A chance for your special drive to be reproduced and distributed around the world in Hot Wheels miniature form returns.

BACK in 2023, an extreme example of Kiwi creativity made it big in a competition that offered chance for passionate petrolhead to see their cars in toy form.

Northland man Chris Watson was left “shocked” when his highly customised 1990 Mazda MX-5 was singled out for just that transition.

Watson’s roadster, nicknamed Chimera, is based on the cyberpunk genre of science fiction – and drew inspiration from movies like Bladerunner, Akira and Ghost in the Shell.

It’s now out in 1:64 scale and, by all accounts, has become quite collectible.

Now a chance to follow in those tyre tracks. The Hot Wheels Legends Tour is back, and once again enthusiast owners from this region are being invited to involve.

Submissions are now being taken in what is a global competition, with builds being judged according to three criteria: Authenticity, Creativity, and Garage Spirit.

Authenticity is described as cars that fit the mould of an "iconic Hot Wheels", Creativity focuses on the uniqueness of the build, and Garage Spirit assesses whether the car shows "physical evidence of late nights, early mornings, the grit, the determination, the passion".

Judges' early picks advance through to the Regional Finals before making their way to the global grand finale in November, going head-to-head with builds from the rest of the world.

The winning car will be reproduced and distributed across the world in 1:64 die-cast form, and inducted into the 'Hot Wheels Garage of Legends'.

The global judging process will include a "live finale" in Australia or New Zealand, said to be a first. The judging panel and further details are set to be announced soon.

Information is at: https://mattel.com/hotwheelslegendstour