Hot Wheels – Pulpaddict

BMW 3 Series ‘racer’ wins UK leg of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour

Father and son’s 14-year build of classic BMW 3 Series wins Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK 2025

A classic BMW 3 Series build inspired by Group 2 race cars, has won the 2025 Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK at SlammedUK’s Gravity Show, held at the NEC, Birmingham.

The result of a 14-year build, the 900kg track-ready E21 was created by a father-and-son team Paul and Ethan Foster from Wickford, Essex.

Paul Foster’s 1982 BMW 3 Series combines aggressive Group 2 styling with bespoke engineering in a true life-size Hot Wheels car.

The 345/35/15 rear tyres, fibreglass wide-arch kit, alloy diffuser and deep front splitter give it a muscular stance, while the race livery featuring violet, red and blue accents, is a nod to 80s and 90s BMW touring cars.

An original Group 5 rear wing, now with a carbon blade, adds downforce and drama in equal measure, whilst under the bonnet sits a 420bhp 5.0 litre Rover V8 with twin Jenvey throttle bodies.

Other performance features include flame spitting side pipes, DTM Getrag gearbox and Quaife LSD whilst GAZ coilovers and uprated Willwood brakes ensure it handles as well as its looks.

“It’s amazing to win the Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK.” said Paul Foster. “Built together with my son Ethan, it’s part of our family and we’ll never sell it.

“We’ve both been huge Hot Wheels fans since we were kids. I just can’t believe it. Representing the UK at the next round of the competition is so exciting.

Paul’s BMW will now head to the European final, one of a number of virtual regional competitions.

At each regional final, one vehicle will be selected to compete at the Global Grand Finale where the winner will be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends – a collection of the brand’s most iconic and historic vehicles and transformed into a 1:64 scale die-cast, and available to buy around the world.

Partners for the 2025 Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK are Smyths Toys Superstores, Forge Motorsport and Collecting Cars.

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Hot Wheels Legends Tour 2025: Hunt for new vehicle to reimagine as a die-cast model

Gareth Herincx

15 mins ago
Auto News

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. Just upload three images and a short description at hotwheelshuklegendstour.co.uk required.

Hot Wheels facts

Founded in 1968, Hot Wheels is the number one selling toy worldwide with over 16 cars sold every second
Hot Wheels continues to be a key influence on car culture, inspiring full-scale designers, car builders and tuners
Hot Wheels is all about the challenger spirit – its founder Elliot Handler embodied that spirit when he founded Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels’ 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
The inaugural set was called ‘Sweet 16’ and today is highly coveted. It featured a mix of custom cars and ‘rods
To date, over eight billion have been sold
The most valuable Hot Wheels car is said to be the ‘Beach Bomb’ VW bus in pink. Never released to the public, its value has been estimated at $150,000.
In 2025 Hot Wheels announced collaborations with both Formula One and Ferrari
Hot Wheels is the leading die-cast brand in the UK, available at Smyths Toys, The Entertainer, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and independent toy shops

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‘MAXIMUM BOB’ LUTZ, MODEL-BUILDER!

In his retirement years, 92-year-old consummate carguy and 47-year automotive industry executive has a new title: ‘MAXIMUM BOB’ LUTZ, MODEL-BUILDER!

‘MAXIMUM BOB’ LUTZ, MODEL-BUILDER!

While Robert A. Lutz, best known as “Maximum Bob”, was a top executive at BMW, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, retiring as Vice-Chairman of GM in 2010, he collected scale models of iconic military airplanes, including ones that he owned and piloted. He also collected models of specialty cars. His go-to guy was Joel Rosen, best known for Baldwin-Motion Chevrolet Supercars, later owning Motion Models. Rosen created incredibly detailed models that graced his home and work offices, the last ones while Lutz was at GM, photo above. He passed away last year and Motion Models ceased production. Now he’s creating his own models.

Graham Heeps writes about the 92-year-old retired automotive executive who is still creating automotive and aeronautical legends! Like many car enthusiasts, I mess around with model making when I get the time, like customizing a Hot Wheels diecast or building a plastic kit. But scratch-building a highly accurate 1930s racecar from paper? That’s an entirely different level.

Bob Lutz brought his passion for cars, attention to detail and feel for good design to an almost-50-year career as a senior executive with BMW, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. He had a hand in the creation of many iconic machines, from the Dodge Viper, to the Ford Sierra, to the Chevrolet Volt, and was instrumental in the emergence of BMW M. Now aged 92, and more than a decade on from his retirement from GM, he channels those same qualities into the creation of unique, 1:24-scale paper replicas of classic sports and racing cars – all designed from scratch and built by Lutz using techniques he has practiced, perfected and even invented along the way.

Continue reading about ‘MAXIMUM BOB’ LUTZ, MODEL-BUILDER! @ https://www.hemmings.com/stories/at-91-bob-lutz-is-still-creating-fabulous-carsout-of-paper/?uemlid=e323c71347790f699ba35a9dc01d49ac3f938885a7df6321087c8c9b4c0dd333