For many of us, Hot Wheels diecasts hold a special place in our hearts. The Loveable metal cars offered some wild and wonderful designs, and the Mattel owned brand is still going strong today in the USA and across the world. Not only that, but they regularly come up with all sorts of new designs, and they even have their own video games which makes the whole Hot Wheels world even more exciting and of course brings it into the 21st century.
Recently, Hot Wheels ran a competition to find a new car that would become a Hot Wheels diecast, and it is part of the Hot Wheels Legends tour. This was about finding a real-life machine that would become a new Hot Wheels model, and the UK tour of the competition recently took place. The judges involved were Helen Stanley, Ian Callum and Jonny Smith with host Alex Kersten. The judges all came to the conclusion that a supercharged BMW-engined 1963 Ford Anglia would be the winner, and this would win the UK round of the competition to find an all-new Hot Wheels diecast.
A Huge Honor To Become A New Hot Wheels Model
The car that won the UK round beat a staggering 100 entries, and it was built by a former UK estate agent. The car is called “The Misfit” and is as we said a 1963 Anglia that now has a BMW supercharged engine under the hood. It has now staked its claim to become a new 1:64 scale Hot Wheels diecast, and the car itself was built by Michael Charalambous who only finished the car in 2022 after trying hard to finish it in the Covid-19 lockdowns. The Misfit was also voted fan favorite at the event.
Charalambous is not an engineer by trade having cut his teeth in the world of housing. But he is someone who has always loved cars, and his dream car is a Ferrari 308GTB. He has decided to set out on a mission to restore a series of cars and trade his way up to owning the Italian supercar, and this is the most ambitious project of his so far. Hundreds of hours were put into the car to get it to the finished state it is now in, and a car that would be a one off unless it does become a Hot Wheels toy.
A Car That Looks Nothing Like An Original Anglia
Looking at The Misfit, it would be difficult to work out that this actually was anything different at all. Only a few details such as the headlights and the middle section of the fascia even hint at this originally being an Anglia. Speaking about the project, Charalambous said “Hot Wheels played a major part in what we build, inspiring some of design elements such as the exposed engine and wheels. I often thought, how would Hot Wheels do it, so to win is just incredible.”
At the heart of this beast is a four-cylinder supercharged engine and drivetrain that originally came from a BMW E30. It is now all mounted on a bespoke chassis that is made up of pieces from Fords and Hillman Imps. It is a far cry from the classy Ford that it was originally. The car is also in a flat military green paint and sits on some very old-school cross-ply tyres. The car has been used regularly on the road and not transported by trailer, so it is almost a daily driver. It was even driven to the Hot Wheels event in which it won.
Fending Off Some Truly Incredible Finalists
Choosing The Misfit was not an easy task as there were a total of 10 special finalists that all could have won the event. One of these cars was The Mexorcist, which was a modified 600 hp YB-engine Ford Escort Mk2. Other cars that feature included a Group 5 inspired spaceframe BMW E2 as well as period “This and That” Mini twins plus the world's first modified Hona e EV. There were more cars on show as well, all of which makes the achievement of The Misfit even more remarkable.
Hoping To Enter The Hot Wheels Hall Of Fame
Now it has won the UK tour, The Misfit will now face more cars in the semi-finals on November 10th before, if it does win that, entering the Global Final on November 12th. Mattel says that there will be two winning entries at the end of the competition, and they will both be produced in 1:64 scale for enthusiasts all over the world to enjoy. Last year, the same competition was won by Volvo Gasser “Aint no Saint” and that particular car is expected to hit the stores this Christmas, something that ultimately The Misfit will hope to do.
Source: Mattel UK