The 2024 Hot Wheels Legends Tour scoured the globe on a mission to find the next custom car build to be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends and immortalized as the next official Hot Wheels die-cast sold around the world. With events in 13 countries, including 11 in the U.S., Hot Wheels Designers and local automotive personalities evaluated more than 5,000 vehicle entrants on their creativity, authenticity and garage spirit.
As the 2024 tour begins to culminate, 23 regional event winners from around the world have been selected to compete in the virtual semi-final for a chance to move on to the global grand finale. Tune-in to the Semi-Final on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 6:00PM PT/ 9:00pm ET on the Hot Wheels YouTube page and on the Hot Wheels Instagram, TikTok and Facebook pages to see which 10 vehicles will advance.
New for the 2024 Hot Wheels Legends Tour, Walmart sponsored a contest where car builders, who were unable to make a regional event, were able to submit their passion projects digitally. One of these unique vehicles was selected by Hot Wheels and Walmart to compete in the virtual Semi-Final, alongside the 23 regional event winners, for a chance to become the next Hot Wheels die-cast.
The winner of the 2024 Walmart digital entry is Fred Lauck Jr. of Tallmadge, Ohio, with his 2007 Mitsubishi UT62, which has been extensively modified to resemble a miniature semi-truck after being imported from Japan.
About the 2007 Mitsubishi UT62 dubbed “Uncle Ted”
In 2019, Lauck lost his Uncle Ted to cancer and was inspired to begin supporting the Denise Marie Flaherty Memorial Foundation (DMF), which provides financial assistance to families affected by cancer. Built by Lauck and his son, the little Mitsubishi was imported from Japan and then purpose-built to carry passengers in a matching trailer to support during one of the foundation’s events. Their work began by completely disassembling the truck, engineering and fabricating new sheet metal for the custom smokestacks and exposed fuel tanks before installing a custom four-inch lift on chrome wheels fitted with oversized tires. On the inside, the interior has been extensively modified to match the exterior theme of the truck including unique purple seatbelts.
