2023 Hot Wheels Legends Tour will visit 17 countries in search of custom cars

Hot Wheels has announced preliminary details about the 2023 Legends Tour, a worldwide quest to find some of the coolest custom cars and pick one to turn into a 1/64-scale model. This year’s edition of the annual event will start in May and travel across 17 countries.

America is one of the bastions of custom-car culture, so it’s not surprising to see nine events taking place in the United States on the 2023 calendar. The first is scheduled to take place on May 13 in Miami, Florida. It will be hosted in a Walmart parking lot, which is where previous in-person events have been held, and it’s not just a competition; it’s also a massive car show. The full American calendar is as follows:

May 13: Miami, Florida
May 20: Charlotte, North Carolina
May 27: Atlanta, Georgia
June 10: Detroit, Michigan
June 24: Chicago, Illinois
September 9: Dallas, Texas
September 23: Phoenix, Arizona
October 7: El Segundo, California

The other Legends Tour stops are overseas. There’s notably a stop in France, which is an odd choice as even basic engine swaps are illegal there, and another in neighboring Italy. The global calendar hasn’t been released yet, but last year’s edition included entrants from as far as New Zealand. The winner, a 1992 Autozam Scrum turned into a monster truck (pictured), was built by Craig Meaux in Beaumont, Texas. In 2021, the judges selected a Chevrolet V8-powered 1969 Volvo P1800 gasser owned by England-based Lee Johnstone as the winner.

“More than 10,000 incredible cars were entered in last year’s Hot Wheels Legends Tour, and this year we’re expecting even more as the Tour continues to grow. Not only are there more countries participating, but we expect each city to bring even more custom builds this year, making 2023 the most competitive Legends Tour yet,” said Ted Wu, the vice president and global head of design for Mattel.

If you think your one-of-a-kind hot rod should join the Hot Wheels catalog, it’s not too late to register. Enthusiasts can submit their car by visiting the Legends Tour website. Judges from all over the automotive and entertainment spectrum will pick a global winner in November.

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