A 1972 Beetle built by Ray Ramsey has won the UK round of the 2026 Hot Wheels Legends Tour and will go on to compete for overall honours in the European challenge ahead of the global finale in November in the US.
The Beetle was built with a ‘no limits’ philosophy and features a 14-inch body chop, the front axle moved forwards by 1-inches, and the engine raised by 6-inches.
The engine itself is a standard 1.3-litre motor, but little else about this car remains stock.
Veteran custom car builder Ramsey has used a champagne cooler bucket to house the cyclops lamp and speedo, a vintage cinecamera bought for £1, a dome that came from a primary school toilet roof, inverted Corvette bumpers, and a spider strainer from a chip fryer that now forms part of the seat.
Even the hydraulic suspension, a fluid dispersal system, was devised by Ramsey. The rear wheels are from a 1951 truck and the front pair, each now a different colour, are space savers from a Porsche.
Ray Ramsey said: ‘I just built this car to make people smile, and hopefully, I achieved this. Lots of people say it looks like a Hot Wheels so maybe one day this day could come true.’
Hot Wheels design manager Dwayne Vance, added: ‘The UK turned up some stunning entries with incredible stories behind each build. Full of creativity and inspired by Hot Rod culture., Ray’s Beetle embodies everything that Hot Wheels stands for.’
