Wild Volkswagen Beetle Wins Hot Wheels Legends Tour UKAutoweekNatalie NeffWed, September 9, 2026 at 12:11 AM UTCAdd us on GoogleWild VW Beetle Wins Hot Wheels Legends Tour UKMattelVW Beetles have long provided the launching off point for all varieties of novel custom car designs. The kit car boom from the middle of the last century saw hundreds of manufacturers take advantage of the ease of using the Beetle's platform to sell a wide variety of bodies, perhaps most famously, the Meyer Manx.The winner of the UK's 2026 Hot Wheels Legends Tour put a unique spin on the practice, radically modifying a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle to produce a machine that looks both completely like a hot rod and something Picasso might have forged.Built by veteran fabricator Ray Ramsay, the "Volksrod" was created with what he describes as a "no rules, no limits" philosophy. Ramsay, who has completed more than 150 custom car projects, kept the build secret until unveiling it at Volksworld 2025.AdvertisementAdvertisementInspired by 1960s hot rod icon Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, the Beetle's roof has been chopped by 14 inches, while the front axle has been moved forward 10 inches and the engine raised six inches. Yet despite its dramatic appearance, the car retains a largely stock 1.3-liter twin-port flat-four engine.MattelThe details are what set it apart. A champagne bucket serves as the housing for the headlight and speedometer, a vintage movie camera bought for less than $2 became part of the design, and a spider strainer from a commercial fryer now forms part of the driver's seat. The steering wheel is made from chain links, the radio antenna from an egg whisk, and the front wheels are Porsche space savers while the rear wheels came from a 1951 truck."I just built this car to make people smile," Ramsay said. "Lots of people say it looks like a Hot Wheels, so maybe one day this dream could come true."The Volksrod claimed the title at CarFest, held at Silverstone Circuit, where it was selected by a judging panel that included former Top Gear host Richard Hammond, Hot Wheels designer Dwayne Vance, and presenter Nicola Hume.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe next stage of the international competition will see it face regional winners from 19 countries before advancing to the global final in November. The overall winner will be immortalized as a 1:64-scale Hot Wheels model.MattelThe project also carries a personal meaning. Ramsay, who is battling prostate cancer, built the Volksrod to raise money for prostate cancer research and plans to donate proceeds from the car's eventual sale. And winning the United Kingdom's 2026 Hot Wheels Legends Tour only helps to raise awareness for the cause—all the more so as it moves one step closer to becoming an official Hot Wheels die-cast.The Beetle beat two other finalists selected from entries across the UK: a heavily modified 1989 Fiat Panda nicknamed Flying Washing Machine, and a restored 1951 Tempo Matador truck that once delivered potatoes in Australia.The Hot Wheels Legends Tour, now in its ninth year, has become one of the toy company's signature enthusiast events, celebrating custom cars that embody what it calls "garage spirit," creativity, and authenticity. Previous winners from around the world have gone on to become production Hot Wheels models, giving builders the rare opportunity to see their one-off creations reproduced for collectors and children alike.The global winner of this year's competition will be announced later this fall.