Wildest Builds from Hot Wheels Legends Tour SoCalMark VaughnThe Hot Wheels Legends Tour continues its worldwide search for the next Hot Wheels scale model. The tour has stopped in cities across the country and around the world, most recently last weekend at Mattel corporate headquarters in El Segundo, California. At each stop, panels of distinguished judges chose the best entry in that field. It'll finish up in a few weeks as a grand champion is announced from all the winners from around the world. That car will be made into a Hot Wheels.It's marketing genius.Hot WheelsThe winner of the LA round was Michael Cox and his custom-built 1991 Ford Bronco II, a crowd favorite built in his backyard shop. Cox will now compete in the North American Semifinal next month, ahead of the Global Grand Finale, for a chance to have his build immortalized as a Hot Wheels die-cast.Here are our favorites from the rest of the El Segundo stop.1)Photo credit: Mark VaughnDatsun 280 Z with a twin-turbo LS V8. See @twinturbo280z on Instagram.2)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThe Volkswagen EA489 Basistransporter is a small front-drive platform truck with a front-mounted VW air-cooled engine. It's about the size of a modern-day Polo and is one of the rarest VWs in the world because it was never sold in a developed market. This one was from Mexico City.3)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThe Manx SR was made by B. F. Meyers & Co., same guys who brought us the original "Dune Buggy." It was designed by Stewart Reed, who went on to work at GM and to head Transportation Design at Art Center for many years. The SR stands for Street Roadster. Only about 400 were ever made. One of them graced a cover of Car and Driver in 1972.4)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThis guy bought this smart car for a couple grand and went to work turning it into a flaming off-roader.5)Photo credit: Mark VaughnWorld's most artistic ice cream truck!6)Photo credit: Mark VaughnDon't know if this is a real Bill Thomas Cheetah or if it is a knockoff/continuation car, but they all sport the same cool proportions. The real ones were built from 1963 to 1966 to compete with the Shelby Cobra.7)Photo credit: Mark VaughnFageol was a truck, tractor, and bus maker founded in 1916.8)Photo credit: Mark VaughnLifestyle Car Club is one of the oldest and most prestigious lowrider clubs in history, founded in July 1975 in East Los Angeles.9)Photo credit: Mark VaughnYes, Keith Black made 10-liter V8s. This one gets a BDS blower for what must be ungodly power and torque.10)Photo credit: Mark VaughnRat rods rule!11)Photo credit: Mark VaughnYou want low??? This looked like it sat on a go kart of some sort.12)Photo credit: Mark VaughnHot Wheels first sponsored an NHRA Funny Car in 1970 when Tom "the Mongoose" McEwen and Don "the Snake" Prudhomme secured the landmark million-dollar sponsorship deal with Mattel's Hot Wheels brand, creating one of the most successful and famous marketing rivalries in motorsport history.13)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThis gorgeous pink panther of a station wagon came with a matching pink surfboard.14)Photo credit: Mark VaughnDodger Blue 1953 Buick has a big, neon "LA" logo in the back that lights up at night.15)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThis Volvo 850 Turbo Sportwagen had a monster turbo under the hood, with four exhaust ports. The owner started it up. It rumbled contentedly.16)Photo credit: Mark Vaughn1957 Chevy17)Photo credit: Mark VaughnMatchbox: The Movie is coming to Apple TV October 9.18)Photo credit: Mark VaughnHong Kong taxi.19)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThis is a radio-controlled Hot Wheels Subaru. The guy doing the demo said the car and controller were $50, but prices are all over the place on the internet. Looked like a lot more fun than we ever had!20)Photo credit: Mark VaughnFull-size Barbie Corvette.21)Photo credit: Mark VaughnA full-sized version of the Darth Vader Hot Wheels car was built by Action Vehicle Engineering in 2013 and is fully functional, according to hotwheels.fandom.com. It is based on a C5 Corvette and is powered by a 6.2L LS3 V8; entry and egress is done by an opening canopy. The car features Hot Wheels logos cut into the front grille, resembling Darth Vader's mask, and external speakers to play Darth Vader's breathing noises. The vehicle was first shown off at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con.22)Photo credit: Mark VaughnCzinger showed a 3D-printed mockup of one of its tandem sports cars.23)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThere have been many Twin Mills made, all cool.24)Photo credit: Mark VaughnThe original Deora was designed by Harry Bradley at Hot Wheels in the 1960s. Others have since taken the cab-forward, COE theme and run with it. Again, all look cool.