A British man's custom Volvo drag car is your next Hot Wheels toy

Having your own custom car immortalised as a Hot Wheels toy. It sounds like the dream, right? Especially if your bespoke car has now had so much love (and cash) poured into it that you don’t dare take it out to play.

Luckily, the creator of this highly modified Volvo P1800 can now whack his very own car repeatedly off the skirting board. And the winner of Hot Wheels’ 2021 Legend Tour – a competition to find one crazy custom car to turn into something we can all enjoy for a couple of quid – hails from our shores.

Meet the Volvo P1800 ‘Ain’t No Saint’ Gasser, the work of 71-year-old mechanic Lee Johnstone. He acquired the P1800 as a rusty rolling shell before giving it a complete overhaul, with its restoration leading to transformation into a quarter-mile drag car. So yeah, his custom car does still go out to play in real life.

“Sporting a Chevrolet 454 big block, its new power plant is capped with a 671 GMC supercharger and dual four-barrel carburettors,” we’re told. “Finished in a fitting shade of Volvo green, it is a true culmination of more than 50 years of ‘race it, break it, build it better’ experience.”

Lee runs the car with his daughters Eleanor, Sarah and Victoria sharing driving duties and his wife Sue as a helper.

 “I am excited to have my car become a Hot Wheels die-cast toy and to be able to share my passion project in 1:64 scale with the world,” says Lee. “It’s amazing to be the first UK winner.”

“The Volvo Gasser is a wonderful expression of authenticity, creativity and most importantly, garage spirit,” adds Hot Wheels design boss Ted Wu. “We look forward to welcoming Lee Johnstone and his 1969 Volvo P1800 into the Hot Wheels family and presenting the world with our newest Hot Wheels Legends Tour die-cast toy.”

Will you be keeping an eye out at the supermarket?

Top Gear speaks to Hot Wheels design boss Ted Wu

Photography: Santa Pod/Thru a Lupe