Hot Wheels selected Luis Rodriguez and his 2JetZ custom car as the winner of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, a 15-stop tour that searched the country for a custom car to be made into a 1:64 Hot Wheels die-cast toy. The tour was a partnership with Walmart, celebrating Hot Wheels’ 50th anniversary.
Rodriguez’s 2JetZ, an open-wheeled jet car, was chosen from more than 3,600 custom cars entered in the Legends Tour and selected for its originality and design. The announcement was made at the 2018 SEMA Show, an auto show in Las Vegas, in which all 15 finalist cars are on display alongside Hot Wheels’ fleet of life-size vehicles.
The 2JetZ design is inspired by a fighter plane in honor of American veterans. With more than 600 horsepower and a driver’s seat in the middle of the vehicle, the car is crafted with a focus on high-performance and high-end design.
A team of judges, including Hot Wheels designers and automotive influencers, chose the Legends Tour winner for its authenticity, originality, and garage spirit. The final team of judges included Jay Leno, host of Jay Leno’s Garage; YouTube influencer Tanner Fox; Hot Wheels car designer Larry Wood; and car enthusiast Magnus Walker, among others.
The Legends Tour winner’s life-size car and die-cast version will be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends, a collection of one-of-a-kind cars immortalized as Hot Wheels die-casts that meet the brand’s high standards of style and performance.
The 2JetZ diecast will be produced and sold next year.
