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RAMPY at the El Segundo stop of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour

Hot Wheels Legends Tour – El Segundo

Hot Wheels Legends Tour - El Segundo

winner of the local Hot Wheels Legends Tour stop in El Segundo, posing in his 1969 Buick.

Life Size to 1:64-scale

ANNOUNCED - The winner of the local Hot Wheels Legends Tour stop in El Segundo, California

By John Grafman

Mon, Aug 1, 2022 12:40 PM PST

The festive atmosphere is like the merging of the Oscars and the Indy 500 - okay, perhaps it’s a bit more subdued under the grey morning skies... But, nevertheless, this event never fails to bring out a diverse selection of custom machines battling for one of the most coveted prizes known to mankind, or at least among auto enthusiasts.

"Southern California car culture is second to none, and being able to celebrate these incredible rides at our very own Hot Wheels headquarters is always a memorable day for our team and the local community," said Ted Wu, Vice President, Global Head of Design for Vehicles, Mattel. "We expect a wide range of submissions this year, from lowriders and American muscle to exotics and JDMs, so the competition will be fierce. The fan car that best exemplifies authenticity, creativity, and garage spirit will move on in the global competition for a chance at making Hot Wheels history."

Now in its fifth year, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour spans an incredible five continents and 16 countries, making it the largest traveling car show in the world. As Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is not operational at the moment, Hot Wheels Legends Tour could possibly be the greatest show on earth!

Each stop is a platform for custom car builders to showcase their passion projects with other automotive enthusiasts. The winner of the El Segundo event will advance in the Hot Wheels Legends Tour for a chance to compete in the Global Grand Finale later this year. Once chosen, the 2022 champion will have their one-of-a kind car immortalized as the next 1:64-scale official Hot Wheels die-cast vehicle sold in more than 150 countries around the world.

Now, if anyone can think of a better prize one can walk away with in their lifetime, aside from winning the Mega Millions lottery, please let us know!

The winners of the El Segundo stop of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, posing with their 1969 Buick.
Husband-and-wife duo Mario and Nora Zamudio of Los Angeles take home first prize with their 1969 Buick Riviera.

Taking the cake, err, prize is the radiant 1969 Buick Riviera built by husband-and-wife duo Mario and Nora Zamudio of Los Angeles. Members of the renowned Imperials Car Club, Mario and Nora spent countless nights and weekends over the last four years fabricating and assembling pieces and hunting down a long list of parts for this Pagan Gold candy-painted passion project. The 1969 Riviera is a fully rebuilt lowrider featuring shaved body molding, hydraulics, custom interior, and the original 430 Buick engine.

The judges included Ted Wu, global head of design for vehicles at Mattel and Brendon Vetuskey, Hot Wheels designer (esteemed Hot Wheels Designer Director Bryan Benedict was unfortunately out – bitten by the bug). However, one didn’t need decades of professional experience to understand that this Buick was bingeworthy. One can’t get enough of this rolling work of art.

Now, it’s easy to get lost on the toys for the big boys. But, at the heart of Hot Wheels is the toy that has conquered the imagination of kids for generations. It’s those little die-cast cars that inspire the desire to pursue real-life, road-worthy Hot Wheels. Sure, there are those that might think this is just a lot of hype. But stop and think about this for a moment: we currently have nearly 8 billion people on the face of the earth, with many people in the 80+ year-old demographic. On the other hand, Hot Wheels has been around only 54 years, and there’s been more than 8 billion cars produced by Mattel. Just hype? We think not!

a line of cars on display at the El Segundo stop of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour
Impressive lineup of cars at the event.

About The Author

John Grafman's profile picture

John Grafman

John Grafman spent far too much of his youth thriving on the canyons that connect the valley to Malibu. This antisocial behavior has evidentially scarred him for life. Nevertheless, using his powers for good rather than evil, John has spent the past dozen or so years working on models for numerous automotive design studios on the west coast. You’ve seen his work on the exterior and interiors of some of your favorite concept and production cars. You can now see his imprint throughout LA CAR.

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