{"id":882,"date":"2025-06-30T15:31:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T14:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/talacom.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/elan\/?post_type=news&#038;p=882"},"modified":"2025-07-01T14:36:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T13:36:36","slug":"882","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"http:\/\/talacom.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/elan\/news-releases\/882\/","title":{"rendered":"Global hunt for a new automotive legend to become a Hot Wheels die-cast model heads to the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<section class=\"text-block block custom-py bg-main\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"row\">\n            <div class=\"text-container col-12\">\n                <div class=\"content\">\n                    <h2>Global hunt for a new automotive legend to become a Hot Wheels die-cast model heads to the UK<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hot Wheels\u2122 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\u2122<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Three UK finalists to be judged on Saturday 23 August at Slammed UK\u2019s Gravity Show at the NEC, Birmingham<\/li>\n<li>Judges this year will include Hot Wheels designer Craig Callum, YouTuber Mat Armstrong and presenter Nicola Hume<\/li>\n<li>Entries are now open for modified, classic, road or track vehicles<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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\u2122. 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.<\/p>\n<p>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 \u2018garage spirit\u2019. 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.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n<section class=\"text-block block custom-py bg-white\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"row\">\n            <div class=\"text-container col-12\">\n                <div class=\"content\">\n                    <p>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.<\/p>\n<p>The judges\u2019 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\u2122 \u2013 a collection of the brand\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n<section class=\"text-block block custom-py bg-light-grey\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"row\">\n            <div class=\"text-container col-12\">\n                <div class=\"content\">\n                    <p>\u201cWhat 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,\u201d says Ted Wu, senior vice president and global head of design for vehicles at Mattel. \u201cThe UK always provides compelling contenders to the competition \u2013 entrants take huge pride in their vehicles, demonstrating ingenuity, charm and true garage spirit. We can\u2019t wait to see this year\u2019s UK finalists!\u201dIn the five years of the country\u2019s representation at the competition, UK entrants have made a strong impact on the event by reaching the global final every year.<\/p>\n<p>The 2024 event saw the Bentley-inspired 1983 Mini \u2018Mentley\u2019 victorious on the national level. Emphasising the UK\u2019s standing in global automotive culture, the 1969 Volvo P1800 Gasser went all the way in 2021 \u2013 the first outright global win for a non-US vehicle. Each embodied the core values that Hot Wheels is seeking for its 2025 contenders:<\/p>\n<p>Authenticity \u2013 Hot Wheels vehicles stand out from the crowd and the judges expect the next entry into the Garage of Legends\u2122 to continue pushing the boundaries of automotive design<\/p>\n<p>Creativity \u2013 The judges want to see unique and exciting projects that exude purpose-built performance<\/p>\n<p>Garage Spirit \u2013 It should be evident to the judges that early mornings, late nights, grit and determination went into the project<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n<section class=\"text-block block custom-py bg-white\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"row\">\n            <div class=\"text-container col-12\">\n                <div class=\"content\">\n                    <p>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\/.<\/p>\n<p>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 \u00a3150 Forge Motorsport voucher.<\/p>\n<p>Those inaugurated into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends\u2122 to date include:<\/p>\n<p>Inaugural 2018-winning 2 JetZ\u2122<br \/>\n2019-winning THE NASH\u2122<br \/>\n2020-winning 1970 Pontiac\u00ae Firebird\u2122<br \/>\n2021-winning 1969 Volvo P1800 Gasser<br \/>\n2022-winning \u201cTexas Toot\u201d 1992 Autozam Scrum micro truck<br \/>\n2023-winning \u201cChimera\u201d1990 Mazda MX-5 roadster<br \/>\n2024 winner \u201cLa Liebre\u201d, a 1968 Baufer-Ford Falcon Sport Prototype<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n<section class=\"text-block block custom-py bg-light-grey\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"row\">\n            <div class=\"text-container col-12\">\n                <div class=\"content\">\n                    <p>Hot Wheels Facts<\/p>\n<p>Hot Wheels is the leading die-cast brand in the UK, available at Smyths Toys, The Entertainer, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury\u2019s, Tesco and independent toy shops<\/p>\n<p>Founded in 1968, Hot Wheels is the number one selling toy worldwide with over 16 cars sold every second<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hot Wheels continues to be a key influence on car culture, inspiring full-scale designers, car builders and tuners<\/li>\n<li>Hot Wheels is all about the challenger spirit \u2013 its founder Elliot Handler embodied that spirit when he founded Hot Wheels<\/li>\n<li>Hot Wheels\u2019 original design team included a car designer and a rocket scientist. They had a brief to create a toy car that was cooler and performed better than the competition<\/li>\n<li>The inaugural set was called \u2018Sweet 16\u2019 and today is highly coveted. It featured a mix of custom cars and \u2018rods&#8217;<\/li>\n<li>To date, over eight billion have been sold<\/li>\n<li>The most valuable Hot Wheels car is said to be the \u2018Beach Bomb\u2019 VW bus in pink. Never released to the public, its value has been estimated at $150,000<\/li>\n<li>In 2025 Hot Wheels announced collaborations with both Formula One and Ferrari<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n                <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/talacom.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/elan\/news-releases\/882\/\">Read More&#8230;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> from Global hunt for a new automotive legend to become a Hot Wheels die-cast model heads to the UK<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":896,"template":"","categories":[5],"class_list":["post-882","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mattel-press-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Global hunt for a new automotive legend to become a Hot Wheels die-cast model heads to the UK - 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