a wheelie bar. To make big power in the little car, Cryer dropped a 555 Chevrolet Big Block motor into the Smart before attaching it to a power glide transmission. The car is as fast as it looks too, with the 90.5-inch wheelbase and the iconic drag radials it’s able to run the quarter mile in 9.8 seconds @ 137 MPH.

• Indianapolis, Indiana: Hyrum Bingham’s steampunk-themed 1938 roadster features a hand-built aluminum body and exposed 306 Ford engine with custom side pipes. The frame itself was designed to fit a 2001 Ford Mustang Cobra rear end with the largest Mickey Tompson street radials available. Custom Kirkley racing seats were fitted and adorned with Italian leather for a functional and an ascetically pleasing appearance. The exposed shifter linkage for the five-speed manual transmission running through the center of the vehicle further adds to the steampunk theme.

International Winners:

• Dubai, UAE: The Middle East tour stop winner, Sameh Helal, impressed the judges with his 2016 Volkswagen Beetle sporting a completely custom wide body kit that he designed himself. The body kit is built from carbon fiber and includes an aerodynamic rear spoiler with retrofitted headlights and taillights to complete the transformation to hot rod. Under the aggressively-styled Beetle, is a tuned stage 2 motor producing almost 400-horsepower, thanks to the IS38 turbo upgrade. Inside the car, the upgrades continue with a full Alcantara upholstery and Recaro racing seats.

• Le Mans, France: Alexandre Claudin had always dreamt of owning a 1981 Delorean, the iconic car from Back to the Future. In 2018, he realized his dream by purchasing two Deloreans in Pennsylvania and importing them to France. After selling one to finance his dream build, he spent three years transforming the classic, replacing nearly every part outside of the body and upholstery. Not to mention, Claudin dropped a 500-horsepower corvette engine into the car, fully customizing nearly every detail of this one-off hot rod.

• Hannover, Germany: After trading his his Golf R32 for a 1987 Porsche 944, Benjamin Pflug spent countless hours making it his own unique build. The interior includes bespoke touches like a includes a gold painted rollbar and racing steering wheel. Lowered on white OZ racing wheels, this Porsche has an aggressive stance that passersby cannot miss. Additionally, a large rear spoiler and a custom shade of paint with racing inspired graphics were added to complete the look.

“For more than 50 years, Hot Wheels has driven automotive performance and design; driving car culture for fans of all ages. While there can only be one winner, these 10 vehicles embody the authenticity, creativity and garage spirit needed to make it to the semi-finals,” said Ted Wu, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Design, Hot Wheels, Vehicles and Building Sets at Mattel, Inc. “The Hot Wheels Legends Tour is an opportunity for custom car builders to showcase vehicles that push the boundaries in automotive design while maintaining purpose-built performance. We’re celebrating cars that are built not bought and, as car enthusiasts ourselves, we know the dedication and time involved in these projects.”

For North American car builders that unable to attend a Tour stop in-person, Walmart Digital Submissions will remain open until August 24. A team of Hot Wheels judges and Walmart representatives will select one digital entrant to advance to the 2024 Hot Wheels Legends Tour semi-finals. For those interested in entering their ride, please visit https://hotwheelslegends.com/events/walmart-virtual-entries-us-2024.

One of this year’s largest regional Tour events is held amidst Southern California’s legendary car culture at the Hot Wheels’ headquarters in El Segundo on Saturday, October 5. The stop will feature a variety of on-site experiences including kid-friendly activities, designer meet and greets, live music, limited-edition die-casts available exclusively on the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, along with Hot Wheels Garage of Legends life-size vehicles.

To submit a custom build for the El Segundo Tour stop, visit:

https://hotwheelslegends.com/events/el-segundo-us-2024

Additional upcoming global stops include:

• August 24-25: In-Person Event in the United Kingdom
• September 1: In-Person Event in Brazil
• September 1: In-Person Event in Chile
• September 7: In-Person Event at Walmart in Dallas, Texas
• September 7: In-Person Event in Mexico
• September 8: In-Person Event in Colombia
• September 21: In-Person Event in Spain
• September 22: In-Person Event in Poland
• September: In-Person Event in Italy
• September 14: In-Person Event at Walmart in Houston, Texas
• September 28: In-Person Event at Walmart in Phoenix, Arizona
• October 5: In-Person Event at Hot Wheels Headquarters in El Segundo, California
• October 7: In-Person Event in Poland
• November date not yet announced: Global Semi Finals (Virtual)
• November date not yet announced: Global Grand Finale (Virtual)

The Global Semi Finals and Global Grand Finale will happen virtually to allow all enthusiasts and builders to tune in simultaneously. The Global Semi Finals and the Global Grand Finale will both be held on November, dates to be announced soon. Fans can visit hotwheels.com for the latest information and tour updates.

To learn more about the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, visit www.HotWheels.com/Legends.

If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

Want a taste of Old Cars magazine first? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter and get a FREE complimentary digital issue download of our print magazine.