The Hot Wheels Legends Tour, calling itself the world’s largest traveling car show, has named its 2025 global champion. As the winner, Paweł Czarnecki’s custom FIAT 126B, which began its journey by winning the Poland tour stop, will now be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends and transformed by the Mattel Hot Wheels design team into a 1:64 scale die-cast collectible sold worldwide.
While Poland never hosted an official Group B rally event, Czarnecki’s Fiat 126P Bis was created to conquer what the tight technical stages of the Carpathian Mountains may have looked like. With more than 2,500 hours of hands-on wrenching and an additional 800 hours of 3D printing components, the car embodies the “garage spirit” mentality that the Hot Wheels judges look for in every submission.
Highlights include a dramatically widened stance, flip-forward front section and functional aerodynamic features that pay homage to 1980s rally design while delivering genuine performance on both asphalt and gravel, according to officials.
Though modest in size, the Fiat packs a serious, performance-driven punch. Powered by a Fiat Uno 1.4 Turbo producing 200 hp paired with a Nissan 200SX GT28 turbocharger and a built Fiat Punto GT gearbox, it delivers rally-ready performance. The car features a custom coil-over suspension, a body widened by 18.5 inches, period-correct HTN Motorsport three-piece wheels, Fiat Uno brakes, a flip-forward hood for rapid repairs and adjustments, and a full roll cage — blending historical inspiration with modern fabrication to bring this Polish rally vision to life.
“From its roots in the U.S. to stops across 16 countries, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour has grown into a truly global celebration of creativity and the automotive community,” said Ted Wu, global head of vehicles and building sets at Mattel. “Car enthusiasts in Poland have shown incredible support for the Tour over the years, and Paweł Czarnecki’s custom Fiat exemplifies the talent and imagination that fans from Poland—and around the world—bring to the Hot Wheels Legends Tour.”
Choosing the winners
This year, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour introduced a new winner selection process. Each participating region—the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and Latin America (LATAM)—hosted its own regional final, with three regional champions advancing to compete in the Hot Wheels Legends Tour Global Grand Finale.
The 2025 Hot Wheels Legends Tour runners-up included U.S. regional finalist Clint DeVine’s Chevy S10 from Kansas City, and LATAM regional finalist Jesus Daniel Payan Gastelum’s VW Beetle pickup truck conversion from Mexico. Inspired by his grandmother’s love of antiques and his Texas upbringing, DeVine’s 1990 Chevy S10 features a striking patina and a western-style hauler bed. Gastelum’s one-of-a-kind VW Beetle was converted into an off-road pickup and fitted with an upgraded suspension and 37-inch tires for a substantial lift.
Hosted by motorsports ambassador Jarod DeAnda, this year’s Hot Wheels Legends Tour Global Grand Finale judges included:
- Jay Leno, TV host and car enthusiast
- Michael Cimino, Actor and car culture enthusiast
- Therese Lahlouh, Race car driver
- Nhu Tran, Automotive content creator
- Hert Life, Automotive content creator
- Juca, Automotive content creator
- Bryan Benedict, Hot Wheels key principal designer
- Craig Callum, Hot Wheels senior designer
Celebrating car builders and enthusiasts worldwide, the 2025 Hot Wheels Legends Tour traveled to 16 countries, including 11 regional stops across the United States. New Tour stops included Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), Peru and Turkey. Over the course of the Tour, Hot Wheels designers and local automotive experts evaluated thousands of vehicle entries, with millions of fans attending events worldwide.
Since its launch in 2018 to celebrate Hot Wheels’ 50th anniversary, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour presented by Mobil 1 has grown from a U.S.-based series of local Walmart events into the world’s largest traveling car show, attracting builders and automotive fans through live and virtual events.
