Hot Wheels Legends Tour returns to the UK, searching for a car to transform into a 1:64 die-cast, induct into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends

LONDON, 28 MAY. UK petrolheads have their chance to make their mark on global car culture as the Hot Wheels Legends Tour returns for 2025. Now in its eighth year globally and fifth year in the UK, classic car modifiers and restorers, race car builders, JDM tuners, alongside truck and custom car constructors can now enter the competition for the chance to have their vehicle reimagined as a 1:64 scale die-cast model and become inducted into the revered Hot Wheels Garage of Legends. New for 2025, the UK winner will also be flown to El Segundo, California, to experience the last stop of the US Hot Wheels Legends Tour.

Judged by Hot Wheels designer Craig Callum, YouTuber Mat Armstrong and presenter Nicola Hume and in partnership with Smyths Toys Superstores, Forge Motorsport and Collecting Cars, Hot Wheels will seek out entries that embody authenticity, creativity and the unmistakable ‘garage spirit’. Vehicles of all shapes, sizes and ages are eligible, including restomods, racing cars, custom classics, drag racers, off-roaders and trucks. Entry is simple and quick, with just three images and a short description uploaded at hotwheelsuklegendstour.co.uk required.

After an initial online selection process, three UK finalists will be invited to attend the Gravity Show on 23 and 24 August at the NEC, Birmingham. There, judges Craig, Mat and Nicola will select the UK finalist in front of a live audience.

The judges’ pick will progress to the European final, which will narrow down the selection and send an entrant to compete at the Global Grand Finale. The overall winning vehicle at the Global Grand Finale will be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends – a collection of the brand’s most iconic and historic vehicles. Alongside this accolade, the winning vehicle will be transformed into a 1:64 scale die-cast, available for sale at retailers around the world.

“What began as a series of U.S. events has grown into a global tour for car and Hot Wheels enthusiasts around the world to share their passion projects while competing for a chance to have their creations immortalised in 1:64-scale,” says Ted Wu, senior vice president and global head of design for vehicles at Mattel. “The UK always provides compelling contenders to the competition – entrants take huge pride in their vehicles, demonstrating ingenuity, charm and true garage spirit. We can’t wait to see this year’s UK finalists!”

In the five years of the country’s representation at the competition, UK entrants have made a strong impact on the event by reaching the global final every year. The 2024 event saw the Bentley-inspired 1983 Mini ‘Mentley’ victorious on the national level. Emphasising the UK’s standing in global automotive culture, the 1969 Volvo P1800 Gasser went all the way in 2021 – the first outright global win for a non-US vehicle. Each embodied the core values that Hot Wheels is seeking for its 2025 contenders:

• Authenticity – Hot Wheels vehicles stand out from the crowd and the judges expect the next entry into the Garage of Legends to continue pushing the boundaries of automotive design
• Creativity – The judges want to see unique and exciting projects that exude purpose-built performance
• Garage Spirit – It should be evident to the judges that early mornings, late nights, grit and determination went into the project

Entries for the 2025 Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK are now open here and will close on 4 July. For more information about the Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK 2025, please visit https://hotwheelsuklegendstour.co.uk/.

Partners for the 2025 Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK are Smyths Toys Superstores, Forge Motorsport and Collecting Cars, who will provide a special selection of prizes to the winner of the UK competition, including a merchandise bundle and a £150 Forge Motorsport voucher.

Those inaugurated into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends to date include:

• Inaugural 2018-winning 2 JetZ
• 2019-winning THE NASH
• 2020-winning 1970 Pontiac® Firebird
• 2021-winning 1969 Volvo P1800 Gasser
• 2022-winning “Texas Toot” 1992 Autozam Scrum micro truck
• 2023-winning “Chimera” 1990 Mazda MX-5 roadster
• 2024 winner “La Liebre”, a 1968 Baufer-Ford Falcon Sport Prototype

For The First Time Ever

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party

Lights Up Leeds, January 13 & 14

Worldwide Tour Rolls Into First Direct Arena with a Thrilling Experience for the Whole Family!

Tickets On Sale 9am Friday September 8 HERE  

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party is coming to Leeds for the first time ever!

Fans of all ages will experience the thrill of watching their favourite Hot Wheels Monster Trucks in the DARK! This one-of-a-kind show will visit the First Direct Arena on Saturday January 13 and Sunday 14 for four epic performances!

Tickets go on sale at 9am Friday September 8 at www.livenation.co.uk and www.hotwheelsmonstertruckslive.com

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party brings fans’ favorite Hot Wheels Monster Trucks to life including Mega Wrex, Tiger Shark, Demo Derby, Bone Shaker, Bigfoot®, Gunkster, and introducing the brand new HW 5-Alarm, the firetruck hero of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks! Event performances will also feature a dazzling dance party, spectacular light shows and Hot Wheels toy giveaways. Plus, the fire and frost-breathing, transforming dragon ARCTICGON, and the electrifying high-flyers of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live, Freestyle Motocross! Special kids’ pricing is available for all shows providing BIG value for the whole family!

