**The Final Stop: Hot Wheels Legends Tour**
The Hot Wheels Legends Tour has reached its final stop, where the 15th winner will be chosen to join the other 14 winners from across the nation in SEMA in Vegas.
[Upbeat music plays]
The tour is a celebration of creativity and innovation in the world of cars. The event brings together car enthusiasts who have spent countless hours building and customizing their rides, making them truly one-of-a-kind.
**Unique Builds**
One standout build was the apocalyptic van with motors sticking out the top. The owner, inspired by his teaching background, brought his entire shop to work on it, showcasing exceptional creativity and dedication. Another notable mention was the '56 Oval Window Baha, which blended low-rider and metal flake styles in a clashing yet intriguing way.
A hand-built car that caught everyone's attention was an exotic sports car with electric power. The owner had spent many years building it, using his own molds to create this unique masterpiece.
**Rare Finds**
The '57 Nash was a crowd favorite, with its custom chassis and wheels. Built in just three months, the team had poured their hearts into making it a true Hot Wheels-inspired vehicle.
The '38 Graham, with its beautiful body lines, was another stunning build. The owner took an old 4-door sedan, cut it up, and transformed it into this California-style masterpiece.
**Meet Steve Howard**
Among the many impressive builds, one stood out as the winner: Steve Howard's '38 Graham Shark Nose. Steve, a retired Honda car mechanic, had been working on his dream project for thousands of hours with his wife Karla. Together, they built the custom frame and suspension, using off-the-shelf parts where possible.
Their dedication and creativity shone through in their build, which was truly one-of-a-kind. The engine, taken from a '95 Ford truck, provided the power needed to make this cruiser come alive.
**Garage Spirit**
For Steve, building his car was about more than just creating something beautiful ā it was about making it work. He and Karla worked tirelessly, pouring their hearts into every detail, inspired by the Hot Wheels they had grown up with.
Their story is a testament to the power of garage spirit: turning dreams into reality through hard work and dedication.
**A Dream Come True**
As Steve accepted the award for Best Build, he expressed his amazement at being chosen from such talented competitors. He was overjoyed at the prospect of having his car immortalized in a Hot Wheels model, which would allow everyone to appreciate their hard work and creativity.
For him, this moment was truly a dream come true, and it's a reminder that with passion and dedication, anything is possible.
WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(upbeat music)- premiumbeat.com- Yeah, thank you forcoming to the final stopof the Hot Wheels Legends Tour,before we pick our 15th winnerthat is actually gonna join the other 14from across the nation in SEMA in Vegas.(upbeat music)- So what stuck out to you guys?- I don't know if anyonetook a look at that van,like the apocalyptic.Had the motor the motorsticking out the top.I mean, the story onthat was just amazing.He teaches, and he brought the whole shopin to work on it, and I justthought that was awesome.- And, I don't know if you guys sawthe '56 Oval WindowBaha with paddle tires,but you know, that was kindof a clashing of cultures,you know, the kinda Bahastuff with a little bitof low-rider and metal flake.- A hand-built car wasthat exotic sports car.And he made his own molds, it's electric.- How often doyou have a CTO as partof a build team?That just says how high-tech- And they've been buildingit for many years. Yeah.- The '57 Nash, to be honest with you,the moment it pulled in,I saw that as a Hot Wheel.They built that car in three months.We've seen Nashes our whole life.You would have never seen one like that,and the way they did it.The chassis, the wheels,they rolled the fenders,tucked them back in.A lot of attention to detail.- You ever wanna talk about old school,how 'bout that Graham?Get your magnifying glassout, it's beautiful.- The '38 Graham's got amazing body lines.The whole front was redone.I mean, you're talking 8 years of build.But it was an ugly Betty.- It was a 4-door.- He took a 4-door sedanCut it up.You have to have a reallygood vision for that car.But they way it finishes,it lays down to the floor.It's California, baby.That's exactly what it is.(upbeat music)- Thank you guys for coming outand letting us check outall of your cool rides.We really love it.(Applause)So with that said, wedid have to pick just oneof you guys, unfortunately.As a group, we've decided that it is goingto be Steve Howard with the '38 Graham.(applause)(upbeat music)- Hi, my name's Steve Howard.- And I'm Karla Howard.- We are at Ray'sService, California.I call it a '38 Graham Shark Nose,and Shark Nose is kind of a slang nicknamefor it when it came out,for obvious reasons.But it's technically a Model 97.I've been a Honda carmechanic my entire life,so I'm retired from doing that.So, you know, I've been intocars since I was old enoughto figure out what they were,cause it just kinda runs in the family.Some of the Hot Wheels that Ihave are pretty streamlined.Art Deco, I would imagine.There were a few that inspired me.I've always admired this style of car,because I've always beenintrigued with Art Deco.I saw my first one in 1968,which coincides with thestart of Hot Wheels, actually.So, I saw it in a wrecking yard.I thought, wow, that thing is stylin'.And this one I found,kind of word of mouthafter talking to a few guys.This was a parts carto a stock restorationa man in eastern Washington had,so I called him just outof the blue and he decidedhe would sell it.So the rest is history.Well, Karla was mostlyin charge of doing a lotof the interior work.Karla did the seats, and the door panels,and the carpeting, andI pretty much handledthe fabrication end of it.I really couldn't tell you on the hours,but thousands probably.- Easily thousands.It was all new, and itwas my first project,and we opted to buy a sewingmachine off Craigslistand just made patternsand went from there.Heat seaters is all we have to keep warm.And in Washington, that waskind of an issue for a while.- Yeah, we've been stuckin the rain a couple times.Well, the frame's all custom-built.And the suspension is a littlebit of off the shelf stuff.Yeah, the engine's nothing special.It's actually out of a '95F-150 Ford truck, you know.It's not a performer, it's just a cruiser.I'd be laying there at night wide awakeand like, oh yeah I cando this or I can do thatand you know, and I can't waitto get out there the next dayand do that, you know.And fabricate anotherpiece, see if it works.- And that's garage spirit to me.- That's garage spirit.- Making it work.- I am shocked.I mean, the competition is fierce.Southern California is thecenter of the known universefor the car world, and I'm thinking,well I'm gonna stand achance like a Popsiclein a blast furnace at ashow like this, you know.But hey, it pulled through,and I am impressed.I am really happy.Well, I'd have to say thatthat would be pretty nice,you know, kinda have yourcar immortalized in a modelthat's gonna probably sellquite a few of them over the years.- To have it happen, Ithink that it would justbe fantastic to have allthe hard work and dedicationthat we put into it beshown to everybody else.
