For the fifth time, the "Hot Wheels Legends Tour" is taking place in the USA in search of unique cars to find the best tuning car of 2022. As in previous years, a car fan from Germany will once again have the chance to pit their car against other international finalists in the global final. The winning vehicle will have the honor of being recreated as a 1:64 model and included in the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends.
This year's lucky winner of the German Hot Wheels Legends Award is Pascal Klein (31) from Saarbrücken, who successfully beat off the competition with his Puma GTE. "This is a childhood dream come true for me. Now I'm doing everything I can to represent Germany in the best possible way," - said Pascal Klein, who was there with great enthusiasm.
Chosen by experts
Car enthusiasts and creative minds from all over Germany were able to submit their gems in May. The expert jury, consisting of Sophia Flörsch and Sidney Hoffmann, the Hot Wheels USA design team and the Hot Wheels fan community each selected one candidate from all the applicants based on the criteria of authenticity, creativity and "garage spirit". The grand finale took place at the PS Days in Hanover from July 8 to 10, where fans were able to vote for their favorite of the top 3 live on site and online on Instagram.
This year, Hot Wheels Germany is once again sending the first place winner and their winning car from Germany to the international "Hot Wheels Legends Tour Grand Finale". Pascal's Puma GTE now has the chance to enter the iconic Hot Wheels Garage of Legends and be immortalized as a die-cast. Here it will face the international jury in November.
Editor's note: The Puma GTE is a Brazilian sports car based on a Volkswagen with a plastic body. Only a few of these cars have found their way to Europe, as they were mainly produced for the domestic market. The award-winning model is an early example with the gills behind the B-pillar, which were built until around 1975.