See the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks up close and personal, exclusively guided by the hosts of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live in the pre-show VIP Backstage Tour! Experience what happens behind the scenes before all of the smashing and crashing goes down and then watch when the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks come to life. Each pass includes a VIP merchandise bundle exclusive to VIP Experience attendees! Passes are available to purchase while supplies last by adding them on to the ticket order at time of purchase.

The exciting Crash Zone Pre-Show Party will be held 2-1/2 hours before every performance. The unique experience provides fans access to the competition floor to see the outrageous designs and epic size of the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, plus meet the drivers and get their autographs! Passes will be available to purchase while supplies last by adding them on to the ticket order at time of purchase.

The Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live tour is a partnership between Mattel and Raycom-Legacy Content Company, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Family Entertainment Holdings, LLC.

Announced on November 12, the 1992 Autozam Scrum from Beaumont, Texas, will be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., November 16, 2022— The winner of the 2022 Hot Wheels Legends Tour was crowned during the virtual Global Grand Finale event held at Jay Leno’s Garage on November 12. Nicknamed “Texas Toot,” the ultra-custom 1992 Autozam Scrum micro truck, built by Craig Meaux of Beaumont, Texas, will be immortalized as a 1:64 Hot Wheels die-cast vehicle and inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends. The UK winner, The Misfit, a 1963 Ford Anglia, was the only European entrant to reach the final ten in the Global Grand Finale.

Customized in Meaux’s garage and built entirely for fun, “Texas Toot” started life as a stock Japanese import in 2020, before becoming this year’s Hot Wheels Legends Tour champion. This custom Kei truck features a fabricated five-foot hydraulic lift, Chevrolet 454 big-block, TH400 transmission, 12-inch drop reverse rotation FTI transfer case, 250 shot nitrous kit, train horns and massive custom welded 30″x15″ wheels. Following this bucket list win, and in true challenger spirit, Meaux intends to use his passion project in burnout competitions, which he is sure to dominate in what Jay Leno calls his “superhero” truck. 

“The competition was strong in 2022, but turning a Japanese mini truck into a monster truck was hard to beat,” said Ted Wu, Vice President, Global Head of Design for Vehicles, Mattel. “As the first truck to be crowned since the inception of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, we hope Craig’s passion project inspires builders and fans from around the world to set big goals and follow their dreams. I cannot wait to see what this super-sized mini truck looks like in 1:64-scale.”

“I wasn’t expecting to win, so this is a dream come true,” said Meaux. “I wanted to create something that no one else had. I didn’t have previous experience with this sort of fabrication, so it’s awesome that it came out the way it did and to have everybody enjoy the truck.”

Co-hosted by celebrity car enthusiast Jay Leno and motorsports ambassador Jarod DeAnda, the fifth annual Hot Wheels Legends Tour Global Grand Finale featured 10 incredible builds around the world and an array of judges who were tasked with choosing the entry that best represents authenticity, creativity and garage spirit. Joining Jay and Jarod on stage were Ted Wu, Global Head of Design for Vehicles, Mattel; Bryan Benedict, Design Director of Hot Wheels and Matchbox Die-Cast Vehicles, Mattel; Brendon Vetuskey, Lead Designer for Monster Trucks Die-Cast and Redline Club Vehicles, Mattel; Dalal Elsheikh, Advance Autonomous Design Director at Ford and Hot Wheels Brand Ambassador; Magnus Walker, television presenter, fashion designer and prolific car collector; Misha Mansoor, founding member of progressive metal band Periphery and Hot Wheels Brand Ambassador; and Jon Chase, former Art Director at Hoonigan and Founder of the DSTROYR lifestyle brand.

Originally built by Rob Rashbrook and now taken to the next level by Michael Charalambous, the UK’s Misfit won praise from the judges for its design and distinctive features such as classic cross-ply tyres on BBS wheels, flat green paint, craftsmanship and exquisite detailing such as the exhaust collector.

As part of this exciting finale event, Hot Wheels announced the brand’s first-ever adult-facing campaign, “Where Legends are Made.” Designed to further engage the global car enthusiast community, this campaign serves as an umbrella for the adult-facing activities Hot Wheels will launch in the future, expanding beyond traditional automotive into pop culture. This includes segments such as fashion, film, gaming, NFTs and luxury, while remaining true to the brand’s car culture heritage with builder activities such as the Hot Wheels Legends Tour – the world’s largest travelling custom car show.

To kick off this adult campaign, Hot Wheels shared a video featuring culturally relevant influencers from around the world who champion different categories of car fandom – exotics, muscle/hot rods, modified/drift, EV/future, motorsports, trucks/off-road and retro/classic.

“’Where Legends are Made’ was created to expand our reach to more adult auto enthusiasts with an affinity for Hot Wheels and encourage them to celebrate their passion and become collectors,” said Wu. “Membership in our exclusive Red Line Club tripled in 2021, which proves that there is a strong demand for premium limited-edition die-cast cars and a desire for an adult members-only collector community for Hot Wheels die-cast vehicles.”

For more information about the ‘Where Legends are Made’ campaign please visit https://creations.mattel.com/en-gb/pages/hot-wheels-where-legends-are-made

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