One of these custom vehicles may become the latest Hot Wheels toy car craze

The next hot toy car may be found at this free life-size car show in El Segundo.

The Hot Wheels Legends Tour rolls up to the Mattel Design Center on Saturday,Oct. 3 to bring together custom-built cars that are competing to one day be able to fit in a kid’s pocket or a toy track.

“These are cars that people have been creating over years and years and really putting in all the hours to create something special. These are custom cars with modifications that you might not see elsewhere,” said Craig Callum, senior design manager for Hot Wheels.

More than 100 highly creative, often colorful and actually running cars will be competing during the free show for a chance to be turned into toys, immortalized as a 1:64-scale Hot Wheels die-cast car that will be sold around the world.

“It’s a really eclectic collection of vehicles so it’s so great to see what people bring along to the show,” Callum said. “You might have a car with a crazy wild paintjob, flames on the front, or it could be an iconic lowrider and also the bodywork. The way they build these cars they’re creating their own styles.”

The world traveling tour takes place across 20 countries this year with the El Segundo stop marking the final North American stop before the winners of each show move on to the Regional Finals, which will take place in  Europe, Latin America, Asia and North America. The four regional champions will then face off at the Global Grand Finale in November with the winner available as a toy car popping up in stores sometime in 2027.

But what does it take to have your car turned into a Hot Wheels toy?

“We have a lot of professionals come out who also want to show off their skills but we also have people just building these at home in their garage,” Callum said.

The judges will be looking for authenticity and creativity in the builds as well as garage spirit, which all about the hours put into the cars. It’s a process that would last from months to years.

“Part of the fantastic thing is to hear these people’s journeys. We hear those stories of how they created these cars, what inspired them and what they learned along the way,” Callum said.

“What it is really is a celebration of everything automotive,” he said.

Hot Wheels Legends Tour

When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3

Where: Mattel Design Center, 333 Continental Blvd., El Segundo

Cost: Free

Information: creations.mattel.com/pages/hw-legends-tour