The engines are fired up and revving as Mattel gears up for another real-life treasure hunt.
The Hot Wheels Legends Tour will hit the road for a fifth run this year — an epic, global hunt for a real-life car that’s been “built, not bought” that will ultimately be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends and become a 1:64-scale die-cast Hot Wheels vehicle that kids and collectors will be able to collect for play and display.
What started in North America is now a global endeavor in which the winning vehicle will make its way into the Hot Wheels mainline (the $1 cars) to be sold in more than 150 countries.
“After four years and dozens of events, it’s incredible to see how much the Hot Wheels Legends Tour has grown, both in the U.S. and abroad,” says Mattel’s Vice President, Global Head of Design for Vehicles Ted Wu, “Pivoting largely to virtual events over the past two years, we saw the competition unite in an entirely new community of global garage builders and Hot Wheels fans. We’re excited to continue this growth in 2022 as we return to our live event roots. This year’s competition is guaranteed to be the best yet, and we can’t wait to see which epic builds emerge during the Tour.”
Mattel first launched the Hot Wheels Legends Tour in 2018 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the brand. This year, Mobil1, Dickies, and Walmart are back on board as sponsors for the event.
“As in past years, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour consists of regional winners and Mobil 1 Fan Favorites from each stop who move on to compete in the semi-final and, for the most impressive builds, the Global Grand Finale,” the company said in a statement. “However, this year Hot Wheels is breaking with tradition by offering one regional winner the additional opportunity to have their custom garage creation reimagined as a limited-run die-cast vehicle.”
2022 Hot Wheels Legends Tour Event Dates
- April 14: Virtual Livestream from New Zealand
- April 21: Virtual Livestream from Austrailia
- April 30: In-person event at Walmart in Miami, Florida
- May 14: In-person event at Walmart in Houston, Texas
- June 4: In-person event at Walmart in Atlanta, Georgia
- June 18: In-person event at Walmart in Northwest Arkansas
- July 9: In-person event Walmart in Detroit, Michigan
- July 16: In-person event at Walmart in Windsor, Canada
- July 30: In-person event at Hot Wheels HQ in El Segundo, California
- Sept. 10: In-person event at Walmart in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Sept. 24: In-person event at Walmart in Dallas, Texas
- Oct. 8: In-person event at Walmart in Los Angeles, California
- Date TBD: Virtual Livestream
- Date TBD: Global Semi Final (Livestream only)
- Nov.: Global Grand Finale (Livestream only)
To date, four Hot Wheels Legends Tour winners have become die-cast toys. 2Jetz (2018), the Nash Metropolitan (2019), and a 1970 Pontiac Trans Am (2020) have already made their way onto the pegs, while the “Ain’t No Saint” 1969 Volvo P1800 (2021, pictured top) should be headed to stores within a year.
Registration for this year’s tour is open now.
