Custom builder Jess Kirkwood was crowned the New Zealand champion of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour on Sunday, August 30. The finale took place in the underground carpark of The Warehouse Albany in Auckland, drawing hundreds of automotive enthusiasts for the first-ever live event in the country.
A Pink Range Rover Takes the Stage
Kirkwood’s winning vehicle is a 2013 Land Rover Range Rover Sport featuring a blown LS engine and a tubbed 3/4 chassis. The build blends luxury SUV styling with high-performance hot-rod engineering, and the finished product is a lively metallic pink creation that looks like a full-scale Hot Wheels toy.
According to the report, Kirkwood had long wanted to build a custom Range Rover Sport. The project began when a “friend of a friend” offered her a car that was scheduled for scrapping. After three engine builds and extensive modification, the vehicle received a new lease on life.
“Winning the New Zealand Hot Wheels Legend Tour feels like a dream come true,” said Kirkwood. “Hot Wheels has been in our family for many years, and we are huge collectors. Becoming New Zealand’s winner, is an absolute surreal moment and I can’t wait to represent my country at the Regional Finale.”
Global Recognition for Local Builds
The New Zealand winner advances to the virtually hosted Asia-Pacific Regional Finale. If the vehicle progresses to the overall Grand Finale in November, it has a chance to be scaled down into an official 1:64 scale Hot Wheels die-cast toy sold worldwide. This mirrors the success of 2023 overall tour winner Chris Watson, whose 1990 Mazda MX-5 was immortalised as a collectible.
Judges evaluated finalists based on creativity and innovation, authenticity, and the “garage spirit” of the project. Selecting a single winner from the Kiwi finalists was a daunting task for this year’s all-star judging panel, which featured international drifting icon ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett, automotive creator and RX-7 builder Brad Wright, and virtual judge Jimmy Liu, the Hot Wheels and Matchbox Director of Product Design.
“From a judging perspective, it was great to see the incredible calibre and diversity of builds on display,” said Wright. “From the 1969 Rambler Rebel to the 1993 Mitsubishi Evolution 1, the finale really had it all. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Jess at the Regional Finale. We’ll definitely be cheering her on from the sidelines.”