Mattel, the company that owns the Hot Wheels toy car brand, has declared the current leader of the ongoing Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK. The competition has people styling their vehicles as Hot Wheels replicas, and the best-looking one will be mass-produced as a 1:64 scale model.
The current favorite of the competition is pictured above. It’s a venerable E21 BMW 3-Series produced in 1982 and later styled as a homage to Group 2 racing. In addition to a sporty exterior, it received a particularly beefy 5.0-liter Roger V8 tuned to 420 PS (414 hp / 309 kW). A Getrag manual gearbox sends the momentum to the wheels, Wilwood brakes ensure adequate deceleration, and GAZ coilovers make for a sporty and low ride.
Built by Paul and Ethan Foster, a father-and-son duo with a passion for Hot Wheels, it features a rather sophisticated aero kit with a giant wing and a diffuser at the back. Ultrawide rims round off the track-ready look that the family claims took them 10 years to achieve.
The current rivals of the BMW E21 include a completely rebuilt Volkswagen Golf and a hot rod based on a Jaguar Mark VII with a 4.3-liter turbocharged V8. The Fosters will soon demonstrate their project at the European stage of the competition and, should they win, proceed to the global Legends Tour finale. If their project car wins, it will be immortalized as a scale replica.
Interestingly, Paul Foster claims he doesn’t intend to sell the car he loves regardless of whether it wins or not. It looks like it holds too much of a sentimental value for him.
The Legends Tour event encompasses 25 competitions held in the various regions of the world.
