A father-and-son team from Wickford, Essex has won the 2025 Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK at SlammedUK’s Gravity Show, held at the NEC, Birmingham. The duo’s classic BMW 3-Series, a 900kg, track-ready custom car, is the result of an impressive 14-year build.
The passion project, initiated by father, Paul when son, Ethan was a toddler, has developed alongside the pair. Originally in poor condition, Paul and Ethan have elevated the car to show-winning status and now regularly tour the UK and Europe in the extreme, classic BMW. Paul first entered the car in the annual competition in 2022 and came close to finalist status. Three years of fettling and prized Hot Wheels “garage spirit” later, the Wickford-based car claimed victory in front of the crowds at the UK’s biggest indoor car show.
“It’s amazing to win the Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK. Built together with my son Ethan, it’s part of our family and we’ll never sell it. We’ve both been huge Hot Wheels fans since we were kids. I just can’t believe it,” says Paul Foster. “Representing the UK at the next round of the competition is so exciting. Thank you to everyone for the support.”
Winners Paul and Ethan Foster on stage with Nicola Hume and Mat Armstrong.jpg
(L-R) Nicola Hume, winners Paul and Ethan Foster and Mat Armstrong
Paul’s BMW will now head to the European final, one of a number of virtual regional competitions, the others being the Middle East, Latin America and the United States. At each regional final, one vehicle will be selected to compete at the Global Grand Finale where the winner will be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends™ – a collection of the brand’s most iconic and historic vehicles and transformed into a 1:64 scale die-cast, and available to buy around the world.
The 1982 BMW E21 3-Series combines aggressive Group 2 styling with bespoke engineering in a true life-size Hot Wheels car. The 345/35/15 rear tyres, fibreglass wide-arch kit, alloy diffuser and deep front splitter give it a muscular stance, while the race livery featuring violet, red and blue accents, is a nod to 80s and 90s BMW touring cars. An original Group 5 rear wing, now with a carbon blade, adds downforce and drama in equal measure, whilst under the bonnet sits a 420 bhp 5.0 litre Rover V8 with twin Jenvey throttle bodies. Other performance features include flame spitting side pipes, DTM Getrag gearbox and Quaife LSD whilst GAZ coilovers and uprated Willwood brakes ensure it handles as well as its looks.
Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK 2025 Winner BMW 3 Series (1).jpg Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK 2025 Winner BMW 3 Series (5).jpg
Together with Hot Wheels designer Charlie Angulo, judges Nicola Hume (host of Red Bull’s ‘Talking Bull’ podcast), Jordan Clarke (founder of Slammed UK) and influencer Mat Armstrong scored each entry against design, authenticity and garage spirit criteria.
“This year, the UK once again delivered a lineup of jaw-dropping contenders, each brimming with raw garage spirit, authenticity and the kind of imagination that Hot Wheels enthusiasts crave,” says Ted Wu, senior vice president and Global Head of Design for Vehicles and Building Sets at Mattel.
