The underground carpark of The Warehouse Albany in Auckland was transformed into a massive celebration of car culture on Sunday, August 30, as hundreds of automotive enthusiasts gathered for the historic, first-ever live finale of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour in New Zealand.
The tour made a spectacular return to New Zealand, with custom builder Jess Kirkwood being officially crowned New Zealand's champion for her jaw-dropping 2013 Land Rover Range Rover Sport that will now represent the nation on the world stage as she advances to the virtually hosted Asia-Pacific Regional Finale.
Kirkwood's winning 2013 Range Rover Sport is anything but ordinary, standing out with a blown LS engine and a tubbed 3/4 chassis that impressively blends the seemingly improbably mix of luxury SUV styling with high-performance hot-rod engineering.
"Winning the New Zealand Hot Wheels Legend Tour feels like a dream come true," said Kirkwood. "Hot Wheels has been in our family for many years, and we are huge collectors. Becoming New Zealand’s winner, is an absolute surreal moment and I can’t wait to represent my country at the Regional Finale."
Kirkwood had long wanted to build a custom Range Rover Sport, and the opportunity presented itself in the form of a "friend of a friend's" car that was due to get scrapped. A lot of work - and three engine builds - later and the Sport had a new lease of life as a vibrant metallic pink creation that already looks like a Hot Wheels car scaled up to full size.
Which is handy, because if it goes through to the overall Grand Finale in November then it has a chance to be scaled down into true Hot Wheels form and put on sale worldwide, much like fellow Kiwi and 2023 overall tour winner Chris Watson's 1990 Mazda MX-5.
Originally launched in 2018 to commemorate Hot Wheels’ 50th anniversary with 15 shows across America, the Legends Tour has grown into a massive international phenomenon that celebrates the raw dedication and obsession that defines real car culture.
At each event, custom builders vie for the ultimate motoring honour: having their unique, real-life custom build immortalised as an official 1:64 scale Hot Wheels die-cast toy manufactured and sold to fans worldwide, alongside induction into the prestigious Hot Wheels Garage of Legends.
To find the perfect vehicle, judges assess the builds on three key criteria: creativity and innovation, the genuine authenticity and passion behind the project, and the "garage spirit" of late nights spent building a standout car.
Selecting a single winner from the Kiwi finalists was a daunting task for this year's all-star judging panel, which featured international drifting icon 'Mad Mike' Whiddett, automotive creator and RX-7 builder Brad Wright, and virtual judge Jimmy Liu, the Hot Wheels and Matchbox Director of Product Design.
"From a judging perspective, it was great to see the incredible calibre and diversity of builds on display," said Wright.
"From the 1969 Rambler Rebel to the 1993 Mitsubishi Evolution 1, the finale really had it all. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Jess at the Regional Finale. We’ll definitely be cheering her on from the sidelines."
